4 Steps to Setting Compelling Goals that Promote Achievement

Personal Growth

Oct 6

Goals are the way in which we prepare for and shape our future. Everyone has goals! Whether they have their goals formally written down and articulated or not, everyone has some sort of desired state for the future.

“A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve”. - (Edwin Locke, 1990)

The problem is that although everyone has goals, not everyone achieves their goals, often because they set goals that are not specific enough or not compelling enough to warrant achievement and inspire action.

We will be taking you through a 4 step process to setting goals that are relevant to your desired future and that will be practical for you to incorporate into your life! Setting compelling and specific goals are the foundation for achievement.

Why Do We Need Goals?

long-term vision and short term motivation

Goals give you long-term vision, meaning that by setting a goal you have allocated some thought to your future and have a basic understanding of the ideal results of the path that you’re on. This leads us to short-term motivation. With your vision in mind, you will have an understanding of the steps you will need to take now that will lead you to your future vision and achieve your goals. Therefore goals create a sense of urgency or motivation with present tasks in order to lead you to your desired future state.

Focus

There are infinite possibilities for your life. It is impossible to do it all and to learn it all, therefore we have to spend our time strategically to develop and learn the things that will make the most impact to your life. And this is where goals come in: Goals provide focus to your acquisition of knowledge and help you allocate your limited time and resources so that you will focus on the things that will get you to that desired future state.

continuous improvement

Ultimately goals are a tool of continuous improvement. Continuous improvement involves analyzing the current state of things and identifying areas that need improvement. Then by creating goals for improvement, you will allocate the time and resources to achieving incremental improvement in the identified areas.

How to Set Compelling Goals that Promote Achievement

1. Visualize Your Future

In order to set compelling goals, you must understand what you want your future to look like. The future is full of unknowns and planning for the future can seem like a daunting task. A great way to start is to engage in a Visualization activity.

Close your eyes and try to imagine in as much detail as possible what your life might look like:

1 year from now
3 years from now
5 years from now
10 years from now

Ask yourself:

What are some of the things you want to achieve in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years and 10 years?
What types of relationships do you have?
What are your hobbies?
What kind of work do you do?
What knowledge have you acquired?
What kind of person are you?

As you answer each question in your mind, take note of the details that you envision and write it all down. With all of the details that you have visualized, you have begun to outline a path for your future with specific milestones. These milestones are crucial in your goal setting process, because they outline your future state or future achievements that will require short term goals and action.

2. Select Your Goal Categories

There are 6 main categories of goals that people will typically hold at the same time: Health & Wellness, Financial, Business & Career, Relationship & Family, Education and Personal Development

We may have ideals or multiple goals in each goal category, however in order to promote achievement, we need to identify what is most important to us at this point in our lives. Focusing your attention on particular aspects of your life, will increase your chances of making progress in those areas.

So how many goals should you focus on? The answer to this question depends on:

What is MOST important to you.
How many goals you can manage.

When it comes to setting goals, remember that the more goals that you focus on, the less time you will have for each. If you choose to focus on fewer goals, you will be able to allocate more attention, time and resources to each. As a rule of thumb, we recommend identifying 2 MAIN goals that you will focus most of your time on, and then determine 2-6 smaller/secondary goals.

Selecting goals from different categories helps to make sure that you are well-rounded in your development. For example, if all your goals are financial or career related, you may sacrifice the quality of your relationships or your health.

Therefore before you solidify your goals, select the goal categories that are most relevant to your desired future and those that will make the most profound impact in your life.

3. Identify Your Why

Once you have identified the goal categories that are most important to you, and you have a clear vision of what your future in each of these categories looks like, ask yourself WHY.

Why are these categories important to you?
Why do you desire this future outcome?
Why do you want to achieve these goals?

EVERY goal has a WHY, actually multiple WHYs.

For each of your goals in each goal category, ask yourself WHY, 5 times.

For example:

A financial goal or desired future outcome might be: “I want to get a promotion at work.”
- WHY: Because I need an increase in my pay.
- WHY: Because I need to save at least $50,000.
- WHY: Because I need enough money to purchase a home.
- WHY: Because I want to move out of my parents house.
- WHY: Because my significant other and I are ready to start the next chapter in our lives and start a family.

The impact of the WHY is much more powerful than the goal itself. So be honest with yourself and tap into your WHY. Your WHY is compelling and is key to your perseverance as you work towards your goals.

For example,

Not getting that promotion at work doesn’t seem as discouraging as not being able to start the next chapter of your life in your relationship and start a family.

If you continue to reflect on the WHY behind your goals, the more likely you become to motivate yourself and allocate the time, attention and resources to achieving your goals.

4. Write Your Goal Statements

Now it is finally time to write down your goal statements. We are turning that vision of the future into a specific and tangible outcome.

It is important to write your goals down in order to have a visual and physical reminder of your future and increase your likelihood of staying accountable to those goals.

Goals that promote achievement are SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Based).

Specific: Each goal statement should identify a single specific outcome that is easy to understand.
Measurable: You should be able to indicate exactly when and how these goals will be achieved, with some sort of measurable aspect. For example, the amount of money saved in a financial goal. This may not be the case for goals in the relationship/family category or personal development category.
Achievable: Your goal should be challenging, requiring time, effort and attention from you. However, your goal should not be too challenging to the point where you become discouraged with the apparent impossibility of the task.
Realistic: Your goals should be realistic to your capabilities, the resources you have available to you and the time you have allotted.
Time Based: Identify a specific time frame for which you plan to achieve your goal. This deadline creates a sense of urgency in order to inspire action.

Some Goal Statement Examples

“I will have $10,000 saved in 1 year.”
“I will run 10km by the end of the season.”
“I will complete the Photography 101 course at ABC College this year.”
“I will become a practicing Physiotherapist in 3 years.”

By Visualizing your future, selecting relevant goal categories, identifying your WHY and writing SMART goal statements, you are building a strong foundation for success.

The next step is to build an action plan where you allocate your time and resources to achieving your goals within the time frame that you have specified.

Want More!?

For strategies on building an action plan and executing your goals, take our Goal Setting, Planning and Execution Course!

By the end of this course, you will have strong and compelling goal statements written down, an action plan to achieve them and a well-crafted schedule for productivity.