To be successful in life, working hard is not enough. You have to set goals and do everything to achieve them: moreover, people who set goals are more likely to achieve good results, rather than those who rely solely on their abilities.
It is not an easy task, however, but nothing can be acquired without compromise. In most cases and regardless of the field, the key to success is self-discipline. It is important to set goals and exercise daily discipline to achieve them.
In this article, let’s discover the easy steps to set goals and how to accomplish them in 2021.
1. The Importance of Setting Goals
What is the goal? Why set goals? Seeing people who have achieved their goals makes you want to achieve yours, and a lot of questions run through your head because you don’t know where to start.
The answer to these questions is simple: the goal is personal, and it is up to you to define it according to the goals you want to achieve. Your best goals to set in 2021 can be on the financial level, on the relational level, on the spiritual level or anything that you desire to achieve the most.
Many people think that a goal is always something great, that it always comes with a big change in financial or other way and that it takes big sacrifices to reach it; however, it is not! The goal can be something simple, like wanting to lose weight. The goal is specific to each.
It is important to set goals if only to give meaning to your existence. A person who has no goals to achieve is more likely to fall into depression. Life without a goal is something like food without salt. Life is meaningless if you wake up in the morning without knowing what to do, apart from living the vicious circle of everyday life: metro-work-sleep!
If our daily life boils down to this, we undoubtedly lose the taste for life. This is the reason why it is important to set goals. When we set ourselves a goal, whatever it is and whatever its importance, we unconsciously motivate ourselves to be able to accomplish it.
Having goals is important for self-esteem; However, self-esteem is a major element for personal development. All of this to say that if you set a goal for yourself and accomplish it, it will be easier for you to have confidence in yourself and have a fulfilling life.
You will also learn how to manage your time better and organize yourself better in your daily tasks. You will no longer have time to waste doing nothing; you can use every minute to accomplish the actions you have put in place to achieve your goals, in addition to your daily obligations.
It will be easier for you to find out what is important to you and what is not. It will be easy for you to discipline yourself and know what you want. Many people do not know what they want and find it difficult to move on in life. In order to move forward, you have to know what you want and what really matters to you; then, to give everything to accomplish them.
2. The Steps To Take To Achieve Your Goals
a) Clearly Define Your Objectives
First of all, you must define your goals, among other things what you would like to change in your life: financially, in your career, on a personal level, on the physical and spiritual level, etc.
Don’t be afraid to set goals for yourself in multiple areas; just make sure you distribute them well and put in place the actions to be undertaken according to your priorities. Better to diversify the objectives rather than focusing on a single area.
i) The Financial Plan
Financially, what is or are your goals? Do you want to become a homeowner, or do you want to settle all your debts? Do you want to contribute to your retirement or save money to make your dreams come true?
Ask yourself the question to find out what to expect from you financially. After determining your objectives, it’s time to plan actions, the new spending habits that you will have to impose on yourself, and the strategy you will adopt to save.
ii) The Professional Plan
In terms of your career, what do you want? Getting a promotion or literally changing careers? Do you want to start your own business, or do you want to start a secondary activity to earn additional income? Do you want to increase the turnover of your company or launch new products? Determine your goal(s), as well as the means within your reach to achieve them.
iii) The Personal Plans
On a personal level, ask yourself what you want to learn, to make yourself a better person and to grow on a personal level. For example, if you want to learn new skills, improve your self-confidence, behave better in any area or even visit countries.
There is always something to learn, whether in the personal or professional field, so do not hesitate to set educational goals. You don’t just learn at school, to get a diploma and find a job; you can learn in various fields and evolve over time.
Learning is essential to be able to improve yourself and be promoted, for example. Educational goals are generally associated with career and personal goals.
iv) The Relational Level
In terms of relationships, do you want more time to take care of your family or improve your relationship with those around you? Do you want to meet someone, or do you want to move forward in your relationship with your partner?
