A personal goal is a powerful thing. Setting goals for yourself is one of the most powerful actions you can take to direct your life. Despite this, many well-meaning people genuinely struggle to find the consistency and discipline to follow through on personal goals.
In fact, it’s generally recognized that about three-out-of-four goal-setters will abandon their New Year’s resolutions by February. How can this be? Well, it turns out that setting a personal goal is just the first step. Sticking to it and achieving those goals requires the right mindset, a little structure and little strategy. At Southwestern Consulting, we believe all goals should be S.M.A.R.T. goals… but more on that later.
First, let’s take a look at why we all need goals!
Why Do We Need Personal Goals?
Setting personal goals is all about defining a vision for your future based on your values. Focusing on the life you want to live sets the path for you to maintain your motivation and make measurable progress over time. Without goal-setting as a discipline, you may find yourself floating through the years without a clear sense of purpose.
Here are some of the benefits of setting personal goals:
A Sense of Clarity
When you know what you want and how to pursue those things, it sharpens your focus. It helps you make better choices and keep the main thing the main thing.
Motivation of Purpose
Your goals give you something to work toward, a sense of purpose that will help you keep you disciplined when the going gets tough.
Personal Growth
It’s hard to grow without goals. You have to clarify the areas you want to grow in and set a course for that direction that specifically aligns with your goals.
Accountability and Discipline
Your goals keep you accountable. And continually working on personal goals cultivates a sense of much-needed discipline that will serve you well in other areas of life.
Mistakes People Make When Setting Personal Goals
Now, there is somewhat of an art to setting goals. You don’t just roll out of bed in the morning and declare, “I want to publish a book by age 40” without setting some very specific goals. Here are some common mistakes people make when attempting to set personal goals. You may have even made a few of these yourself!
Setting a Value Goal
Everybody wants a million dollars. Everybody wants to be in the best shape of their lives. Everybody wants to improve their relationships. Get the point? Without a clear definition to your goal, it just isn’t likely to stick.
Instead, say, “I want to save an extra $250 a month,” or “I want to lose 10 pounds by June 1,” or “I want to have a date night with my spouse once a week.” Having a clear definition will help you make more progress toward the goal.
Goals That are Too Big
We love big, audacious goals, but just as you want to avoid overly vague goals, you also need to steer clear of ones that are completely unrealistic. It might feel exciting to aim high, but if a goal is too big too fast, it’s more likely to discourage you and feel impossible to achieve.
For example, if you want to lose weight, declaring, “I want to lose 80 pounds by summer (two months away),” might be too much too fast. Or, “I want to qualify for the Boston Marathon,” if you’ve never run a race before. Instead, break your goals into smaller steps that help you work toward that big goal in an aggressive – but reasonable – timeframe.
Not Having a Timeline to Follow
Setting a goal for yourself without a timeline to achieve it is a surefire way to keep you from reaching it. Why? Life happens. Things get hard. The unexpected happens. It snows the week you’re supposed to start running and you don’t have cold running gear. You get the idea.
Whether it’s for a short-term goal or a long-term goal, having a specific timeline for your progress helps keep you accountable to where you want to be in the process of achieving your goal.
Focusing Only on the Outcome
The best goals we can make for ourselves are ones that yield the desired outcome and the behavior change it takes to achieve it. This makes the habits of making and keeping the goal sustainable.
Instead of just saying, “I want to lose 10 pounds,” focus your energy on the behaviors it takes to achieve that goal, not just the number on the scale. If you want a promotion or raise at work, you want to focus on the “controllables” – the things you can control, like hard work, attitude, punctuality, networking, sharpening your skills, etc. not merely the outcome of “the promotion.”
How to Set Personal Goals
There are many methods for setting personal goals, but the one we at Southwestern Consulting prefer and use is the S.M.A.R.T. method. Maybe you’ve heard of it.
