Goal setting is an important part to your success in life and unfortunately goal setting traps are easy to fall into. In order to achieve success in your goals, it is essential to define what you want and why you want it. Once you have defined the motives for your goal, you are already on your way to victory. However, one must consider the plague of goal setting traps and how to avoid them. Here we will look at some of the most common traps and what you can do to evade them.
1. Your goals do not inspire you. It is important that the goals you've set get you energized - you see the importance in them and you feel they are a priority in your life. If you become burnt out, apathetic, or disenchanted with the outcome, or if the big picture to which your goals lead seems far, far away and unattainable, the odds of your ability to conquer your everyday moves toward it become slim to none. Why, you ask? Well, progress requires dedication. So, if you begin to lose your sense of urgency, you become more likely to procrastinate, and the likelihood of your success begins to fade into your everyday decisions to do things that don't contribute to your goal attainment. When you go over your initial goals, do you feel inspired, or frustrated?
2. The goals you set are not SMART. By SMART, we don't mean your intelligence level. We mean specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based goals. In order for you to avoid this next goal setting trap, you should assess your goal and see if it follows the SMART format.
Your goals aren't specific. Concise is key, so when you set up a list of indistinct goals, you're working against yourself because you will not have a specific course. Always remember: your goals should show you the path to your progress.
Is your goal measurable? Almost any goal is measurable if you have clearly defined it and set a specific route. When defining your goal you should clarify timelines and dates so you are able to measure your success. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, you must think about how much weight you want to lose and by when. Set dates along your pathway to success that is measurable such as, "I want to lose my first 10 pounds in one month".
Set achievable goals. If you set a goal that you have no hope of achieving, you will only demoralize yourself and erode your confidence. However, resist the urge to set goals that are too easy. Accomplishing a goal that you didn't have to work hard for can be anticlimactic at best, and can also make you fear setting future goals that carry a risk of non-achievement. By setting realistic yet challenging goals, you hit the balance you need. These are the types of goals that require you to "raise the bar" and they bring the greatest personal satisfaction.
The goals you set must be relevant to your life and the direction you want to go. If you set irrelevant goals or goals that are incompatible with your lifestyle, you risk losing time, hard work, and possibly derailing yourself from the bigger picture. By keeping goals in sync with your life you will gain the focus you need to keep on track and maintain order.
You have no deadline. You must be aware of your successes in order to maintain a good self-image. Having time-based objectives keep you working with a sense of urgency that will find your progress coming that much more quickly.
3. Your goals aren't set in stone. We can say the goals in our head over and over again but writing them down makes them real and gives them power. If possible, you should even write it down in a place you see every day and can update to keep track of your success. When writing your goals down make sure to use positive and powerful words such as "will" or "can". Setting a goal that is worded poorly leaves an open window for excuses. Instead of, "I would like to save $1,000", you should write, "I will save $1,000", or, "I can save $1,000". This will lead you to envisioning yourself hitting your goal and remind you of the passion needed to achieve it.
4. You have no real action plan. Many people feel this is unnecessary, yet those who are successful recognize this step as essential to making progress. You may feel you have your sights firmly set on the big picture, but if you have no daily goals set to help you achieve incrementally, you will lose focus and have trouble knowing exactly what needs to be done. When you allow yourself to check off the smaller steps little by little each day, you will find yourself striding toward the finish line with an even, realistic pace.
5. Your goals are all or nothing. When you have set more challenging and long-term goals such as wanting to lose a significant amount of weight or finish a marathon under a certain time, you may be setting yourself up for a negative outcome. It is important to define how you will feel if you get very close to your goal but not exactly meet it. The pass or fail mindset can be damaging and cause a negative spiral of self-defeat. For example, if you want to finish a marathon in less than 3 hours, what happens when you finish at 3 hours and 10 minutes? Are you going to beat yourself up or consider that a success?
6. You gave up too quickly! Remember, goal setting is an ongoing activity not just a means to an end. Build in reminders to keep yourself on track, and make regular time-slots available to review your goals (even 5 or 10 minutes a week will do!) Your end destination may remain quite similar over the long term, but the action plan you set for yourself along the way can change significantly. Make sure the relevance, value, and necessity remain high.
