Short Summary
GOAL SETTING: A JOURNEY TO PERSONAL GROWTH?
BY: ANKITA SHARMA, VIDHYARTHI DARPAN
Introduction
Are you lost about what to do next? Do you lose motivation, sometimes? Goal setting is an important factor that drives us. We set goals for health, for money, for career, even for self-development. We all have desires to be different, to live a life worth living.
Planning your future starts with visualizing it. For that, we require a map to follow. The process of setting a goal helps us to choose where we want to go in life. By knowing precisely what we want to achieve, we know where need to concentrate our efforts.
Read on to learn what exactly goal setting is and why it is important!
Why one needs to set goals?
It’s simple: to live a life on your terms. Goal-setting fixes our focus from useless, distractive things towards meaningful growth. It sets a course of self-development. It encourages us to push our limits and attain the impossible, which after fulfilling we get to know that it wasn’t so hard, after all! It lets us explore ourselves, acquire knowledge, organize & prioritize our needs, manage time well, and use resources so that we can make the best out of our life.
Goal setting is essential because it clears our vision; helps us differentiates what’s relevant and what’s a distraction. It acts as a constant reminder of living our life, not just go with the flow. It motivates and builds self-confidence.
Steps in Goal-Setting
Following are 5 steps of goal setting first described by Lars-Eric Unestahl of Sweden.
1) Recognition of the goal: Be aware of your previous failures. List all the things that didn’t work out and those that did. Contemplate what exactly went wrong, the methods used, goal timeline, etc. It helps in self-introspection and establishes a baseline for forming realistic and achievable goals by the person.
2) Make a list of possible goals: Expand your mind. Make a list of goals you want to accomplish. No matter how small, insignificant, non-reachable it may seem, jot down everything. This step determines the extent of all feasible goals – goals which have a low or high probability of conquering.
3) Goal analysis: Now that you have created a repository of goals, arrange them in order of their possibility and attainability. Assess each objective and classify them based on how much time and effort it’ll consume, forming a hierarchy.
4) Selection of goal: Evaluate the hierarchy of possible goals and select one prominent goal that suits you best. The guidelines for selection are that they should be
- As difficult as possible but reachable. The motive is to be guilty of being hard rather than too easy to push your comfort zone.
- Organized in order of priorities if similar goals exist.
- Connected to one’s performance, hard work, and commitment, not on passive things like pride, jealousy, competitiveness.
- Focused on improving activity, not only for the sake of maintaining or re-treating it, and
- Measurable
5) Goal formulation: After a fitting goal selection, it should be well-analyzed and constructed according to the following factors;
- It must have self-paced items
- It should be expressed constructively (no destructive or negative affirmations)
- It should be relevant for the individual (not influenced by what others ‘expect’ from you)
- It should have an optimal probability where you can justify why each goal is achievable
- Believing it can happen. (no doubts about outcomes with controlled factors)
- Results can be observed clearly
Goal-setting isn’t overnight planning and execution. It needs days of in-depth research of your wants and aspirations. When we are mindful of the above process, we see our career finding a place in our life.
Types of Goals
Goals are individual specific. People set goals every day – ‘I will learn this recipe today.’ ‘I finish work before midnight.’ ‘I will lose weight before my brother’s wedding.’ and so on. As a human, we have different requirements at different frontiers of life. Focusing on only one goal can lead to the failure of others.
Some of the goals people set for themselves are listed below. The priority of each aim relies on the individual’s intention and needs.
- Physical goals
These goals concern your physical health and physical well-being. Any activity affects your mind and body. It increases our longevity. If you want to lose that extra fat, want glowing flawless skin, and a body free of ailments; if you want to improve your lifestyle, you need to set these goals and work for them.
- Career Goals
What kind of life you desire, where do you want to be 5 years from now, what will the future be like for you, what skills you’ll learn, and to what extent you are willing to go for your dream job; all these questions are dealt with when you set career goals.
- Monetary Goals
Financial planning is the fuel for your money-related goals. What kind of house do you fancy? What kind of car do you want to drive? Where do you want to go for vacation? What education do you want to fund for your children? The answer to all these depends on your financial planning and performance.
- Self-Development Goals
Set goals for improvement and self-development. Set goals for improving self-image and self-esteem. Spiritually active people tend to perform better compared to those who are confused and lost. It is a human’s learning ability that makes self-development an advantage.
- Just for Fun Goals
Joy and enjoyment have their place in our life. Set goals of how you want to spend your time, what cities you want to visit, what entertainment you like. Learning a new art form or pursuing new hobbies can also become a part of your goal.
- Collective Goals
Collective goals are set for community betterment. It is an act of selflessness. As a member of humankind, you are responsible to return to society than you receive from it. These goals, also called social goals are measured by what you contribute to society.
SMART Goals
Goals become easy when you have well-thought planning. A useful tool to make your plan impactful and powerful is SMART – a mnemonic to guide you in your journey. The details of what it is and how to implement are given below:
S – Specific
Be specific about what you want. Decide and prioritize what exactly your needs are. Focus on details, what things you can gain from a particular goal. For example, you want to buy a car. Will a vehicle not leveling with your wish, do? You require a specific model, color, interior, features, price, etc. To assure specificity, your goal should answer the 5 “W’s.”
WHAT – What do I want to accomplish?
WHY – The concrete reason to select that goal
WHO – Who is directly involved?
WHERE – Where can I find resources, guidance, materials?
WHICH – Catalog the limitations & how to overcome them
M – Measurable
The second word focuses on the measurability of your goal. You need to quantify the aspects of the goal. Keep track of your enhancements and progress in the process. Analyze what parts need extra attention. Record your achievements. The best way is to ask yourself: How much? How many? & How will I know when to stop?
A – Attainable
The third term focuses on setting a pragmatic goal. Identify goals that are attainable practically. If you see the real world, all the things have a practical purpose to exist. Learn skills, improve abilities, gain a financial capacity to reach them. A logical goal answers all the Hows – How will I start? How can I use my resources? How can I make changes to step ahead?
R – Relevant
Choose a goal that is relevant to your being. It ought to be immensely productive and directly benefit you. It should be managed according to the present demand. Doing unnecessary research for simple tasks wastes energy. Ask yourself: Is this worthwhile? Is this the right time? Is he/she the right person?
T – Time-bound
The final element is time management. Your goal should fulfill in the stipulated time. Time is a priceless commodity for you. Set deadlines. Avoid procrastination. Time should be managed at your pace and comfort. Although, do not get swayed by temporary pleasures. Based on the time, a goal can be long term (5-10 years) or short term (hourly, weekly, monthly, daily).
Conclusion
Setting a goal may seem cumbersome and probably frighten you a bit. But a goal gives a clearer view of your wants. The intensity of the aim depends on the person. We must keep reviewing our goals and adjust them to fulfill our meaningful purpose in life. Following a strict regime and a constant pump of motivation is a must.
