Goal setting is an important part to your success in life and unfortunately goal setting traps are easy to fall into. In order to achieve success in your goals, it is essential to define what you want and why you want it. Once you have defined the motives for your goal, you are already on your way to victory. However, one must consider the plague of goal setting traps and how to avoid them. Here we will look at some of the most common traps and what you can do to evade them.
1. You've set goals that don't motivate you. When you set goals for yourself, it is important that they motivate you (yes, you!) This means making sure that they are important to you, and that you feel there is value in achieving them. If you have little interest in the outcome, or they are irrelevant given the larger picture you have created for yourself, then the chances of you putting in the work to make them happen are slim. Why? Because goal achievement requires commitment, so to maximize the likelihood of success, you need to feel a sense of urgency and have an "I must do this" attitude. When you don't have this, you risk putting off what you need to do to make the goal a reality. So do your goals actually motivate you?
2. The goals you set are not SMART. By SMART, we don't mean your intelligence level. We mean specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based goals. In order for you to avoid this next goal setting trap, you should assess your goal and see if it follows the SMART format.
The goal you set must be clear. If you are not specific in the details of what you want to achieve, the timeline in when you want to achieve it, and your desired outcome, the chances are you may get lost along the way. Specific goals paint a clear path for your success.
Set measurable goals. Include precise amounts, dates, and so on in your goals so you can measure your degree of success. If your goal is simply defined as "be healthier" how will you know when you have been successful? Without a way to measure your success you miss out on the celebration that comes with knowing you have actually achieved something.
Your goals aren't realistic. If your goals are too far-fetched or not achievable, you will begin to resent yourself, and your self-assurance will begin to wear away. On the other hand, setting goals that are beneath your level of performance or that are too easy can be discouraging, making future goal-setting feel pointless or filled with the risk of failure. When your goals are realistic and offer you a challenge, you have just the right equilibrium you'll need to gain personal fulfillment.
The goals you set must be relevant to your life and the direction you want to go. If you set irrelevant goals or goals that are incompatible with your lifestyle, you risk losing time, hard work, and possibly derailing yourself from the bigger picture. By keeping goals in sync with your life you will gain the focus you need to keep on track and maintain order.
Set time-based goals. You goals must have a deadline. Again, this means that you know when you can celebrate success. When you are working on a deadline, your sense of urgency increases and achievement will come that much quicker.
3. Your goals aren't set in stone. We can say the goals in our head over and over again but writing them down makes them real and gives them power. If possible, you should even write it down in a place you see every day and can update to keep track of your success. When writing your goals down make sure to use positive and powerful words such as "will" or "can". Setting a goal that is worded poorly leaves an open window for excuses. Instead of, "I would like to save $1,000", you should write, "I will save $1,000", or, "I can save $1,000". This will lead you to envisioning yourself hitting your goal and remind you of the passion needed to achieve it.
4. Your goals don't have a plan. While you may have defined your goal and written them down, have you set an action plan? Sometimes we can get so excited at the idea of achieving the goal that we may forget to mark the actual steps needed to be taken along the way. While this is definitely an important aspect for long-term goals, it is also needed for smaller or short-term goals. The best thing you can do for yourself is to write out a list of the steps needed to reach your goal. As you hit each milestone cross it off of your list and celebrate your achievement. You are one step closer!
5. You're using all-or-nothing goals. Being specific and measurable is important, but goals such as "finish a marathon" or "lose 50 pounds" can set up a pass/fail mindset and failure can lead to a negative spiral. If you do set audacious, long-term goals, make sure to recognize that you may experience setbacks. If you lose 47 pounds instead of 50 have you failed? Or have you succeeded?
6. You've simply given up. Remember, goals may shift as you learn something new about your path, or if certain deliverables become impossible. Even just a few minutes a week spent editing your goals and re-aligning them to your big-picture desires will help to keep you on track. Your goals will grow with you - they shouldn't work against you. When you stop to review your goals, be sure that they are still relevant to you, important to your progress, and maintain your sense of urgency. Never give up - if your goals outgrow you, they must be readjusted!