S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. We love this method for its clarity and comprehensiveness:
Specific
Your goal should be specific, clearly defining what you want to accomplish. “The more specific, the more terrific,” we always say. For example, rather than saying, “I want to learn to play the guitar better in time for next year’s music festival,” you might say, “I want to learn to play at least 10 songs on the guitar in the next 90 days, by practicing for 45 minutes each day.”
Measurable
It has to be a goal that you are able to track. What gets measured gets managed, and if you can’t measure your progress, it will be hard to know where you are en route to your goal. For example, “I want to be a better parent” is a great goal to have, but consider adding a measurable component: “I want to become a better parent by listening to at least one new podcast on child development a week and spending an hour in the evenings with my kids.”
Achievable
Remember what we said earlier about delusions of grandeur? An unrealistic goal is a great way to get depressed. The best leaders set goals for themselves or their teams that are just a tad out of their current reach but not so far out of their reach that the goal demoralizes them. Think: stretch goal. Your goal should be a challenge, but not so lofty or unattainable that you’ve checked out and given up within a month.
Relevant
This is one many people overlook: your goal has to be relevant. That means it should be specific and personal to you. For example, imagine your goal is, ‘I want to advance in my career.’ That’s a start, but why do you want that promotion? Is it just because it seems impressive, or because you want to take on more responsibility, earn more income, or have a greater impact on your team? The clearer and more personal the reason, the more motivated you’ll be to achieve it.
Why do you want “to get in shape?” Is it because a friend of yours said they were joining a hot new gym in town, or because you’re tired all the time and want to feel stronger, be healthier and quit eating junk food? This all goes back to your specific priorities and values. Your goals should be relevant to these if you want to achieve them!
Time-bound
Finally, you must have a timeline or a deadline for your goals. This is non-negotiable. Without a timeline for your goals, they will float away into the ether unachieved. Deadlines help you frame the importance of your goals to create necessary sense of urgency and accountability for yourself.
Examples of Personal Goals That Are S.M.A.R.T.
“I will read one book per month for the next 12 months, dedicating 45 minutes per night to reading.”
“I will lose three pounds per month over the next four months by tracking daily macronutrients and resistance training 30-45 minutes every day.”
“I will put an extra $1,200 into investments this year by cutting my extra spending by $100 per month.”
“I will upskill my career by adding one vocational certification in my industry per month for the next six months, dedicating my lunch breaks at work to learning.”
“I will make a friend by joining a group that’s relevant to me in my community, introducing myself to new people, and attending its functions regularly for the next six months.”
You get the idea!
Create a Vision Board
One of the best ways to keep your personal goals in front of you and keep you fired up about them is with a vision board. Before you dismiss this as corny, you should know that there is actual science to this!
Research from the National Institute of Health has shown that people who visualize their goals are more likely to achieve them. Likewise, a recent TD Bank survey found that of entrepreneurs who created vision boards when starting their business, 76% reported that their progress had aligned with their vision, and 82% of them found that they had accomplished over half of their goals since they first began.
A vision board is a visual representation of what you’re trying to achieve, and our minds need to see what we’re working towards! Your vision board should focus on the things you want to BE, DO, and HAVE on the way to achieving your personal goals.
Learn more about how to create a vision board here: Vision Board Ideas: All You Need to Know to Make One.
When is the Best Time to Set a Personal Goal?
The beginning of the year is the most popular time for most people to set personal goals, true, but we don’t believe in that. There is no right or wrong time to set a goal for yourself! Here are great natural times to consider setting a goal:
- New Year
- Your birthday
- Your work anniversary or annual review
- Back-to-school time (school year)
- Summer break
- Quarterly
- When reaching a current goal
- Anytime you want
You don’t need to wait for a certain time or place to set a personal goal. Just remember to follow the S.M.A.R.T. method.
Start Setting Goals Today
If you’re ready to take your goal-setting to new heights, Southwestern Consulting is here to help. Our expert coaching programs and personalized strategies can help you focus on the process and reach your potential.
Start with a free Southwestern Consulting Coaching consultation today!
Watch Professional Sales and Leadership Coach Will Metscher Discuss Setting Goals.
