HOW TO BE DETERMINED AND ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

Last Updated on October 6, 2024 by Joshua Isibor

What is Determination?

Determination is having a direction to a certain end. It also means being focused on a proper guide. Determination is a key to success, it is like a drive that pushes you to forge ahead.

What is a goal?

A goal is what you aim to achieve. It is a result that one is attempting to accomplish, a dream to be fulfilled. Every individual must have a goal to accomplish. We all have a purpose in life, and having a direct goal is one of our purposes. A man without a goal is like a man without vision and mission.

Do you really know what you want to achieve in two years or six years’ time? Do you have a specific plan for tomorrow or next? Have you ever considered what you will do or what you would like to do to have a better life or make an impact on people’s lives?

For you to get something or attain success, you must have a goal-setting. Goal setting is like a guide or a laydown plan or strategy on what you want to accomplish and how to achieve your aims.

If you want to succeed, you need to set goals. Without goals, you’ll lack focus and direction. Goal setting not only allows you to take control of your life’s direction; it also provides you a benchmark for determining whether you are actually succeeding. Think about it, having a thousand dollars in the bank is only proof of success if one of your goals is to amass riches.

Proper planning is of paramount importance in achieving your goal and attaining success. No plan, no goal, and no success. Planning gives you focus and direction, your plans make you work with your goal setting.

To accomplish your goals, however, you need to know how to set them. You can’t simply say, “I want” and expect it to happen. Goal setting is a process that starts with careful consideration of what you want to achieve and ends with a lot of hard work to actually do it. In between, there are some very well-defined steps that transcend the specifics of each goal.

Knowing these steps will allow you to formulate goals that you can accomplish.
For instance, you wish to get a car worth 100 dollars. Probably, at the moment, you don’t have much cash or none in your account. Folding your hands will not help you afford the car; you need to set a plan on how to raise money.

Possible ways could be :
1. Getting a job
2. Apply for a loan
3. Saving for a specific time. In this case, your savings depend on when you want to purchase the car. The time frame should be considered.
Your goal must have a strategic plan in line with the goal-setting to accomplish your aim.

Types of goal setting

1. Short term goals
2. Long term goals
Short-term goals are goals that you accomplish within a short time frame. It doesn’t take much time and effort. It’s easier and faster to achieve and less stressful. Examples of short-term goals:

1. Puntuality to work or school
2. Learning how to prepare a good meal
3. Practicing good morals.
4.Becoming prayerful .
5. Improve your performance skills.
6. Improve your networking and communication skills.
7. Change your job.
8. Improve your work-life balance.
9. Waste less time during work hours.
10. Make a website for yourself.
11. Communicate with your coworkers more. etc.

Long term goals

are goals that take longer time to achieve. It requires more time, focus, Determination, discipline, and proper planning. If your long-term goals lack these necessary characteristics, you might end up being frustrated and losing hope.

To achieve this, you need to be sensitive, optimistic, honest, sincere, and hard-working. Long-term goals lead to a lifetime of success. Your longtime goal accounts for your future success, comfort, and personal development, because your life depends on this. Examples of long-term goals:

1. Building a career
2. Building an investment or a business
3. Marriage
4. Purchasing a home.
5. Mortgage fund
6. Insurance
7. College fund
8. Retirement settings
9. Building a relationship.

The Five Golden Rules for your goal setting

1. Set Goals That Motivate You

When you set goals for yourself, it is important that they motivate you: this means making sure that they are important to you, and that there is value in achieving them. If you have little interest in the result, or they are unimportant given the larger picture, then the chances of you putting in the work to make them happen are slim. Motivation is key to achieving goals.

Set goals that relate to the most important things in your life. Without this type of focus, you can end up with so many goals, leaving you a short time to dedicate to each one. Goal achievement requires commitment, so to increase the likelihood of success, you need to feel a sense of pressure and have an “I must achieve this” mindset. When you don’t have this, you risk putting off what you are expected to do to make the goal a reality. This, in turn, leaves you feeling disappointed and frustrated with yourself, both of which are demoralizing. And you can end up in a very disheartening”I can’t do anything or be successful at anything” frame of mind.

Note:

To ensure that your goal is motivating, write down why it’s of great worth and importance to you. Ask yourself, “If I were to share my goal with others, what would I tell them to persuade them it was a worthwhile goal?” You can use this motivating value statement to help you if you start to doubt yourself or lose confidence in your capacity to actually make the goal a reality.

2. Set Smart Goals

You have probably heard of SMART goals already. But do you always apply the rule? The simple truth is that for goals to be powerful, they should be framed to be SMART. There are many variations of what SMART stands for, but the essence is this, goals should be:

