How to Set Goals You’ll Actually Reach
Contents · 3 sections
How to set goals you’ll actually reach
Have you set your goals for the year? No? Then this article can help.
Before I share the tactics that have helped me reach most of my goals so far, let’s start with the basics: what is a goal, and why does goal setting matter at all?
What exactly is a goal, and why does goal setting matter?
There are many definitions of a goal. One of my favorites, and one I think nails it, is this: “A goal is the ideal outcome, the desired state, that we take specific actions to achieve.” Simple enough. But don’t confuse a goal with a task, a dream or a wish. As Steve Smith put it, “The difference between a goal and a dream is a deadline.” A goal is a dream with an action plan, actual action and a deadline. If all we do is dream, our vision will never become reality.
But why is setting goals so important? In short, because it’s one of the proven ways we grow.
Brian Tracy, one of the world’s best-known motivational speakers, says it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. What matters is where you want to go.
Without goals, we have no direction. Without goals, we’re like ships without a compass, bound to get lost at sea. Without goals, we’ll never become our best selves. We’ll just drift in a sea of mediocrity.
It’s also been shown that when we don’t set goals, our brain misses opportunities. We’re buried in information, coming at us through almost countless channels. So it’s only natural for the brain to filter it and simply ignore whatever seems irrelevant. That’s a good thing, but the brain makes mistakes too. If we haven’t clearly “told” it which ideas, goals or thoughts we care about, it has no way of knowing which information matters most.
That’s why goal setting is an essential part of my professional and personal growth.
If you also believe goal setting is key to growth, here are my tips for setting goals and getting results:
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Know exactly what you want
Always set precise, specific goals! Your goal should be as clear as possible, and that means answering a few questions. Ask yourself “Why?” Why do you want this particular thing? “Who am I doing it for?” Yourself or others? “What do I need to do?” What actions will turn the goal into reality, and what are you willing to give up to make the change?
Say your goal is to earn more. Just saying “I want to be richer” won’t change a thing. Ask yourself those questions. See your goal, picture it and feel it as if it were real right now. Then ask what being rich actually means to you. How much would you need to earn a month to consider yourself wealthy? Or maybe you don’t measure wealth in money at all, and you have a completely different goal? Only then get specific: “I want to earn BGN 3,000 (about €1,530) a month,” “I want to be surrounded only by good, ambitious people” (for you, wealth may be the people around you)… Which brings us to the next point:
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Break your goal into micro goals
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” may be a cliché, but it’s true. A big goal that stretches far into the future feels distant and sometimes intimidating, so it’s much harder to find the will and motivation to start. That’s why breaking it into micro goals you can start on right now makes it far more measurable and real. This ties directly into micromanaging your tasks. Look at it from a purely psychological angle: when we split a big, important goal into small ones, we obviously end up with more small tasks. But checking off each finished task has been shown to give us a huge sense of inner satisfaction and to make us feel better and more motivated. By that logic, conquering one micro goal after another won’t just bring us closer to our final goal and the big picture. It will also bring us joy.
The small pieces add up to the goal, and that goal, together with the others we set, gets us to what we want (to be, to do, to feel).
Back to our earlier example: you’re not surrounded by as many good, ambitious people as you’d like. The goal is specific now, but it still has no real shape. So what do you do? Break it into parts and answer every question that comes with it. To attract good, ambitious people, you have to be one yourself. Invest in your own growth, focus on your interests, start going to the places where the people you’d like to meet spend their time, and so on. These are just examples of the micro goals you can set.
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Set a deadline
Remember Steve Smith’s line? A deadline is a must if you want to reach your goal at all: with a deadline, a goal becomes measurable and far more real. The deadline has to meet two criteria: it must be realistic and specific. Realistic means a time frame that fits the goal, one in which it’s actually, physically possible to reach it. You can’t expect to become a millionaire in, say, 2 years if you’re working for minimum wage today. But if that’s your ultimate goal, give yourself a realistic, specific deadline and a detailed action plan (built from micro goals and micro tasks). Only then does the goal gain real value, and only then do its chances of coming true go up.
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Set a realistic goal
Unlike a realistic deadline, a realistic goal is about whether the goal can be achieved at all.
