The best way to set and rework goals

I’ve always had problems with setting goals and sticking to ‘em. I usually get crazily motivated one day, make a huge list of goals and then never check them again until I accidentally stumble upon them 2 months later. At that time, I’ll usually realize I went down a totally different path than before, and none of the previous written goals are even what I’m interested in anymore. Well last week I did some reading and some research and found some new ideas that I’m using for goal setting.

Most problems stem from setting outcome dependent goals

• When setting goals, the most important thing to focus on is making them process based. If your goal is to lose 5lbs in a month, you’re probably not going to reach that goal if that’s your whole plan. However if your goal is to run two miles each day, and also limit your ice cream consumption to once a week in order to lose 5 lbs. in a month, then you’ll be much more likely to achieve your goals. The reason you’ll be successful is because your goals are now process based and you’ll be able to actually measure how you’re doing throughout the month. So when you set your first set of goals, make sure they are not outcome dependent.

Make sure that setting your goal will improve your life right now(even if it’s a long term goal)

• I learned about this idea from Steve Pavlina. The basic premise around it is that we have no way of knowing what the future will hold for us. We can’t predict the future, so setting a goal that will only improve your life in the future is meaningless. If your goal is to start your own business, make sure that starting your own business a year from now will improve your life right now. If setting the goal of starting your own business gives you feelings of confidence, hope or organization then you should definitely set the goal. If setting the goal doesn’t improve your life at all right now, then look for a new goal that will.

Write them in the present tense and reread them twice a day

• This works very well for long term goals. The act of writing down your goals is the most important step to achieving them. Read that again if it didn’t sink in. Believe it or not, most people set goals and do not even write them down! If one of your long term goals is to be more social, then you should write down exactly how you will feel and act when you’re a more social person. This should be as descriptive as possible, such as “I’m a very confident person when I interact with people I don’t know. My body language oozes confidence and I am also smiling and making strong eye contact when I meet a new person”. Then once you have everything written out, you should read once in the morning when you wake up and once at night before you go to bed. Make sure you actually feel the role of the person you want to be when you read it, and don’t just breeze through it. By reading your goals everyday, you will start to reprogram your subconscious mind to think you are the person you eventually want to be. This is the power of the subconscious and auto suggestion.

Reread and rewrite your goals as often as you need to

• This is a key step that I have a hard time doing. However if you commit to reading your goals twice a day, you will realize right away when your goals are not in line with what your vision entails. Always rewrite your goals when you feel like they are no longer what you’re striving for. This means both your long term and short term goals.

If you have any goal setting ideas and tips, please feel free to share them in the blog comments…