Why You Should Set Goals
January 23, 2009
Many people don't set goals because they don't see the point. They don't understand how goals work and may even see goal setting as a waste of time and energy. Goals can be a very useful tool that can actually save you a lot of time and energy. Just like any other tool, you need to understand how goal setting works in order to use it to your advantage. By learning how to set realistic goals for yourself you can achieve many things that you otherwise might not have.
It might be helpful to think of your current situation and your desires as being on the same map. Goals allow you to make a straight line from where you are to where you want to be. Nobody is perfect and your line won't be perfectly straight. Every mistake you make creates a small detour on your straight line. If you don't have goals, your line will not be straight at all. You might curve to one direction and then to another, and likely you will never even reach your final destination.
Although learning how to set goals and following through with them can be hard work, setting and achieving goals can be an enjoyable, rewarding experience. Many people set goals to push themselves out of their comfort zones and to create new challenges which motivate them to succeed. If you are a swimmer, for instance, and everyday you swim 5x100 freestyle and then stop, you will probably get bored very quickly. Not only will you become bored mentally, but your body also gets bored of doing the same routine and stops responding. It's important to try new things and goals help you do that. To change your routine you could set goals to improve your time and speed. Or you could try going a longer distance or adding a new stroke. Any of these things could be done in the form of a goal.
It's important to understand that goals can be applied to almost every aspect of your life. By setting goals you not only maintain control over your life but you show other people that you are in control. You can set athletic goals or health and nutrition goals. When people write a business plan they are setting out a series of goals for their business. By showing this business plan to potential investors they are showing that they are in control of how their business will be operated and the steps they have set out so the business is successful.
Successful people are usually not successful by just being lucky. It's true; luck usually does play a role in success. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Michael Phelps did not become the athletes they are today on luck alone. They are all superior athletes because of hard work, dedication and, most likely, because they have mastered the art of setting goals for themselves. Being successful is about having a plan and sticking with it. Goals are the building blocks to whatever plan you create for yourself. If you are constantly assessing and revising your goals then you can feel confident knowing you are working to create the future you have always envisioned for yourself.