It’s approaching that time of year again, where you may be thinking about what you would like to improve in your life and make new years resolutions. This may be a lifelong tradition, but why wait till the end of a year, when you could be achieving your goals and dreams throughout the entire year?
Learning how to set effective goals for yourself helps you to feel motivated. It also improves your self development personally and professionally. You will be able to challenge yourself with your ideas and beliefs: remember we are never static, so how we perceived life at the age of 20, 30, etc changes as our priorities and outlook changes.
Your goals should allow you to move forward and be relevant, which in turn will help you to evolve. Don’t be afraid to look at different opportunities that you may have previously dismissed - don’t have any regrets. Whatever your age it’s never too late to start learning, this will give you options in life and improve your skill set.
Here are some tips to think about when setting your goals :
What and where do you really want to be in life ? If you could be who ever you have always desired to be, who would it be? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Close your eyes and use your imagination.
How would you define success in your life? Remember, never to compare yourself to others: we are all unique human beings, everyone's personal success looks totally different
Try not to judge yourself. Vision and success are personal. What is it that you really want to achieve?
Look at your skill set, even those skills that you don’t use frequently or are used for a hobby: you never know if you could make a business out of something you love doing.
Make a mood board. Collect pictures and pieces of information and arrange them on a large sheet of card. You should then put your mood board somewhere visible to remind you what your vision looks like.
When making a plan for your short term goals, do include time limits and stages of development. This will help you to be realistic about what you can achieve by and when. A written plan gives you something to look back on. Make yourself accountable to a person whom you can trust to encourage and motivate you. Allow them to check in with you frequently with your time limits.
Keeping a record at each stage of your progress will help to motivate you and will allow you to see how far you have come. It will remind you of how you may have overcome some difficult stages whilst a particular part of a goal. You will also discover the strategy that works best for you, your likes and dislikes and what the best route for you is.
Personal development is lifelong learning and it can make for a happier and better life. We are all a "work in progress" and therefore always remember that we don’t have to do everything all at once.
Concentrate on your first steps towards achieving your vision. Once that has been achieved then move on to the next step. Accomplish what you need to at each stage and avoid the temptation to flit from one part of your goal to another.
Ensure that at the end of each step of your goal that it is taking you forward in the direction you want it to. Keep reviewing and revising your plans and always make sure that they are in line with your values and beliefs.
You will soon start making headway and once you can see this for yourself then that momentum will keep flowing in order for you to accomplish that long term goal and dream.
“WHERE FOCUS GOES ENERGY FLOWS”
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