GOAL SETTING

A wise man once said, “That he who uses yesterday’s ideas in today’s market wouldn’t be in business tomorrow.” Insanity is usually defined as doing the same thing over and over again yet expecting a different result. Success is a habit and so is failure. But you aren’t truly a failure until you quit trying. However, failing successively may dampen ones moral and end up becoming a bad habit and bad habits are not easily broken. Why? A habit as defined by the American journal of psychology is more or less a fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience. Old habits are hard to break and new habits are hard to form because the behavioural patterns we repeat are imprinted in our neural pathways.

REMEMBER THIS, How you think determines how you feel and how you feel determines your will. We must be mindful of this because the Bible tells us in Proverbs 23:7a, For as he thinks in his heart so is he. You eventually become what you repeatedly think of. If you think you are a good for nothing fellow then that is what you will become. If you think that you cannot pass an exam, then you will eventually fail. So we must guard our thoughts carefully. The decisions that gave you a certain level of success in 2013 won’t produce the same results for you in 2014. We need to grow. We need to move up higher by making a conscious effort at self-development. That is where goal setting and effective time management come into play. Now let me ask you a few questions,

1.      Have you thought about what you want to be doing in five years' time?

2.      Are you clear about what your main objective at work is at the moment?

3.      Do you know what you want to have achieved by the end of today?

If you want to succeed at any level, you need to set goals. Without goals you lack focus and direction. Imagine playing a football match without a goal post. How do you get to know who has won? In the long run frustration would be the end result. 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. As a student you have to set academic goals at the beginning of the semester and manage those goals throughout the academic year. As an Entrepreneur you have to set goals for your business and continually refine and manage them over a set period of time. As a Pastor you have to set goals for the Ministry and manage those goals over a set period of time. Even family’s do set goals. Nobody is exempted from goal setting because that is what gives you the drive to keep on going when the going gets tough. You must have heard of the famous maxim which says that, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” I would like to add that this is true only for the man who has goals. 

What is a Goal?

A goal is a desired result a person envisions, plans and commits to achieve.

Goals must be SMART. 

S-Specific

M-Measurable

A-Achievable

R-Realistic

T-Time-bound

There are two categories of goals; Short-term and long-term goals.

Short-term goals can go from one day, to one month, one year or even up to five years while long term goals can go from five years and upwards. The interesting thing about goal setting is that the long terms goals are dependent upon the short term goals. In other words, achieving your short term goals will bring your long term goals to pass faster than you ever imagined. That is why what we do on a daily basis matters a lot. Many students would rather wait until an exam is announced before they start putting their legs inside cold water, drinking Coca-Cola or Nescafé all in a bid to stay awake the whole night. Meanwhile if they had started reading their books from day one of the class they wouldn’t have had any reason to do these things. Little wonder a wise man once said that, “the future you hope for comes in one day at a time.” If you will commit to achieving your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals then life will become more fun, less stressful and very exciting. The number one cause of stress in many people’s lives is the sense of failure that comes with not achieving one’s goals.

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.

The Golden Rules for Goal Setting

• Set Goals that Motivate You (The why factor)

• Make sure your goals are SMART

• Write them down

• Make an Action Plan

• Stick with it

Things to remember

• Success in any field requires forgoing excuses and justifications for poor performance or lack of adequate planning.

• Be flexible and willing to revise your goals. Don’t become so locked in on your goals to a point where you develop tunnel vision. It’s like being so determined to score a goal without realizing that the goal post has shifted or been removed.

• Get an accountability partner. This is someone who has similar goals with you and one you can trust to share your goals with. Meet regularly to review each other’s goals and well as reward yourselves for their accomplishments.

• Don’t sweat it even if you don’t accomplish some of your goals. Some people get to a point where they become so obsessed with their goals so much so that missing to achieve one of them appears as if the whole world would come crumbling on them.

Performing at your peak isn’t rocket science. With a proper understanding on how to set goals and achieve them, you are more than half way up the ladder of greater achievements but not without understanding how to manage your time effectively.