Every single person, whether they realize it or not, set goals. Unfortunately though, most goals never get achieved and even worse, the people setting these goals have learned that as long as they initiate a goal, they've tried. Well, I'm here to tell you how wrong that attitude is and how that attitude is keeping you from reaching your full potential, personally and especially financially. If you want to arrive at your ultimate success, goal setting is imperative and here are my top 10 reasons and "To Do's":
1st: One of the very main reasons why someone should set goals is because when you are starting a new project or nowadays, a new side hustle, the mere thought can be overwhelming and the tasks can be daunting. Setting goals can help you set a perfect path toward your desired direction and goal setting helps provide structure on that path you are traveling. Setting goals helps you stay clear and focused.
2nd: One of the best parts about setting goals is that goal setting allows you to track your progress. You set a path to travel down in step 1 and being able to track your progress not only allows you to see how much you have accomplished, it will allow you to adjust yourself to stay on that path without straying.
3rd: Goal setting can be very motivational. While you are traveling down your path heading toward your goal and you have tracked how much you have achieved, the motivation factor gets amped up and the excitement helps to keep you going. When you are working to achieve goals toward something like a "side hustle", most people don't have cheerleaders behind them so having your own goals set up and being able to track your achievement is such a motivating factor to keep you moving forward.
4th: Setting a goal helps to keep the prize at the end in focus. When you set goals, a goal is always for an end result. Having a goal keeps you very aware of what you want and what you are working toward. Think of a goal as your own little crystal ball. The crystal ball shines at you every time you see it, forcing you to look into it and every time you look in, you see your end game. Setting goals keeps you alert to what your future can hold for you once you achieve those goals.
5th: In order to achieve your goals, you must make those goals measureable. Even though this one sounds self explanatory, I feel I need to explain. For instance, you can't make a goal that says I want to save $12000. Your goal has to be something along the lines of I am going to save $12000 in 24 months by depositing $115 from my weekly paychecks into a separate savings account. Can you see how measureable this goal is? It has a specific path that you will follow with achievable milestones to keep you motivated while traveling toward that end result.
6th: The goals that you set need to be realistic in order for them to be successful. What do I mean by this? Goals are not dreams. A goal can become a dream come true but a dream is not a goal. For example, saying that you want to win the lottery is not a goal, that is a dream and would be a dream come true for most people. Wanting to make $100,000.00 or even a $1,000,000.00 in one year is a very attainable and realistic goal. As long as you set realistic goals that have a plan and structure, you can achieve just about anything you set your mind to.
7th: When setting goals, it is very important that you set both short term and long term goals. Short term goals I consider to be no longer than three months and long term goals I consider to be one year or longer. Take the example that I listed in #5. The long term goal was $12000 in 24 months. That is your long term goal. Saving $115 from your weekly paycheck is a short term goal. You can even stretch that path out a little and say that by the end of each quarter (i.e. 3 month periods), your savings account should have $1495 in additional deposits. Can you see the stepping stones here that help you to achieve goals, $12000 in 24 months, $1495 quarterly and or $115 weekly. A clear path to success using both short and long term goals.
8th: Your goals must be written down. They cannot be in your head. Get a journal or just a piece of paper and write down your goals then place that paper someplace where you will see it every single day. Have you heard the saying, "Out of sight, out of mind"? This is so true when dealing with goals. If you do not write them down, then you are not making yourself accountable to them. Writing your goals down adds importance to them. Writing your goals down gives them life and meaning. If you want to achieve your goals, make it exist, write it down.
9th: When writing down your goals, make sure that they are very specific and very actionable. Don't write down that you want to quit your job. Write down a long term goal like, I am quitting my job in 12 months. Then make the short term goals toward that like I am going to "side hustle" by selling everything in my attic on eBay. Then I'm going to offer my services to everyone that has an attic to sell their unwanted stuff and split the profit 50-50. I will do this until I have at least six months worth of savings. Then I will begin my path toward beginning my new career and quitting my old job. These are some specific ideas to get you started.
10th: Goals make your dreams executable. People who don't make goals and follow through find themselves wandering aimlessly always wondering, "what if". What if I followed through on proper goal setting? What if I stayed on the path I so often dream of? What if I took those small steps along that goal path? Why wonder if your dreams could have been achieved when you can actually take the steps and get where you dream of going?
So there it is, the Top 10 Goal Setting "To Do's". Stop wondering if you will ever lead the life you want and start making it happen. The hardest step is always the first step and I just handed you your first steps toward your dreams. If you are interested in a workbook and productivity planner to help you on the path of setting and accomplishing goals, Amazon sells a great book if you need the extra help. Click here to get it >> http://amzn.to/32n05Rz