Personal Steps To Setting Goals

Popular motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, "If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. What ever good things we build end up building us."nnGoal setting is indeed a tricky task. Every goal you wish to achieve has to begin as a thought. So the first step is to think. Evaluate your overall situation and define your goals.nnThe outline below are some basic steps for you - the simpler the better!nnFive Step Goal Setting Made Simple:nn1. Make Reachable Goals - Get yourself to your limits, then push them.nn2. Define Your Objectives - Attention to detail is critical.nn3. Prioritize your tasks - First things first.nn4. Set a time - Set your schedule for success, but give yourself a little room.nn5. Follow Through - What good does an unaccomplished goal do for you?nnMake Reachable GoalsnnFiguring out your personal, financial, educational or business goals take a lot of thought on your part. Consider what you want to accomplish and journal notes along the way - even if you think it's a small detail, it could be a critical part in your decision making later on.nn"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it." - Henry Ford.nnTake a while to think things through. If you watch a word-worker make furniture, they might say "measure twice, cut once." If they don't do the measurements - and then fall short, the furniture will take much longer to complete because they didn't do the measuring right the first time. They have to use more material, more time measuring again, all which will make the goal more difficult to obtain.nnIf you set your goals too high, you're setting yourself up for failure. Be sure you can comfortably challenge yourself with your goals. That's not to say you should make it easy on yourself!nnMake a List of ObjectivesnnMake definite goals. Dedicate time to each goal during your thinking process. Make clear notes on how you plan to achieve each goal.nnPut Your Tasks in OrdernnBe very clear with yourself about what you must do to reach your goals. Take great notes. Make lists of what you're willing to give up to turn your goals into a reality. Decide which goal is most important to you and put it at the top of your list. The tasks needed to reach that goal are now your number one and only priority. Once you reach that first goal, move the next one up the list!nnDefine Your Time FramennMake sure you have worked out a realistic time frame for your goals. You're the only one who can get yourself though this - you don't want to look back in 5 years and be upset at yourself for not sticking to the plan. Remember that you want to challenge yourself, but don't make it too difficult and costly that you'll never make it though.nnFollow ThroughnnBesides actually getting your goal on paper, this is absolutely the most critical step - and the one that most people fail with. If you can't finish, you will unfortunately never get to your goals. If one of your goals is to lose 15 pounds, you can't let yourself to stop at 14. If your goal is to get an A on your final exam or get a raise at your job, don't stop until you've got what you wanted!