Say I wanted to become president of the United States (I don’t, and I have no such plans). The idea that “anyone can become president” is a stretch, and for some people it’s flat-out impossible. Without US citizenship, you can’t even run. And honestly, even if I had it, it still wouldn’t be a very realistic goal for me.
There’s nothing wrong with setting big goals (in fact, I recommend it), but keep them within reach. Missing a goal can leave a scar on your motivation, drive and persistence, and all because the goal was unrealistic from the start.
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Share your goal
Share your goal with someone close to you, and it instantly feels more real and measurable. Your motivation and productivity grow too, because if you fail, you let down not only yourself but also the person beside you. Besides, once you say it out loud, it’s out there in the world, and it becomes more real and more achievable.
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Write your goal down
Another way to make a goal more real and achievable is to put it on paper. When you write a goal down by hand, in your own handwriting, it becomes not only more real but also more personal.
As a Bulgarian saying goes, “the wise write things down, fools rely on memory.” Writing a goal down helps it sink in. Most people also have a stronger visual memory, so a written goal feels more measurable and achievable. It has also been shown that writing your goal down as if it’s already done makes your mind see it as within reach, even if it’s very ambitious. Your self-belief and motivation grow even stronger, and so do your chances of success.
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Focus on the end result
When you focus on the end result and the happiness reaching your goal will bring, the goal gets easier to reach. That doesn’t mean ignoring the micro tasks and micro goals right in front of you. You simply use the end result, the satisfaction you’ll feel and all the good things it will bring as extra motivation.
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Be adaptable
Not everything in life depends on us alone. That’s not an excuse to blame circumstances, Mercury in retrograde or the people around you for your failures. On a micro level, when it comes to your goal, everything depends on you. What matters is to focus on your own actions, control everything that’s up to you, and not give up when circumstances turn against you. Staying focused, motivated and on top of your progress matters, but so does adjusting to circumstances. We alone are responsible for our success or failure.
And if your circumstances, needs or wishes change, be willing to drop one goal and pursue another that will bring you closer to success. Remember that success isn’t a one-way street, and many paths lead to it.
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Faith, consistency, persistence and desire
In the end, it all comes down to these four words. If you don’t believe in your goal, you’ll never reach it. If you have no desire or motivation, you’ll never reach it either. If you’re not consistent and persistent, and you blame circumstances for your failures, it won’t work. Want to know the difference between people who succeed and people who fail? Persistence. The ones who succeed keep going.
Even if you don’t reach a goal, it’s not the end of the world. Keep moving forward and chase other goals. Don’t give up. Ever.
It all fits in one acronym: S.M.A.R.T.
Specific (answers the questions “Who?”, “What?”, “Where?” and “Why?”)
Measurable (How much? How will you track your progress and know when you’ve arrived?)
Attainable (How? Make sure your goal is realistic and, at the same time, big enough to help you grow.)
Relevant (Is it worth it?)
Timely (When? Your goal needs a time limit, and a realistic one. Make a plan and set time frames for all the micro tasks it’s built from.)
A little over 5 years ago, I sat down and visualized what my life would look like 5 years later. By setting and reaching small goals, with consistency and persistence, I dare say I made that vision of myself and my life come true. Now it’s time for new goals!
Now try it yourself. Find a quiet place, get comfortable, relax and close your eyes. Don’t let stereotypes or other people’s opinions sway you. This is your vision, and it’s time to create your future.
The year is 2023. Where are you? What are you doing right now? What do you look like? Who’s around you? What do you feel? What do you hear? You’re smiling. Why? What road did you travel to get here? …
This is your vision of your life 5 years from now. What will you do to make it real?
Now here’s my challenge: grab a pen and paper and write down at least 10 goals for a specific period. Be as thorough as you can, stick to the S.M.A.R.T. acronym and the tips above, and don’t be afraid to set big goals.
I’ve led workshops on this topic, because goal setting matters and so many people underestimate it. To make this as useful as possible, I’m also sharing a presentation with more helpful information. Happy goal setting!
Petar Dyaksov
Entrepreneur and founder of a digital agency, in e-commerce since 2009. He grows online businesses such as Fragrances.bg and Timedix and shares his experience as a speaker, moderator and mentor at nearly 80 conferences and trainings.
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[…] Goals are at the heart of productivity, and setting them the right way helps you get the results you want. For more on this, see my post “How to set goals you’ll actually reach.” […]