Find out what is missing in your relationship life and set goals for yourself. Having relationship goals is important, especially if you’re not on good terms with someone around you.
v) The Spiritual Level
It could be that you need to evolve on a spiritual level, and you want to be more attentive to the world around you, meditate daily or pray in a place of worship, etc. Don’t downplay spiritual goals; it will allow you to give meaning to your life. Note that contributing to society can also be a spiritual objective, including volunteering, giving to the needy.
vi) The Health And Physical Level
You can also set health and physical goals for yourself. The sedentary lifestyle, typical of our modern society, has a lot of impact on your health and you think maybe it’s time for you to take care of yourself and play sports regularly? Want to stay slim and active?
Set a goal for yourself and not just in your health, career, or budget, but in your life in general and in all areas. Take the time you need to define your goals before taking the next step.
b) Set Your Goals Over Time
There are generally four types of time-based goals, namely: springboard goals, short-term goals, long-term goals and life goals. There are indeed goals that can be reached quickly and goals that take time. Note that the time you spend on achieving each goal will greatly influence the result.
Some goals require more time due to their importance. Compared to short term goals, you will need to apply yourself a bit more for life goals and long term goals.
If you’ve set yourself several short-term goals and haven’t been able to accomplish some of them, you can always catch up later, when you’re ready to do it, which isn’t the case with many life goals that may take your whole life to achieve. To better understand these different types of goals, let’s take a look at them one by one.
i) Springboard Objectives: Transitory Objectives
In a way, these are the goals you set for yourself to achieve your short-term or long-term goals. Let’s say that your goal is, for example, to pay off all your debts before the end of the year 2020 and to achieve this, and you set yourself the goal of saving at least a Rs 10,000 per month.
Stepping stones are the solutions you employ in order to achieve your primary goals. Although these are secondary goals, they should not be minimized, as accomplishing them will allow you to achieve your primary goals.
ii) Short-Term Objectives: To Be Achieved In A Short Period Of Time
These are the goals you plan to achieve in a short period of time. It can be a month or a year. The above example of paying off all your debts by the end of the year is a short term goal. After you achieve this goal, you can set another goal for yourself, and so on. You can also set yourself several short-term goals.
iii) Long-Term Goals: Goals To Be Reached Between 5 And 10 Years
These are not small goals that you want to achieve in a few months or a year, but in a few years, between 5 and 10 years. People tend to underestimate what can be accomplished with long term goals.
For example, if they set a goal of saving money for one year, imagine what they could save for 5 years! However, it is necessary to plan well its springboard objectives to have the expected result.
iv) Life Goals: Distant Goals
These are the goals we would like to achieve in several years. To define them, we have to project ourselves into the future, imagine what we would like to be in 10 years, in 20 years … It can be at the level of marital status, at the level of lifestyle, at the level of our entourage, etc.
Life goals can change along the way, as they change over time. To achieve them, one must set both short-term and long-term goals. Usually, the outcome remains uncertain for a long time.
Whether it’s stepping stones, short term, long term, or life goals, don’t be afraid to set multiple goals for yourself. Make sure, however, that they don’t take up too much of your time. If your goals are complex, it is better to limit their number for optimal results.
c) Set Up An Action Plan
These are the actions you are going to accomplish to achieve your goals, including what you are going to do today, tomorrow, in a week… to move forward, step by step.
If your goal is to lose weight, for example, you need to develop a strategy to achieve it: jog every morning, stop snacking, reduce the amounts, etc.
Write down your action plan and focus fully on achieving it. Do not forget to take into account unforeseen events and possible constraints.
d) Implement The Action Plan
Follow the strategies you have put in place to the letter. To motivate yourself, adopt a small ritual at bedtime and when you wake up, including visualizing the goals to be achieved and what it will bring you if you manage to reach them.
In the event of unforeseen events or difficulties, do not be discouraged, because you always have the possibility of implementing your action plan later.
Conclusion
Setting goals and achieving them builds self-confidence and brings great satisfaction. So start planning your best goals to set in 2021. Whatever your ambition and the goals you want to accomplish, even the smallest ones, know that you can achieve them with willpower, determination, patience and above all, SELF-DISCIPLINE.
