Defining a goal or an objective is already a big thing in itself, because not everyone even gets that far. But of course, having a goal to reach means nothing until we decide to take the steps needed to reach it. In other words, we aren’t pursuing anything until we start taking action to get closer to that goal.
Once we’ve defined what we want to achieve, even if the goal is the ideal one, we won’t achieve it without the right mindset, or if we give up when the first difficulties start to appear. We have to set out knowing that achieving our aim won’t be easy at all, and we also have to promise ourselves that it won’t be easy at all to make us give up on pursuing it.
What steps should we take to reach a goal we’ve set ourselves?
Once our goal is defined, whether it’s a business project or a major change in our life, we need to adopt a series of rituals or habits.
1. The route map
Although it’s fine to have a business plan, the truth is that in practice a business plan is of no use at all, because we’ll have to change that initial plan as we face the challenges of the real world. In business, this is almost always the case.
Instead, we should mark out a route: “we are going to go from point A to point B”, and we will have to keep adapting our strategies to get to point B.
At the risk of falling into clichés, once we’ve drawn up the initial strategy for reaching our goal and worked out what we have to do to make it happen, we won’t focus on the obstacles but on the actions we need to take to overcome them one after another as they appear.
See also: Small business owners share 6 things they learned when starting their business
And so as not to lose focus on our aim, it’s advisable first of all…
2. Write down your goals
*I’ve put this step out of order on purpose. It should really come first.
When we write down our goals, we start to visualise where we want to go, and our brain will find it much easier to make decisions if it has a destination entered into our mental GPS.
Different studies have already shown that people who say they’re going to do something but don’t write their goals down tend to give up sooner than those who write their goals down and keep them in mind every day when they wake up. It’s a way of starting the day knowing why you got up and what you’re going to fight for today.
Putting your dreams down on paper makes them take on a little reality in your mind.
3. Why is your goal important?
Sometimes we pursue goals and objectives for the wrong reasons. Sometimes we pursue a goal because it’s what our family wants, other times because we think that goal will give us something that, in the end, it won’t.
For example, if you want to lose weight to have more luck dating, that goal wouldn’t be entirely right, because once you have a partner, your interest in losing weight would end. But if you want to lose weight to improve your health, that goal is a solid one (and you’ll have more luck dating along the way, I suppose).
In any case, difficult situations will come up as we pursue our goals, and we’ll have to make very hard decisions. It’s part of the process, so you’d better have a solid reason to fight for your goal, or you’ll end up frustrated.
And needless to say, certain moral and ethical values should be part of your “why”.
See also: The weight of success, by Donald Trump
4. Clear goals
Although we’ve already talked about this, goals have to be clear and very well defined. And they have to be realistic.
In other words, your aim isn’t “to lose weight”. Defined that loosely, even if you lose one kilo in five years, you’ll have achieved your aim.
Your goal will be to lose 12 kilos in a year, which we’ll divide into twelve small targets (1 kilo a month). That way we can measure progress and keep ourselves motivated as we pass each monthly milestone. If we don’t pass it, we’ll use that as motivation to get our act together; we’ll never let it bring us down.
If your goal is to grow your business, be more specific:
I want to increase my business’s sales by 20% this year, and to do that I’m going to do the following…
When we set a specific goal, things happen if we take action on it. Vague goals, on the other hand, produce vague results.
5. Set priorities
Here, follow one of the pieces of advice Warren Buffett gave us. Write down the 25 things you want to achieve in life. Now cut that list down to 10. From that list, choose the three highest-priority goals in your life: the ones you want to achieve because you know they’ll have a very positive impact on your life. Cross out the rest and don’t think about them again until you’ve achieved your three priority goals.
It’s a way of focusing without distractions.
6. A deadline
Without a deadline, putting things off and procrastination will be peeking around the corner at every moment, ready to show up. (See our article on Victor Hugo and the akrasia effect.)
Saying “my goal is to write a book” is not the same as saying “before the end of this year I’m going to have my book finished”.
Now, with the rise and boom of the new coaches, I’m starting to hear some of them say that setting a deadline for a goal is a bad idea, because people get frustrated if they don’t reach the target by that date. To me that’s complete and utter nonsense, because by the same logic we could also say it’s a bad idea to set yourself goals in life, so that you don’t get frustrated if you don’t reach them.
The whole point of deadlines is to avoid putting things off at all costs, and along the way to be able to break the big goal down into small targets and concrete actions, and to measure the progress we’re making. In my opinion, they’re absolutely necessary.
And what if we don’t reach our goal by the agreed deadline? Then you push a little harder while your brain grants you an extension 🙂
7. Find the right moment to pursue the goal
And the moment is now. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll do something when you have more free time or when you have the means you need. Start right now taking small steps that bring you closer to that goal, and start with the means you have right now, because they’re more than enough.
If you know where you want to go, and you go about it with the right mindset, you’ll find the means along the way. In other words: start now, start with what you have, and start building from there.
See also: The 7 habits for getting ahead in life, by Stephen Covey
Featured image: Pete, Public domain, via Flickr.
