Setting Goals

 

We can all benefit from setting goals which are realistically achievable whatever walk of life we come from, those wishing to advance in chosen careers can set goals towards achieving a higher status, children can set goals to learning, and even homemakers can set goals towards improvements in their daily life.

 

For the people who suffer from low esteem and low self-confidence setting goals is an indispensable tool towards self-improvement and gaining that much-needed confidence. Whatever the reason for setting out goals, they all have some things in common and these are:

 

* The goal must be reasonably challenging

 

* The goal has to be believable

 

* The goal should be aimed at something specific

 

* The goal should have a deadline

 

* The goal should be written out

 

Having said all this, what makes a good goal?, a good goal will vary from person to person of course depending largely on the situation and what it is that you want to achieve in the present and in the future. Goals can be short term or long term but importantly they should be within reach, for example a long-term goal should be within reach in a few months at the most.

 

In general a good goal is something which will make a positive change to the person's life, something which they can set their sights on to positively make a change for the better. To better understand goals take a look at the criteria which applies to all goals:

 

* Reasonably challenging - while the goal should be challenging it should also be within reason, the main reason for this there is no point in setting a goal just for the sake of it, if it cant reasonably be achieved within a set time or any amount of time for that matter. Setting a goal and not being able to achieve it will have the opposite effect of what you set out to achieve, a feeling of self worth through accomplishment.

 

* A believable goal - you should be able to honestly believe that the goal you set out is obtainable, if you don't believe you can honestly accomplish the goal this will only undermine your feelings and you will lack motivation to accomplish it.

 

* Aim at something specific - aim your goals towards specific areas or problems in your life, for example if you are looking to losing weight then set a goal towards losing a couple of pounds by a certain date, don't just set the goal of losing weight, but choose how much weight and when.

 

* Have a deadline - by setting a deadline you will be more motivated to achieving the goal and will be more determined to complete it within the specified amount of time. By setting deadlines you wont be continually putting off the goal and making excuses for not having achieved it or be saying I'll do it tomorrow or next week, next month.

 

Write down your goals - by keeping a written journal of all your goals you can see what you have achieved in the past and what you expect to achieve in the future, goals should be divided into categories and long or short-term goals. By seeing in black and white what you have achieved is an enormous boost to your self-confidence.