1. Specific.
2. Measurable.
3. Attainable.
4. Relevant.
5. Time Bound.

• Set Specific Goals
  Your goal must be clear and well-defined. Obscure or generalized goals are unhelpful because they don’t provide sufficient direction. Remember, you need goals to show you the way. Define exactly where you want to end up to make it as easy as possible to get there.
• Set Measurable Goals
  Include definite amounts, dates, when, and so on in your goals so you can measure your level of success. If your goal is simply defined as “To reduce expenses,” how will you know when you have been successful? In one month, if you have a 1 per cent reduction, or in two years’ time, if you have a 10 per cent reduction? Without a way to measure your success, you miss out on the excitement that comes with knowing you have actually achieved something.
• Set Attainable Goals
  Make sure that you can achieve the goals you set. If you set a goal that you have no hope of accomplishing, you will only demoralize yourself and elude your confidence.
  However, resist the urge to set goals that are too easy or simple. Accomplishing a goal that you didn’t have to work hard for can be disappointing at best, and can also make you fear setting future goals that carry a risk of non-achievement. By setting realistic yet challenging goals, you hit the balance you need. These are the types of goals that require you to “raise the bar” and they bring the greatest personal satisfaction.
• Set Relevant Goals
  Goals should be relevant to the direction you want your life and career to take. By keeping goals aligned with this, you’ll develop the focus you need to get ahead and do what you want. Set widely scattered and inconsistent goals, and you’ll procrastinate your time, and your life away.
• Set Time-Bound Goals
  Your goals must have a timeframe. Again, this means that you know when you can celebrate success. When you are working on a timeframe, your sense of urgency increases and achievement will come that much quicker.

3. Set Goals in Writing

The physical act of writing down a goal makes it real and palpable. You have no reason for forgetting about it. As you write, use the word “will” instead of “would like to” or “might.” For example, “I will increase my savings by 20 percent” not “I would like to increase my savings by 20 percent this year.” The first goal statement has strength and you can “see” yourself increasing your savings, the second lacks passion and gives you an excuse if you get hooked.

Note:

Frame your goal statement positively. If you want to improve your retention rates say, “I will hold on to all existing staff for the next one year” rather than “I will reduce staff turnover.” The first one is motivating; the second one still has an amendment “allowing” you to succeed even if some staff leave.

Note:
If you use a To-Do List, prepare a pattern with your goals at the top. If you use an Action Program, your goals should be at the top of your Project systematic list.

Place your goals in open places to remind you every day of what you wish or plan to do. Put them on your walls, desk, computer monitor, bathroom mirror, or refrigerator as a regular reminder.

4. Make an effective Plan

This step is always sidelined in the process of goal setting. You get so focused on the result that you skip planning all of the steps that are required in the process. By writing out each step, and then cancelling each one off as you finalize it, you will observe that you are moving forward towards your greatest goal. This is very important if your goal is big and requires much or a long-term plan or action.

5. Focus on It!

Note that goal setting is a current activity, not just a means to an end. Build in reminders to keep you on the right path and make consistent time allocations available to check your goals. Your endpoint may remain quite the same over the long term, but the effective plan you prepare for yourself along the way can alter significantly. Make sure the relevance, value, and necessity remain high.

Significant Points

Goal setting is actually more than desiring something to happen. Unless you explicitly define what you want and comprehend why you want it in the first place, your chances of success are considerably reduced.

By following the Five Golden Rules of Goal Setting you can set goals with self-assurance and enjoy the satisfaction that comes along with knowing you accomplished what you planned to do.

I was as ignorant as you are now until I knew I had to set my purpose right, so I had to plan my goal-setting and work on it.I started studying the key differences between words associated with goal-setting, and this helps me to give you much clearer information when it comes to setting goals.

Goal Setting terms

1. Goal Setting

Goal setting is the method by which you determine the things you intend to achieve and write them down for documentation and safekeeping, along with their different and specific timeframes.

2. Goal Mapping

Goal mapping is a way of using a “mind map” to clearly set out all your goals in a manner of graphic imagination. Normally, a goal map is made of keywords, notions, or willingness that you relate to, looking like a flowchart or an example of how things are related to your goal accomplishment.

3. Goal Orientation Theory

Goal Orientation Theory is the set of moral acceptance or ideas that depicts motivation as the major influence in the accomplishment of goals. This theory observes why individuals are involved in efforts towards goal achievement.

4. Goal Vs Objective

The difference between goals and objectives is that a goal is always a long-term desired outcome which you intend to accomplish, while an objective means specific efforts needed for the attainment of specific goals. While an individual might have a goal, he requires an objective to clearly carry out the plan to attain it.

5. Goal Vs Aim

The difference between a goal and an aim is that goals are identifiable and specific, while aims are the things you just set your eyes on. An aim is deficient in direction and a tangible, actionable plan needed to attain one’s desired outcome, while a goal points out specificity and can be measured in terms of time and action necessary for its achievement.

6. Goal Vs Target

The difference between a goal and a target is that a goal may not really have the numerical worth to be achieved, while a target normally needs to be quantified and measured to adhere to the quantity of time and action that are required for its achievement. While a goal usually shows what you want to attain, a target generates a sense of pressure to make the necessary efforts.

7. Goal Vs Outcome

The difference between a goal and an outcome is the timeline by which they occur. A goal leads to an outcome, which is actually the measurement and Determination of the final outcome from a specific activity against the intended change or turnout. An “outcome” is similar to a “result” since they both describe the result of working on a goal.

8. Vision Vs Goal

Vision stands for a clear picture of the future that your mind imagines while a goal specifically addresses this by adding the thought of action and urgency. A vision can influence the goals that you might have, and goals include the effort required to realize such a vision.

ALSO, READ 400+ Motivational Quotes about success and Life by Reno Omokri

Originally posted 2020-12-28 12:27:46.