Setting and achieving goals in 5 easy steps

Tips for Setting and Achieving Goals

We give you five tips you can use when setting and achieving big goals.

1. Write down your goals

Writing down goals is enormously powerful. In fact, research has shown that people who write down their goals are more likely to actually achieve them. Writing down goals makes them "real" and tangible. It also reduces the likelihood that you will simply forget your goals.

2. Break down big goals into small, measurable goals

How do you know if you are getting closer to your goal if your goal is not measurable? If you've struggled with obesity all your life, it's not realistic to reach a healthy weight in a month. Instead, try to lose half a pound a week by exercising three times a week and watching your diet. Breaking down a big goal into small, measurable goals will keep you from getting overwhelmed.

3. Take time to evaluate

Are you working on your goals but feel like you're getting nowhere? Take a moment to look at your current strategy. Are the things you are doing getting you closer to your goals? If not, you need to adjust your strategy in the right direction.

Evaluating your goals allows you to work most effectively toward your desired outcome. It shows you if you are on the right track or if you need to adjust your actions.

4. Get a plan B

You may have heard the saying, "The most successful people are those who are good at plan B." And while we always wish everything would work out right away, in reality this is often not the case.

Often things turn out differently than planned. This is simply part of life. Try not to get discouraged when this happens, but see it as an opportunity to increase your resilience.

5. Hold yourself accountable

While being motivated is good, you should not rely solely on motivation in achieving goals. We say this because motivation comes and goes. So it is not something you can always rely on.

That's why it's important to hold yourself accountable. Find ways to work on your goals even on the days when you are not motivated. Find support from like-minded people and create an action plan with clear deadlines for yourself. Motivation is what gets you going, but discipline is what keeps you going.

Why set goals?

Would you get on a plane without knowing your destination? Probably not. The same goes for your own life. Maybe you're working tremendously hard, but in the wrong direction. Or you have no idea at all where you're working toward. Setting goals helps you get closer to your ideal future.

Setting goals for yourself shows you what to focus on. This allows you to leave out all the unimportant activities. It's all about prioritizing the things that are important to you. Is your goal to save money? Then you know it's better to skip eating out. Or do you want to start your own business? Then it might be a good idea to take an entrepreneurship master class.

Setting life goals

Setting big life goals can be overwhelming. Maybe you don't know what you want, have never thought deeply about it before or think your goals are unachievable.

If this is true for you, it is important to take the time to think deeply about what you want in life. Thinking about what your values are is a good start. What values are important to you? Consider, for example:

• Love
• Freedom
• Balance
• Authenticity
• Respect
• Creativity
• Family
• Honesty
• Trust
• Health

List your top five values for the following important areas of your life: work, relationships, health (physical and mental), leisure, spirituality and personal growth.

The importance of values in goal setting

It is important to pay attention to all of these areas if you want to live a meaningful life. For example, if you only pay attention to your work, it will have a negative impact on your relationships. And if you don't pay attention to your health, you won't be able to perform well at work. Use your values when setting your goals. If you ignore your values, it will be difficult to get satisfaction from working on your goals.

Example: using values in goal setting

Imagine you want to set work-related goals. You've been unhappy with your job for a while, but you don't know exactly what's causing it. Something simply doesn't feel right. This could be a sign that the values of the company you work for do not match your own.

Perhaps after evaluating your values, you have discovered that freedom in your work is very important to you. This while your current employer expects you to be in the office from 9-5. And because this way of working does not match your values, a feeling of dissatisfaction arises. If the values of the company you work for don't match your own, chronic stress can even develop, impacting your mental and physical health.

This does not mean right away that you should quit your job. An honest and open conversation with your employer can clarify what your (different) values are and how you can find balance in them.

You can see your values as a guide. If you do not know what your values are or if you do not acknowledge them, it is virtually impossible to experience happiness and fulfillment.

Keep your values in mind when setting your big goals. Imagine you want to set career goals and your values are creativity, freedom and flexibility. Then working for a start-up will suit you better than a job with a large organization. But if your values are structure, security and stability, then a large organization might suit you better. Whatever your goals are, make sure they match your values.