A friend of mine has a big high school reunion coming up that she is pretty anxious about. Back on the market after a failed marriage, she is ready to show the world that she has been successful so far in life. She has decided to set the goal of losing the 20 pounds she needs to get back in a healthy BMI level and fit in the clothes she is dreaming about. She just set the goal for herself of losing weight.

We all have set goals in our lives that come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Whether we have set the goals in a New Year’s Resolution such as I am going to lose weight, eat healthier, or have a big event coming up that we want to look amazing for.  Goals can involve little health changes, finishing a book, or even financial or business goals.

Let me ask you this: how many times have we set goals like this for ourselves and come up short? Think back over the past few months or years about all the goals you have set for yourself. What kept you from reaching them?

We all have fallen short at some point in our lives of achieving the goal we set out to reach. There is nothing you should be ashamed about. Do not let the inner critic knock you down for it. Instead, learn from what held you back before and learn how to effectively set goals for yourself and actually meet these goals.

Here is a list of the 5 characteristics of goal setting that I find crucial to your success:

1. Make your goals realistic to where you can obtain them.
2. Make them short. This will allow small changes to be made. When you reach these small goals, you can move on to a goal with the next step and so forth. Each success with the small goals will make you more likely to stick with your plan of action and meet you actual overall vision!
3. Make them specific outlining exactly what will be done. If they are too vague, it will be hard to stay on track, to focus, and to measure success.
4. Make sure you determine how much you will do and how often you will do it. By having something to measure, you will be able to better understand what needs to be done and when you have actually reached your goal.
5. Make sure you determine a realistic time frame. This will give you a deadline and will help you fight procrastination.

By putting these 5 characteristics to use with every goal you make for yourself, you will not only achieve more of your goals, but you never know what else you can achieve in life! Dare to dream and with the right foundation, you can do what you set your mind to accomplish!

If you found this information valuable or useful, leave a comment below. Let me know what strategies you find useful when you set out to achieve your goals! What goals have you accomplished in your life?

 
To your health,