1. You've set goals that don't motivate you. When you set goals for yourself, it is important that they motivate you (yes, you!) This means making sure that they are important to you, and that you feel there is value in achieving them. If you have little interest in the outcome, or they are irrelevant given the larger picture you have created for yourself, then the chances of you putting in the work to make them happen are slim. Why? Because goal achievement requires commitment, so to maximize the likelihood of success, you need to feel a sense of urgency and have an "I must do this" attitude. When you don't have this, you risk putting off what you need to do to make the goal a reality. So do your goals actually motivate you?
2. The goals you set are not SMART. By SMART, we don't mean your intelligence level. We mean specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based goals. In order for you to avoid this next goal setting trap, you should assess your goal and see if it follows the SMART format.
The goal you set must be clear. If you are not specific in the details of what you want to achieve, the timeline in when you want to achieve it, and your desired outcome, the chances are you may get lost along the way. Specific goals paint a clear path for your success.
Set measurable goals. Include precise amounts, dates, and so on in your goals so you can measure your degree of success. If your goal is simply defined as "be healthier" how will you know when you have been successful? Without a way to measure your success you miss out on the celebration that comes with knowing you have actually achieved something.
Your goals aren't realistic. If your goals are too far-fetched or not achievable, you will begin to resent yourself, and your self-assurance will begin to wear away. On the other hand, setting goals that are beneath your level of performance or that are too easy can be discouraging, making future goal-setting feel pointless or filled with the risk of failure. When your goals are realistic and offer you a challenge, you have just the right equilibrium you'll need to gain personal fulfillment.
The goals you set must be relevant to your life and the direction you want to go. If you set irrelevant goals or goals that are incompatible with your lifestyle, you risk losing time, hard work, and possibly derailing yourself from the bigger picture. By keeping goals in sync with your life you will gain the focus you need to keep on track and maintain order.
Set time-based goals. You goals must have a deadline. Again, this means that you know when you can celebrate success. When you are working on a deadline, your sense of urgency increases and achievement will come that much quicker.
3. Your goals aren't set in stone. We can say the goals in our head over and over again but writing them down makes them real and gives them power. If possible, you should even write it down in a place you see every day and can update to keep track of your success. When writing your goals down make sure to use positive and powerful words such as "will" or "can". Setting a goal that is worded poorly leaves an open window for excuses. Instead of, "I would like to save $1,000", you should write, "I will save $1,000", or, "I can save $1,000". This will lead you to envisioning yourself hitting your goal and remind you of the passion needed to achieve it.
4. Your goals don't have a plan. While you may have defined your goal and written them down, have you set an action plan? Sometimes we can get so excited at the idea of achieving the goal that we may forget to mark the actual steps needed to be taken along the way. While this is definitely an important aspect for long-term goals, it is also needed for smaller or short-term goals. The best thing you can do for yourself is to write out a list of the steps needed to reach your goal. As you hit each milestone cross it off of your list and celebrate your achievement. You are one step closer!
5. You're using all-or-nothing goals. Being specific and measurable is important, but goals such as "finish a marathon" or "lose 50 pounds" can set up a pass/fail mindset and failure can lead to a negative spiral. If you do set audacious, long-term goals, make sure to recognize that you may experience setbacks. If you lose 47 pounds instead of 50 have you failed? Or have you succeeded?
6. You've simply given up. Remember, goals may shift as you learn something new about your path, or if certain deliverables become impossible. Even just a few minutes a week spent editing your goals and re-aligning them to your big-picture desires will help to keep you on track. Your goals will grow with you - they shouldn't work against you. When you stop to review your goals, be sure that they are still relevant to you, important to your progress, and maintain your sense of urgency. Never give up - if your goals outgrow you, they must be readjusted!
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