Creating and Achieving Goals

When you have found your inspiration, what stops you from achieving goals? Do you know how to create good goals?

Creating and achieving your goals will give you a sense of accomplishment and meaning in your life. Here are some tips to help you to formulate and reach your life aspirations.

Motivation to Achieve Goals: Before you create your goals, figure out your motivation or reasons for wanting to reach those goals. This will help you to stay focused and over come obstacles. For example if your goal is, “To quit smoking” and your motivation is, “To be a healthy role-mode for my children” you can use this concept to remind yourself why achieving your goals is important. In this example some people have even placed a picture of their children on a box of cigarettes as a reminder. Using pictures or images as a sign of your motivation can help you to stay focused.

How to Create Goals: When you create goals it is important to have the goal be specific, measurable and realistic. If you use these three criteria, you will increase your likelihood for success dramatically. Here are some examples:

Example of Vague Goal: I want to save more money.
Example of Measurable Goal: I will save $5 every week for 1 month.

With the first example it will be difficult to know when you saved more money since you did not set a timeline or an amount. In the second example you defined a set amount of money and a time frame so at then end of 1 month if you saved $20 you will have achieved your goal.

It is also important to aim for realistic and achievable goals in order to avoid disappointment. It is easier to begin with small goals instead of grandiose ones.

Example of Unrealistic Goal: I will save $1,000 per week.
Example of Realistic Goal: I will save $20 per week.

Of course some people might be able to save $1,000 per week, but most people would be setting themselves up for failure if they attempted this objective. If you experience success in achieving your goals, you will increase your self-worth and you will be more likely to create and achieve new goals. In general it is easier to start small and work your way up to larger or more ambitious goals. Also if you write down your goals and post them, you are more apt to follow through on a daily basis.

Long Term vs. Short Term Goals: Your goals can be both long term (1 year or longer) and short-term (1 day to 11 months). First you can define your long-term goals and then your short term goals as steps to help you achieve your long term goals. By creating the short-term goals you will find your long-term goal to be more manageable. Here is an example:

Long Term Goal: At the end of this year I will invest $5,000 into my IRA account.
Short Term Goal: I will save $96.15 per week to invest in my IRA account.
Short Term Goal: I will save $13.74 per day to invest in my IRA account.

When you first look at the large amount of $5,000 you may feel overwhelmed. However when you look at the shortest-term goal of only $13.74 per day it is more manageable and achievable. You could easily save $13 a day by using coupons, eating at home, packing your lunch, etc.

Make sure you come back next week as we discuss why people may fall short of their goals, how to create new attainable goals, and how to reward yourself when you achieve them! You can also subscribe so you don’t miss anything!

Thanks to Cheryl at Swap Savers for this guest post on Creating and Achieving Goals (this is a 2-part series, so make sure you come back next week for part 2).

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