1. Your goals do not inspire you. It is important that the goals you've set get you energized - you see the importance in them and you feel they are a priority in your life. If you become burnt out, apathetic, or disenchanted with the outcome, or if the big picture to which your goals lead seems far, far away and unattainable, the odds of your ability to conquer your everyday moves toward it become slim to none. Why, you ask? Well, progress requires dedication. So, if you begin to lose your sense of urgency, you become more likely to procrastinate, and the likelihood of your success begins to fade into your everyday decisions to do things that don't contribute to your goal attainment. When you go over your initial goals, do you feel inspired, or frustrated?
2. The goals you set are not SMART. By SMART, we don't mean your intelligence level. We mean specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based goals. In order for you to avoid this next goal setting trap, you should assess your goal and see if it follows the SMART format.
Your goals aren't specific. Concise is key, so when you set up a list of indistinct goals, you're working against yourself because you will not have a specific course. Always remember: your goals should show you the path to your progress.
Is your goal measurable? Almost any goal is measurable if you have clearly defined it and set a specific route. When defining your goal you should clarify timelines and dates so you are able to measure your success. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, you must think about how much weight you want to lose and by when. Set dates along your pathway to success that is measurable such as, "I want to lose my first 10 pounds in one month".
Set achievable goals. If you set a goal that you have no hope of achieving, you will only demoralize yourself and erode your confidence. However, resist the urge to set goals that are too easy. Accomplishing a goal that you didn't have to work hard for can be anticlimactic at best, and can also make you fear setting future goals that carry a risk of non-achievement. By setting realistic yet challenging goals, you hit the balance you need. These are the types of goals that require you to "raise the bar" and they bring the greatest personal satisfaction.
The goals you set must be relevant to your life and the direction you want to go. If you set irrelevant goals or goals that are incompatible with your lifestyle, you risk losing time, hard work, and possibly derailing yourself from the bigger picture. By keeping goals in sync with your life you will gain the focus you need to keep on track and maintain order.
You have no deadline. You must be aware of your successes in order to maintain a good self-image. Having time-based objectives keep you working with a sense of urgency that will find your progress coming that much more quickly.
3. Your goals aren't set in stone. We can say the goals in our head over and over again but writing them down makes them real and gives them power. If possible, you should even write it down in a place you see every day and can update to keep track of your success. When writing your goals down make sure to use positive and powerful words such as "will" or "can". Setting a goal that is worded poorly leaves an open window for excuses. Instead of, "I would like to save $1,000", you should write, "I will save $1,000", or, "I can save $1,000". This will lead you to envisioning yourself hitting your goal and remind you of the passion needed to achieve it.
4. You have no real action plan. Many people feel this is unnecessary, yet those who are successful recognize this step as essential to making progress. You may feel you have your sights firmly set on the big picture, but if you have no daily goals set to help you achieve incrementally, you will lose focus and have trouble knowing exactly what needs to be done. When you allow yourself to check off the smaller steps little by little each day, you will find yourself striding toward the finish line with an even, realistic pace.
5. Your goals are all or nothing. When you have set more challenging and long-term goals such as wanting to lose a significant amount of weight or finish a marathon under a certain time, you may be setting yourself up for a negative outcome. It is important to define how you will feel if you get very close to your goal but not exactly meet it. The pass or fail mindset can be damaging and cause a negative spiral of self-defeat. For example, if you want to finish a marathon in less than 3 hours, what happens when you finish at 3 hours and 10 minutes? Are you going to beat yourself up or consider that a success?
6. You gave up too quickly! Remember, goal setting is an ongoing activity not just a means to an end. Build in reminders to keep yourself on track, and make regular time-slots available to review your goals (even 5 or 10 minutes a week will do!) Your end destination may remain quite similar over the long term, but the action plan you set for yourself along the way can change significantly. Make sure the relevance, value, and necessity remain high.
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