We have often heard of Goal Setting as one of those must-dos in personality development. In fact, we ask our children or the younger generation about their goals with a certain amount of confidence that we know ours. But the truth is most of us only think we have Goals.

The bottom line is what the purpose of Goals is? Why is it important to have Goals?

Goals are important as it makes you go with the ever changing world. If you don’t have goals you will be taken to where the world wants to.

The famous book ‘The Secret’ talks about the Universe listening to you and ultimately conspiring what you need and what you want. Which means, when you don’t know what you want, you might have to live with what you get. It’s Simple!

The greatest philosophies of the world, tell us that the most difficult thing in the world is to know what you want. Is to understand what your heart says. It indeed takes a lot of maturity and clarity in mind to know what you want. Is why the greatest of champions prefer Conviction to Convenience. Conviction is what you should do. Convenience is what easily you would rather do.

So what’s Conviction got to do with Goal Setting? It’s rather simple. Your conviction should determine your Goals.

If you are someone who wants to set Goals and take control of your future, you should read this further.

The following are steps you need to take to ensure for a Successful Goal Setting. Take a pen and perhaps buy a new notebook as you can follow the must dos.

Start With Mission:

Usually, people write down the Vision of their lives and slowly alter their mission likewise. It’s like writing the climax of the film and then finding ways to reach it. Wouldn’t that make your life a template too? So start with the Mission. Ask yourself what you are intuitively good at. What your basic skills are. What is that you can do even when you are unwell?. What is that you would like to do even when you are in the worst mood perhaps?. What is that you would like to do which makes you feel complete?.

Write down the mission statement. For Example: If you are an IT company offering ERP solutions. You may write as follows: To enable Institutions and organizations with our skills which are ERP solutions to propel the functioning of the organization with better efficiency and effectiveness.

Vision – Be Vague. Be Specific:

Write down a very vague idea of what you want and then keep deliberating on it to make it accurate. <Remember numbers can make your vision super accurate > For Example, you can write down the Vision statement as follows: To be one of India’s leading ERP solution provider – Now that’s a very vague Vision Statement.

Write down a very vague idea of what you want and then keep deliberating on it to make it accurate. <Remember numbers can make your vision super specific > For Example, you can write down the Vision statement as follows: To be one of India’s leading ERP solution provider – Now that’s a very vague Vision Statement.

An accurate Vision Statement would be – To be one of India’s leading ERP Solution provider thereby, empowering over 1000+ organizations

A super specific Vision Statement would be – To be one of India’s leading ERP Solution provider thereby, empowering over 1000+ organizations. With over 10 branches in major cities in India with 200 Employees, bearing an annual turnover of 100 crores by 2022.

Tip: Consult an eminent person of your field to know what’s realistic and aim at 20% more than that. 

Goals With Landmarks:

Goals need to have landmarks which make it effective. Most importantly, you know how workable it is so that you alter the goals accordingly.

Divide your Goals to short-term or mid-term or long-term. For Example, 2 Year Goal can be your Short Term Goal. 4 Year can be your Mid-term Goal and 7-8+ years can be your long term goal.

The aforementioned is subject to change based on one’s convenience and field of interest.

Now with the short term Goal or mid-term Goal, you would be able to assess how good you are or how good your profession is in the contextual market. And accordingly, you will be able to alter your goals.

Goals in Three Aspects of Life: 

One needs to develop or set goals in three aspects – Professional | Personal | Private.

Most of us set only Professional Goals and consider it to be the only purpose of life. Now by doing so, you only end up living a shallow and unbalanced life. So what do we mean by Personal and Private?

Personal is about family, dependents and recreational goals. For example, a short-term goal can be a trip with family. Mid term goal can be Having Children, and a Long term goal can be Celebrating a 60th-year function, etc.

Private Goals are the most underestimated aspect. Private Goals are all about ‘Me-Time’. It’s about how healthy you want to be. How spiritually you want to grow. What hobbies you want to inculcate.

Goal Setting is all about setting yourself a new benchmark so that you become a better human being and live life with utmost satisfaction and with unbridled joy forever. Go Forth!

Also Read: Qualities of a real leader

Shanky