Chapter Six

Set Your Goals

Most of the people in this world don’t set goals. Some people set goals annually like resolutions on New Year’s day. They also forget about these goals subsequently. There are actually very few people who set goals and work continuously to achieve them and finally succeed in their lives. There are several advantages of setting goals. Goals help you remove negative thoughts from your mind as research shows that we get around 60,000 thoughts in a day and mostly we get negative thoughts. Goals help cleanse our minds, as we stay focused on what to do. We all know, an empty mind is like a devil’s workshop. Not having goals results in wasting precious time, thus ending nowhere.

Smart Goals

In order to achieve success, you have to set SMART goals. SMART is the acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, reachable and trackable. For instance, if a person wants to become one of the richest persons in the world, he must put efforts regularly and consistently to achieve them. Just as many little drops become a mighty ocean, too many little efforts in a day result in great outcomes over a period of time. Once you reach small goals, then you can aim for bigger goals. Have short and long-term goals and make sure that they are properly aligned. Even if you face any shortcomings while achieving your short-term goals, the long-term goals will motivate you to move forward with optimism. Above all, be prepared for distractions arising out of the external environment. Once you have accounted for these as well, you will find it is not too difficult to get back to your goals, even if you may have been side-tracked for a while.

Tips to Accomplish Your Goals

Here are some tips that can help you accomplish your goals:

• Write down your goals as written goals are more meaningful than the unwritten ones.
• Read your goals two times daily—after you wake up from sleep in the morning and before you go to bed. It serves as a reminder, as the goals gradually sink into your subconscious mind.
• Make sure that there is no contradiction in your goals. For instance, let us assume that your goal is to become an engineer. However, if your activities reflect those of becoming a dancer, then this is contradictory. There must be consistency in your words and deeds so that you can achieve your goals quickly.
• Reward yourself as and when you achieve your success, as it serves as a motivational tonic to you.
• Check periodically about your progress. There will be distractions in life as life is full of surprises. Hence, learn to manage your distractions and align yourself towards your goals.
• Above all, don’t change your destination. Change only the means to reach your destination if a particular way does not work out.

Goal Setting for the Youth

The youth have many dreams but lack the direction to accomplish it. They want to achieve anything and everything. There is a need for a proper blueprint for them to become achievers. Abraham Lincoln rightly remarked, ‘A goal properly set is halfway reached’. For instance, if you want to be the topper of the class, you need to put efforts regularly, not just put too many efforts when examinations are around the corner. This is the usual practice many students adopt and this last-minute cramming of details is not proper. What is needed is regular efforts in a smart manner to become the topper of the class.

Case Study of Ken

Ken was interested in doing many things. One day in his educational institution, the director of the institution asked the students, ‘Dear students, what are your goals?’. The students gave different replies. Some wanted to be doctors. Others mentioned wanting to be actors, artists, authors and so on. Finally, the director asked Ken to spell out his goals. Ken said that he would like to do everything that his classmates had mentioned. The director was astonished with his response but advised Ken to pursue only one goal. Ken did not appreciate the advice of the director at that time. Later on, he was convinced of the logic of pursuing one goal, and he pursued his passion for painting. In his later life, Ken excelled as a great painter. From this story, it is obvious that people must pursue one specific goal to achieve amazing results.

Leaders and Goal Setting

Leaders understand the importance of goal setting and they divide their goals annually, monthly, weekly and on a daily basis. They also work regularly to achieve their goals. They manage external diversions and distractions that come their way effectively. They have an internal locus of control and don’t blame destiny and/or other external events. They take responsibility for their actions and see to it that they achieve their goals through their perseverance.

Catherine Pulsifer said, ‘For me, goals are my road map to the life I want. They have helped me accomplish things I once thought were impossible’. Hence, it is essential to draw a roadmap to achieve your cherished goals. Remember one thing in life—don’t change your destination; change only your route to reach your destination. As Confucius rightly said, ‘When it is obvious to a leader the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps’. Above all, plan and persevere with your goals with passion.