After listening to a very inspiring and relatable speech by one of our Buddies on journaling, I began to reflect on my own life and given the time of year, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to focus on goal setting.
For most of us, the end of one year is a time for reflection and setting goals for the upcoming year. For me, this is a pivotal aspect of my life. I have set goals for every area of my life such as travel (being such a travel enthusiast, I have travel plans set out for the next 5-7 years), savings, personal development, even as a Toastmaster I have goals set for completing my pathways projects.
As I grow older, my appreciation for the importance of setting goals and sticking to them deepens. This first hit me when I was in my very early twenties and attended an interview. The interviewer asked the famous “Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?” At that point in time I was lost for words not knowing how to answer this. Of course I knew I needed a job because I wanted to travel, I wanted a car and to be able to afford certain luxuries so I needed an income but the interviewer did not want to hear this. That’s when I realised I needed to have goals to work towards. Over the years I have tweaked my processes a lot and always do because things are always changing but one thing remains the same is that I set goals. I have an idea of what I hope to have accomplished and where I want to be 1, 5, 10 or even 20 years from now.
Setting goals allows us to sharpen our focus and gives your life direction. It also provides a map which show what areas you are actually succeeding at and which areas require improvement. Looking at goals from a yearly perspective may seem daunting at first. The secret is to break these up into smaller chunks so you can have yearly goals broken up intomonthly goals, weekly goals and daily goals.
One of the main things I covered while studying which has stuck with me is that you set goals which motivate you and S.M.A.R.T. goals. SMART goals mean:
S – Your goals should be clear and well defined.
M – Include precise amounts, dates, etc. so you can measure your degree of success.
A – Make sure that it’s possible to achieve the goals you set.
R – Goals should be relevant to the direction you want your life and career to take.
T – Goals must have a deadline. This means that you know when you can celebrate success.
I also found that visualisation helps me to achieve goals. So post your goals in visible places to remind yourself every day of what it is you intend to do. You can post them on sticky notes on your walls, desk, computer monitor, bathroom mirror or refrigerator as a constant reminder. Accomplishing goals take work. You simply don’t set goals and wave a wand. You work at it and keep working at it everyday until it is complete.There will be stumbling blocks along the way but keep pushing forward and you will get there.
If you haven’t yet done so, I hope that this encourages you to set some goals for the upcoming year J
Written by Buddies member, Jamieann Wells-Fletcher