Five Characteristics of Achievable Goals
Anyone with a desire to move ahead in their life in one way or another has made the decision to set personal goals. These goals should inspire self-confidence, hope and motivation. They should reflect a person's values, include their dreams and be able to be achieved in a series of well-planned out steps. There are five things that all truly achievable goals have in common...
1. Goals should be big enough to be challenging, but small enough to be realistic.
There is nothing wrong with dreaming big. Many great inventions and ideas came about because someone dreamed big. Big dreams, however, often require a series of small steps. It is impractical to believe that you can simply Will your dreams into reality. When you create a list of goals, do so with this in mind and think in terms of taking a series of small steps along a road that leads to your ultimate destination.
2. Goals should be specific.
You cannot plan out the ways and means to achieve a goal if it is merely a fuzzy idea that you may or may not have interest in by the time you finally decide to go for it. Many people are terrible procrastinators when it comes to decision making. Choosing specific goals helps us to overcome the desire to put off making important decisions. It also allows us the opportunity to achieve a dream that really means something to us. Decisiveness motivates, while indecision hesitates.
3. Goals should be realistic.
Having the desire to become a millionaire, quit drugs or find the perfect person to spend your life with are realistic and achievable goals for most people. Wanting those same things to happen overnight is unrealistic and doubtful. If you are thinking BIG when it comes to a goal, be sure you examine your ability to achieve that goal and allow for an honest time frame to do so. Short cuts tend to produce temporary results. I think that we all want results that will last when it comes to achieving our goals.
4. Goals should have a positive effect and outcome on your life.
Too many people are motivated by negative thoughts and actions. Revenge, for example, should not be part of a goal or the motivation for one. Positive motivation is always superior when it comes to goal setting. The desire and goal to earn more so that you and, perhaps, your family can live more comfortably is a better motivator than wanting to make more money than a friend, family member or even an enemy. Negativity sidetracks and can easily cause you to take dangerous or even illegal actions to achieve a goal.
5. Goals should be important enough to you to make you want to work towards them.
The primary reason that I encourage people to have specific and well thought-out goals is that they will probably have to work long and hard to achieve them. Goals should be the result of the passion you feel for something. Passion is a wonderful motivator that can easily keep you going through situations that may, sometimes, cause you to wonder if a goal you are trying to achieve is really worth the effort. Any goal you set should be important enough to you to be a life achievement that is essential to your confidence, motivation, passion and personal growth.
