Do you set yourself goals?

'A goal without a plan is just a wish.'

 - Antoine du Saint Exupery

As it’s the beginning of the year it’s inspired me to write about goals. I’m sure we all have dreams and things we want to achieve and it’s good to have these, but how effective are you in reaching these goals?

I find that one of the best ways that I stay on track is to write them down. 

Is there something that you want to achieve this year? it could be a new job, new project, new skill.

·       Write them down. 

·       Be specific with what you want to do and go for it.

Set a time when you review these goals and I guess that’s depends on the goal and what sort of timescale it will take to achieve, but for example each month you can review your list of goals and see how you’re doing. Are you on track? Do you need to change direction? Do you now have another goal to add?  I also find it quite useful to break down major goals into smaller ones.  

So one my goals for this year is to try and lose some weight. Therefore I’ve had to plan and outline the steps that I need to take to lose this weight. 

1.       I need be working out at the gym at least 3 times a week.  

2.       Need to cut out carbs after 7pm 

3.       Need to plan my meals more carefully. 

I’ve also decided to cut out a lot of meat in my diet so this is also a goal which that could be related to my main goal.

So each week I review this and see how I’ve done, and it really does help me to stay focused and monitor the results  - I find this so much more effective than me just saying I'm going to lose weight this year. I

Also having an accountability partner - someone who you need to be accountable to, who could possibly have the same or similar goals to you, is a great way to help you achieve goals. I have an accountability partner and she helps me stay focused and makes me more determined to fulfill my goals. Just knowing that I have to check in with someone regularly is very effective indeed.

…..

Having goals really keeps you motivated and regularly reviewing them means that you don’t lose sight of the goal and for me makes it easier to achieve, it's not just something that we do in business and at work, personal goals also need to have the same sort of effort put into them.

However, I would say, whilst it’s good to have a vision and a dream to focus on, it’s also nice to enjoy the journey, as opposed to being solely focused on the end result. The journey is all about learning and appreciating each step of what you're doing. Because if I don’t actually lose the weight that I set out to lose, the fact that I’ve made a number of lifestyle changes as part of the process will be a massive achievement in itself.