It is important to spend time and work hard at setting the right goal for you. This is what you are going to work towards for the next weeks, months and maybe years.

Why Do We Need A Goal?

Defining a goal makes us put into words what it is that we really want. By realizing what it is we want, we can start working on achieving it. We need to know where we’re heading to, what our life will be once we’re there, what we’re working so hard to achieve and why it’s worth the effort.

A goal gives something to aim for. It helps keep our motivation up.

Without a goal, where would we know where to go? what to aim for? It would make the purpose of life coaching rather vague, broad and susceptible to be quickly given up, especially if you’re being your own life coach. We quickly forget our plans if we have no end goal in mind.

How To Set A Worthy Goal?

A goal quickly set and lightly taken will be abandonned at the first hurdle. I use on purpose the word worthy here. A worthy goal will make all the difference. It will help you get up in the morning desiring to reach your goal. It will help you work towards it in the knowledge that it’s worth your time because it will make a real positive impact in your life.

1. Start with what your goal would be in a perfect world

Return to your wheel of life. What would the area you picked need to be for you to give it a 10?
That’s your starting point.

2. Make your goal realistic

Your goal should not be impossible to attain. Nor should they be too easy.

If you are heavily in debt, you’re unlikely to be a multi-millionaire tomorrow. You need a goal that is challenging but within you control to achieve.

3. You need a goal that is truly yours and aligned to YOUR values

Yourr goal should be yours, not something your partner, your mum, etc… think would be good for you. You need something that is really in line with your principles and values.

4. You also need to consider the impact achieving this goal will have on others.

There’s no point fixing one area if you’re creating more problems in another one.

5. Finally, in your journal, write your goal down in a way that is…

• positive
  Do not use negations. Negations reinforce what it is that you want to avoid.
  If I ask you not to think of chocolate. What do you think about? Your mind remembers chocolate and not don’t think about…
• inspiring
  Your goal must be highly motivating to you so that, when it gets hard, you can visualize the end goal and keep going.
• precise
  What exactly do you want? When will you achieve it – in 3 months, 6 months, a year?
  There’s no point making your goal vague: I want to be rich, I want to be somebody, I want to be happy.
  When do you want this and what exactly does it mean to you?
  If you don’t know exactly what it is you want, how will you know you’ve achieved it?
  Be specific!
• in the present tense
  Your goal must be written in the present tense as though you had already achieved it. This is a little trick to make your mind accept it as a reality, not something that will always be in the future.

It is important that you write your goal down. Writing down your goal is putting your dreams into words and giving them a deadline. Now, they’re here, in black and white, for you to see.

That’s it, you’ve got your goal.

How Motivated Are You to Achieve Your Goal?

Now let me ask you a simple question. How important is it for you to achieve it? out of 10?

Ideally you want it to be 10. If it isn’t, you probably won’t put all the effort you need into achieving it and maybe you should look at fixing another area in your life.

If it is a 10 then write down the answers to these questions:

• What difference would it make for you to achieve it?
• What difference would it make for others around you?

Hopefully, the difference in your life and those around you should be really positive.

You should by now be very motivated in achieving this goal.

Let’s not lose any time. Read our next tip to start making positive changes in your life NOW.