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What are your goals in life? Lose 20 pounds and go to the beach in your bikini? Hit the gym three times a week? Start your own business? Get a new car? Be a millionaire by the age of 40? Have a happy family?<\/p>\n
Whether they are short-term or long-term, we have many goals in our lives, and our happiness is strongly related to how well we set, manage, reach and re-set them. And as you know, it\u2019s not easy: we sometimes procrastinate, sometimes set the wrong goals or bite more than we can chew. How best to fulfill our aspirations? It\u2019s hard work, let\u2019s be honest, there is no magic formula \u2013 but here are a few principles which may guide and facilitate your personal goal quest.<\/p>\n
1. Know who you are.<\/strong> Of course, we may not get it right the first time but through iterations, missing and reaching goals, setting new ones, analyzing how we feel about it, it will become clearer and clearer. We\u2019re not reinventing the wheel here! Horace and Shakespeare -and more recently Pharell Williams ! – have already been repeating the same thing over and over.<\/p>\n \u201cThis above all: to thine own self be true,<\/strong><\/span> So how to go about it? Here are a few avenues you can explore to raise your self-awareness:<\/p>\n 2. Have a smart plan.<\/strong> – S for Specific<\/strong>. Your plan should be detailed and should help you hit the bull’s-eye. For example, rather than just having a goal \u00ab\u00a0to be in good shape\u00a0\u00bb or \u201cto lose weight\u201d, have a target quantity (e.g., lose 5 kilos) and a specific date (e.g., by year-end). 3. Stay focused, build habits.<\/strong> 4. Get the right toolkit.<\/strong> So write your goals down, set reminders, plan quarterly or yearly reviews. Let\u2019s be structured and methodical about it, it will pay off!<\/p>\n Tools tend to be specific and vary from one person to another. Some like post-its, others prefer Excel spreadsheets or apps. At goalmap, we have built a system to help people set and track goals in any area of their lives (Sport & Health, Personal Finance, Work, People, Travels & Experiences, etc.). Feel free to check it out and see if it\u2019s the right tool for you at www.goalmap.com<\/a>. It\u2019s free!<\/p>\n 5. It\u2019s not all about the numbers.<\/strong> 6. Go social and share your goals.<\/strong> The groups you join may change from one goal to the other. They may be big or small, even as small as one person you trust and who plays a mentor role for you.<\/p>\n You may want to keep some of your goals private (e.g., financial goals, love life) but for most other goals sharing with others is pretty powerful. When other people know about your goal, there is much less room to back down \u2013 pride makes wonders!<\/p>\n 7. Reward yourself.<\/strong> Conclusion<\/strong> Feel free to comment on this post and let us know your thoughts. Tell us about your own experiences of successes and failures, and the key things you learned. Feel free to ask questions and suggest any personal development topic you would like us to explore in a coming post. Until then, stay tuned – and become who you are!<\/p>\n If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, share it with your friends and spread the love on social media \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n More articles on the goalmap blog that you might like:<\/p>\n
\nLet\u2019s start by the beginning. It\u2019s good to reach goals, but they have to be the right ones for you! And to decide which goals are right for you, you need to have a serious conversation with yourself and listen to your deepest aspirations. You won\u2019t be happy in the long run pursuing goals which are not really yours, standard goals you may have selected by default, influenced by what society projects as goals worth pursuing. There is no \u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d. You have to know what makes you truly tick and choose goals that are aligned with your values and principles.<\/p>\n
\n And it must follow, as the night the day,<\/strong><\/span>
\n Thou canst not then be false to any man.\u201d<\/strong><\/span>
\n– Shakespeare, Hamlet Act 1, scene 3, 78\u201382<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n
\nYou can be the most talented individual on the planet, yet if you don\u2019t plan ahead there is little chance that you will reach your full potential. Planning is everything! So before you even start your journey toward your goals, make sure you have it all clear in your mind. All your goals should be S.M.A.R.T.:<\/p>\n
\n– M for Measurable<\/strong>. To the extent possible, your goal should be quantified so that you know at any point in time whether you are on track or not. And you should track your progress on a very regular basis.
\n– A for Achievable<\/strong>. You should be practical. Your goal should be realistic, within reach. And if one of your goals is too big and seems nearly impossible, try and break into smaller manageable goals that you can achieve step by step
\n– R for Relevant.<\/strong> We have discussed this already: your goal should be really meaningful to you. You should know why you are trying to achieve that goal in particular and what it will bring to your life once accomplished.
\n– T for Time-bound<\/strong>. Your goal should have a deadline. Without a deadline, a goal is not a goal, it\u2019s a dream \u2013 and dreams are outside the realm of actions. Have a date!<\/p>\n
\nWe are not saying here that you shouldn\u2019t take a break from time to time. On the contrary, building up regular pauses in our schedules is healthy as it allows us to breathe and regenerate. But focus is clearly pivotal to success. Keep your eyes on the prize. Reaching goals and fulfilling one\u2019s potential is an endurance game. If you stop-and-go too much, you will end up losing your drive. Be steady and persistent. In the long term, the things that we do repeatedly shape what we achieve, and who we are. So let\u2019s focus on building the right habits. For example, if you have a big long-term one-off goal such as publishing a novel, work on the daily, weekly or monthly goals you need to set in order to reach it, such as writing 2,000 words per day or publish 5 blog posts per month.<\/p>\n
\nWe have many goals in our lives and they evolve over time. It\u2019s pretty hard to keep track of them over time and have visibility on how we are doing over all. We can\u2019t keep them all in our heads. We need a tracking tool. Otherwise we lose sight of our goals; we get side-tracked by short-term emergencies and forget about the long-term vision. How many of your goals are currently getting dusty in the mental attic of your life? Probably quite a few\u2026<\/p>\n
\nYou probably got it: we like numbers. It\u2019s true, we are really interested in personal analytics and new trends such as \u201cquantified self\u201d (for more info, go to www.quantifiedself.com). Having said that, you can\u2019t expect any technology to be really helpful if you’re not motivated, inspired and committed to begin with. In general, we\u2019d recommend using goalmap and other personal tracking devices or methodologies with the right mindset: technology gives you a framework, but the impulse is within yourself. Assessing results is also fairly personal, the numbers only will not give you full picture \u2013 use your sensations and emotions as well.<\/p>\n
\nBe tribal. Find and join communities of people who share your passions. Whether your goals are about fitness, travels or finance, you will always find people who are on the same journey. Go find them on online forums or social networks (e.g., Facebook groups or Google+ communities) \u2013 or in real life, even better! Within these communities of like-minded people, peers support and stimulate each other. You\u2019ll get \/ give inspiration, ideas, and tips from \/ to others.<\/p>\n
\nRewarding yourself for every major milestone that you achieve will help you appreciate all the hard work you put in to get there. It will reinforce positive behaviors and outcomes. Yes, you deserve a tap on the back \u2013 go for it. You finished your first triathlon? Get yourself a new pair of runners. You worked hard and just got promoted? Take some time off. You lost six kilos? Buy this new dress you\u2019ve been fancying for a while. Not only this will validate the efforts you made to date, but it will also give you a boost to get to the next level.<\/p>\n
\nSetting and reaching goals is not a piece of cake! As we discussed in this post, it\u2019s not really about talent, it\u2019s about being able to take a step back and give meaning to our lives through careful planning and sustained effort. It\u2019s more of an art than a science, and sharing your inspiration, your experiences and your doubts with others can make a huge difference.<\/p>\n
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