What is the big difference between successful people and unsuccessful people? This question usually comes up after you have failed ( a sometimes couple of times) in any business. Then you start to analyze what went wrong and what should be done differently. It happened to me also a couple of times. Typically I learn from 3rd mistake 🙂 After failing again (3d time) I started to look around for some advice, for some mentors who could show me where should I improve. And it turns out, that my biggest mistake was – Goal setting! More precisely – lack of clear goals.
Successful people have their vision and are setting clear goals to get there. They know all benefits of goal setting. They have their goals in mind. They know where they want to go and finally they get there. So if you want to reach any success in what you do it is important, to begin with, a target, a destination, and a goal.
When I realized this, my new journey begins. More I wanted to set new goals more questions arise. How to set goals and how to achieve those goals then? How to specify goals, to get them clearly defined? What is a vision, how to create one? How much time to spend on goal setting? and so on.. at the end you understand that you don’t understand goal setting at all 🙂 So I decided I have to start somewhere, and it was – decide what you want.
The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want. – BEN STEIN
You think this was easy? Not at all!
It turns out I don’t know what I want 😀 In fact, many people fail not because they don’t have goals, they have wrong goals. Or they fail because they haven’t achieved the goals they truly want to achieve, or they giving up during the journey. There is a long road from goal to success. So I started this road by understanding the benefits of goal setting.
Why set goals? I have already spent countless hours to think about my present life and future. Clearly, I wish to change my life, I want to improve my family life, friendships, career, and finances. To change something, the first step is to set goals.
You want to set a goal that is big enough that in the process of achieving it you become someone worth becoming. JIM ROHN
Benefits of goal setting
What are the benefits of goal setting? There should be many of them, there is a list what I found. If you know any that are not listed here, please leave in a comment, so I could add to my list here:
1. By setting goals I am closer to success
A good start makes half the success. By setting goals I clearly define where to start, so my goals are the starting point of success.
2. By setting goals I am creating my vision, identify my purpose
By setting goals is a great way to identify my purpose, everyone needs a sense of purpose in life. As the saying goes, if you don’t know where you’re going, then you’ll end up somewhere else.
3. By setting a goal I am focusing only on important tasks
Goals help me to sort out what is important and what isn’t. There always seems to be too much to do and not enough time. But I will only focus on the things that I want to achieve and spend precious time on them.
4. By setting goals I take control of my life
The goal is like a Navigator in life. It shows me direction and helps me to understand where to go in life. By setting goals I create a vision of my ideal future and how to turn it into reality. When I have achieved the goal, I improve my life and become a better version of myself.
5. By setting goals I improve my productivity
If I have defined a clear list of goals I can finish the tasks more efficiently. It is easier for me to keep away all the distractions and helps me to focus and concentrate my time and energy on the important tasks. So I save the most valuable resource – Time. Peter Drucker says: “If you want to improve how you manage time – stop doing what doesn’t need to be done!”
6. By setting goals I will make better decisions
List of goals helps me identify and establish my priorities and make the right choices based on the long-term view of what is most important to me.
7. By setting goals I will be self-confident and enthusiastic
When I have a list of goals I can measure the progress, I can see what have I done and what I am capable of. This process of achieving goals gives me the confidence and a belief in myself.
8 By setting goals I increase my motivation
When I write down my goals, they start to feel real. And over time, I’ll start to believe that I can accomplish those goals. This will fuel my desire, passion, and motivation to achieve my goals.
9. By setting goals it is easier to make progress
If I have a list of goals, I have also a plan on how to achieve them. When I achieve on goal, I will go for more and try to achieve higher one. Even the smallest actions on a daily basis, add up to big results over a year.
10. By setting goals it becomes easier to communicate with others
List of goals allows me to clarify with other people what I am trying to do. So it comes easier to communicate, to ask for help or support if necessary.
As I mentioned before I would love to extend this list of benefits, so If you have any good idea that could fit in, please share in the comments below.
Time to set goals
Now when I see there are clear benefits, it is time to grab a notepad and pen and to make a list of goals now.
Here is a quick exercise from Brian Tracy that may help:
So my next step in goal setting (now I can call it – my next goal) to collect goal setting exercises, so we could try different technics of goal setting. The first one you can get up in the video from Brian Tracy.
Hope this post will help you to think about what benefits you would gain from goal setting. If you haven’t done it yet, create your first list of goals, then commit to taking one small action every single day. Do that consistently for a few months, and you’ll be one telling others about the benefits of goal setting.
The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. – MARK TWAIN
What if there was another option than working 40 hours a week for 40 years? Would you be interested?
