“Why should anyone have goals anyway? Have you heard people ask this question or have you asked this question to yourself at some point in time. Well, there are quite a few reasons to have and achieve your goals. But, to put it in a nutshell, goal setting helps you to plan and when you have a plan you can do something about it and that is what helps make dreams become your reality – putting a plan into action. It is all in the doing! So, what are the ways to achieve your goals?

Ten ways to achieve your goals

When you set goals, you set a process. The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts. You’ll also quickly spot the distractions that would otherwise lure you from your course.

Here are ten ways to achieve your goals. Each of these are listed and explained so that it makes it easier for you understand what is your goal in life and how to achieve a goal successfully.

Pro Tip: Keep a journal set aside for this exercise. You’ll need to write down these answers and revisit the journal as often as you can.

Step 1 – Determine your starting point

What is your starting point? Do you know where you are now, in order to plot the most advantageous & direct course to your destination? With a clear starting point, you can head in the right direction. Making a plan is much like mapping your route for a road trip. If you don’t know where you are, you can’t know how to get where you are going.

Step 2 – What exactly do you want?

Start with defining your goal. In your diary or journal, make a list of the following and answer these questions:

• Have you defined your goal clearly with a specific plan of action?
• Is the goal important to you personally?
• Do you think the goal is within your power to make happen?
• Is it something you have a reasonable chance of achieving?
• Are you clear about what is important for you in your life?
• Do you make your choices based on this? Is your goal something
• Do YOU really want or is it something you think or you’ve been told you should want?

Once you have answered these questions, visit your journal at least once a day to read what you have written. It acts as a reminder and reading it daily will imbibe these goals in your subconscious and you’ll work towards them. At the end keep in mind that you can only achieve your goals if you are totally clear on exactly what it is you want.

Step 3 – How strong is your desire?

• Determine the strength of your desire.
• Do your goals inspire and energize you?

On a scale of 1 -10, with 1 being very weak and 10 being “I’d do anything to achieve this goal”, how strong is your desire? The greater your desire, the stronger your inner drive to action towards that goal.

Step 4 – Write down your goals

Have you put your goal on paper and made it official? Writing down your goals forces you to get clear on what you want to accomplish. It provides motivation and helps you to focus on activities that are important each day, rather than reacting. When you define your goals, you give yourself a destination to reach and daily direction. When you write your goals, you actually visualize them. This is an important point because when we see something, it affects how we act. Be specific when you write your goals. Place it where you will see it several times a day.  

Step 5 – Breakdown the goals

Breaking down the goals into bite sized chunks makes it easier to achieve.  One of the biggest advantage pf breaking down the goals is that you can create small, actionable and achievable steps that can help you to reach your goal. or you to take. Each small goal helps you believe in yourself and your abilities.  Even better, you know what needs to get done next to help you progress.

Step 6 – Make a plan

When you start making a plan to achieve your goal, make a note of the following:

• Have you broken your goal down into small manageable steps that can be done on a daily basis?
• Are you identifying tasks that needs to be done?
• Have you discerned your starting point?
• What do you need to do first?
• What structures do you have in place to keep track of your progress?

Accomplishing a goal requires taking the steps. These steps, in turn, become habits. What daily habits do you need to create? Big successes start with little ones.

Step 7 – Set a timeframe to achieve these goals

Have you committed to timelines to achieve the goals? Setting realistic timelines helps you achieve the goals without getting hassled about it. Once you work around how you will achieve the goal, things will flow easily. Write that time frame down. By doing this, you commit to clearing the way to taking action towards your goal.

Step 8 – Write down the setbacks

It’s human tendency to think about what can wrong before you think about what can go right. Write or list down the obstacles you think you might you face and how you will deal with them? When you write down different ways of tackling them, you are paving the way for results to show for you. Setbacks allow you to deal with a scope for improvement.

Step 9 – Write down your strengths

It’s easy to focus on flaws. We are wired to think what we are not able to achieve more than what we can achieve. The words, “I can’t do this.”, tumbles out faster than “I can do this.”. That is because sometimes we are more prepared for a failure than a victory. To overcome this, make a list of your core capabilities or your strengths. When you write them down, you a rewiring your brain to focus on your capabilities. It automatically makes way for you to focus on your strengths rather than dwell on your weakness.

Step 10 – Visualize your win

Have you read the book, The Secret? The book talks about visualization. The whole process of believing and feeling that you have already achieved what you want. Define all the ways you will benefit from the goal. This should be the last step in your ways to achieve your goals. Visualization is a very powerful technique that helps you get closer to your goals. Spend a few minutes every day doing the following:

• Visualize yourself having arrived at your goal.  
• How is your life different?
• What are you doing?
• How do you feel?
• Where are you?

Be specific and write the answers to each of these points. The more benefits you can envision, the more energized and inspired you will feel and the greater the pull that goal will have on you. See & feel yourself already there. Use the power of that vision to fuel your actions.

Whether you set personal or professional goals, following these easy ways to achieve your goals makes any goal doable and achievable. So the next time you set a goal make it a point to choose as many items from this list and work towards it.

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