The process of setting your goal is a major determinant of the achievement of such a goal. It doesn't matter whether you want to attain new responsibilities at work, get the body you want, or start a new business; planning is just as important as the work you put in. Let's see how you can set achievable goals and reach those goals within your specified time frame.

Tips to Help You Set Your Goals

Be Self-Driven

Self-motivation is key to start your journey towards any accomplishment. Have it in mind that goals set with little or no personal attachment barely see it through to the end. Why? This happens because there are bound to be obstacles along the way, and you'd want to remember why you set such a goal in the first place. Self-motivation also directs focus back to the goal in the face of distraction and frustration. Hence, before you set any goal, link the impact of the goal directly to an aspect of your life. For example, you may decide to aim for a promotion within the year because you want to send your kids to college, and not simply because you want a pay raise. Focus on the end product.

Be Specific

Although having a goal drives focus and purpose down the same lane, you have to make yours well defined and clear. Erase every form of vagueness by stating the exact nature of each goal, as well as why and when you want to achieve it. Ask yourself the following questions:

· How long should it take you to achieve your goal?

· What resources or expenses do you need?

· What are the obstacles to overcome?

· Is there an alternative to such a goal?

From there on, you can see where you're going and whatever obstacle you might encounter along the way.

Keep It Trackable

Not all achievements are quantifiable, however, you still need to find a way to measure your progress. For every goal, there must be a way to determine how far you have come and how much ground you still have to cover. The aim here is to build a sense of responsibility and direction. It also helps that it allows you to pat yourself on the back when you make progress. Create milestones at each point in your pre-set timeframe and attach certain achievements to them

Make It Attainable

Ensure not to set goals that are too high to attain or too easy to get off with. Having a goal that's way above the bar for you could demoralize you in the end. You also shouldn't have to expend all of your energy and resources to attain a goal. Meanwhile, if you set a goal that's so easy to achieve that you hardly have to put in any work, you may not be confident enough to set more challenging goals in the future. Bottom line is, pick an attainable yet challenging goal to keep your esteem and confidence sharp.

Stick to Relevance

Setting goals that are not relevant to you or your career could turn out to be a waste of time. They are called 'no priority goals'. Any achievement that isn't a priority to you is no goal at all. Goals are meant to find you a pathway to productivity either in life or your career. Having this in mind would create the focus you need to make it happen.

Create a Physical Representation of Your Goals

You'll be surprised at the power of visual aids, particularly when it comes to goal-setting. Outline the goals and write them down, then use a sticky paper to represent each of them. For instance, you have a short term goal of achieving the following:

1. Sound health;

2. Career development;

3. Personal development.

What you need to do after outlining them is to get sticky papers of three different colors to represent each goal. The various activities or processes that each would entail should be written on sticky paper of the same color. For example, by using a blue sticky paper to represent sound health, all of the other blue sticky papers would have information such as "take supplements," "go for morning jogs," "take 5 glasses of water daily," "eat early," and so on. With this, you have effectively arranged your goals in daily, weekly, or monthly routines which makes them more attainable.

Tips to Help You Reach Your Goal

Keep Your Goals in Sight and Mind

Having a mental picture of your goal in mind is vital to the process of achieving it as it boosts confidence and inspires you to work diligently towards achieving the goal. Think of it as a long journey where you have to gather resources along the way. In this case, your resources may be skills, advice, capital, partners, or mentors. No matter what, keep the process going by improving your chances every day.

Accept Help

This is an important tip in reaching your goal because a lot of people think they can see their goal through to the end without needing help. There's nothing bad about being a lone wolf, but someone else may have more experience and resources than you do. When it seems like things are getting tough along the way, pause, and accept help. Help could range from confiding in a friend to onboarding a business partner. When accepting help, ensure the person involved has your best interest at heart.

Tell It To Someone

The essence of this tip is to ensure that you have more motivation and fresh ideas. Telling your goals to friends or family is a way to bring others into the loop. They should give you that push you need to overcome obstacles. A gentle reminder or sudden call of encouragement can boost your confidence. It also shows that you have people who care about you as much as you care about achieving your goals.

Give Yourself Rewards

You don't have to wait until the end to celebrate or enjoy a reward. Upon reaching your preassigned milestones, get yourself a notable reward. It should include something enjoyable, affordable, and connected to that same goal. It might be a couple of hours of rest, a tangible gift, or equipment to help you out in the next phase of reaching your goal. Take this as a chance to reenergize and motivate yourself to go even further. However, ensure that your chosen form of reward doesn't distract you from the journey ahead.

Making progress in life has a lot to do with the goals we set for ourselves. With the above tips, you should have no problem linking your goals with your priorities. You'll also increase your chances of achieving these milestones without burning out or losing focus along the way.