Goal Setting Theory - How to Set Goals

Imagine landing at Sydney International Airport.

You flag down the first available taxi and the cabbie says, “Where to?”

You reply, “Take me.”

With specifics like that he’ll take you all right!

Likewise, if you don’t know where you’re going in life you’ll probably end up somewhere else.

Let’s get into this important subject.

An overview:

The first thing required for life direction is:

A master dream list

Basically, when you’re 90 years old sitting on your rocking chair looking back, how did you finish?

Project into the future, think about your life and list down the things you’d really like to achieve. Big things, small things, impossible things, easy things... It doesn’t matter, just get writing.

Now,

Separate your wishes from your wants

There’s a lot of talk about will power but I believe that a major key to goal achievement is want power.

Are you willing to pay a price to achieve each thing on your list or would it be just nice to have?

If it’s just a wish and you don’t really want it, cross it off your list.

Number 3,

Select short range goals

Focus in on five goals that you believe are achievable within the next 12 – 24 months.

Remember, a dream is what you’d like to have, a goal is what you intend to make happen so narrow your list down into just a few prime goals that can pull you into the future.

Don’t be a wandering generality, be a meaningful specific.

Here are a few goal setting guidelines.

Write your goals down

I’m often asked if goals work when they’re not written down. My answer is, “Yes”, however, writing crystallizes thought and thought motivates action. So when you write your goals down you are forced to describe them clearly and concisely. This creates a more specific and clarified target.

Create your own goals

You are the general of your own personal resources so you need to select goals that are meaningful and important to you.

Striving to keep up with the Jones won’t get you anywhere!

Without your own driven goals you won’t have onboard motivation.

Why do you want this?

Interestingly enough, the word motivation is derived from two words: motive and action. Motive is the goal that unlocks the action that will get you there.

Without trying to disappoint you, I can’t motivate you... And neither can anyone else.

Well, there is such a thing as fear motivation, “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.” The fear of loss and regret can be catalysts for motive-action.

Incentive motivation may move us a bit but hey, real motivation comes when we transform the donkey into a racehorse by plumbing the depths of internal motivation.

Self motivation is the nuclear reactor of life. Why?

Give me a reason and I’ll come running.
– John Farhnam

Reasons ignite the wick that spark the explosion of internal motivation.

If you can’t think of a reason as per why you want to achieve a specific goal drop it and create one that’s desire driven.

Get some tension on the bow

For some reason we tend to categorise all stress as negative or even harmful.

The fact is stress is required to reach any target.

There’s a difference between distress and eustress.

Distress is limiting, inhibiting and frankly, bad for your health.

Eustress on the other hand is precisely what’s needed to create forward momentum so that you can hit your stride.

Like the stress on a bow, tension creates thrust. On the other hand, a stress free life is dangerous.

For example, cosmonauts who spent a long time in zero gravity soon found that their muscles began to break down.

While the stresses of fear cause anxiety, neurosis, ulcers, and disease, the stresses of desire provide energy, propulsion, creativity and magnetic pull.

Let’s take a look at SMART goals.