Have you ever wondered why it always seems that other people are better at reaching goals? Is it because they have more talent and better skills than you? Surprisingly, the answer is – not so much. The difference is simply in how they go about setting their goals.
When you are looking for a job or trying to get a promotion, the goal is to be able to make clear goals that will advance your job search or better your job performance. The key to reaching those goals isn't who you are, it's what you do about them.
Here are 5 ways to reach your goals:
Be specific – Vague goals are hard to reach. Instead of saying that you would like to lose some weight, set a goal that you want to lose 5 pounds. It's important to know exactly what you want to achieve, then think about the things you need to do to reach the goal. If you want to lose weight, for example, saying that you just need to eat less or stop eating junk food isn't going to help. Instead, decide on specific actions like, I won't snack in the middle of the night or I will keep my kitchen stocked with healthier foods.
There's no time like the present – Once you have a clear goal set, it's really easy to put off doing the things you know need to happen. It's only human to get so busy that you miss opportunities. One way to prevent it is to set up a schedule along with your list of specific actions. For example, using the weight loss goal, you can specify which day you want to exercise and when. If you know that every Tuesday and Thursday you are going to walk for an hour, then it is less likely that you will put it off.
Monitor your progress – In order to reach your goals, you have to know how you're doing. Plan out times to check and see where you are. For example, you might want to weigh yourself every Saturday to see if you've gotten closer to your goal. Even if you haven't made much progress, monitoring yourself will help you see where you need to try harder.
Focus on progress, not completion – Don't fall into the trap of attaching all of your energy into the end goal. Celebrate your progress as you go. Remember that the goal is to improve, so take adversity in stride and keep working to get better.
Make you goals positive – It's really easy to make lists of negative goals, but they just don't work. Instead of making your goal something you don't want or want to stop doing, make the goal about what you want to do. For example, instead of having a goal like “I won't eat cake” make it “I will make healthier food choices”. When you focus on the things you don't want to do, it just reinforces the negative behavior. Don't believe me? Try not to think about coffee, just for a minute.
Reaching your goals isn't as hard as we want to make it. It isn't all about having willpower or being stronger than others. The real secret is in the process. By setting better goals, we have a better chance of reaching them.
Have you ever set goals? What do you do to make success more likely? Please share your thoughts and tips in the comment section.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog and Beyond.com.. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
