Do you feel stuck and confused in your career and life? Do you often become directionless and get easily triggered by setbacks? Are you judgmental about your capabilities and determine success with yardsticks set by others? If you have experienced these situations, you probably need to revisit your goal-setting process. Goals give us purpose to keep moving in a particular direction. However, we become too demanding and harsh on ourselves to accomplish our goals. It makes the whole experience torturous and disappointing for us and others. While it is good to have big dreams, ambitions should not impact our mental health and interpersonal relations.
Here are five elements, we should consider while setting goals to achieve desired results.
Take Small, Consistent Actions
The main reason why people fail to accomplish their goals is that they set unrealistic benchmarks of success and unreasonable targets. We often become delusional and assume that everything will happen our way. External situations are not always in our favour. Sometimes, we have to change direction to navigate unfavourable situation. If we set targets based on emotions instead of our capabilities and relevance, disappointment is inevitable. Always start with small but consistent actions to reach the bigger goals. Strategy and roadmap are necessary only to some extent. Avoid dwelling too much on brainstorming and planning. Focus on the action points and take meaningful steps to achieve your targets. Have faith in the process and celebrate small stepping stones instead of waiting for a milestone. Review your plan, make corrections, take feedback and focus on consistent efforts till you reach the desired destination.
Mindset is Everything
Mindset plays a vital role in success and failure. If we enjoy our job, we put effort into delivering better results. However, if we do things for the sake of formality, we end up compromising on quality of work. An optimistic mindset is crucial in remaining focused on goals. Be realistic and practical with your expectations and targets. Evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, trigger points and areas of improvement. Be open to trying and test innovative ways of reaching goals. Be a lifelong learner to keep your curiosity alive, and help unlock your creative angle. Keep demotivation and over-confidence at bay since both can distract you from your path to success.
Patience is the Key
In times of 30-second reels and instant delivery, we are losing patience. We want instant results without spending time and effort. Hence, we set unrealistic timelines and parameters for success. We have several examples from the startup world where entrepreneurs got overnight success but could not sustain the glory for long. Cultivate skills to build expertise in your domain, expand your network and invest in meaningful engagements that will take you closer to your goals. Wait for the right time and right opportunity even if you have to sacrifice short term benefits.
Build Resilience
Our priorities change from time to time as our goals. Be flexible to amend your plans according to external conditions without being judgmental or guilty over your decision. One of the ways of building resilience is refraining from over-attachment and overthinking. Adaptability is the key to success; make it a part of your personality. Also, involve others in your journey for collective learning and fun.
Meditate
Long-term goals require long-term commitments and consistent efforts. Meditation can help in maintaining the right emotional state and tackle lower emotions like anxiety, anger and disappointment. It also helps declutter the mind and concentrate on the result-oriented action plan. Surrender to the process, trust your ability and enjoy the journey rather than thinking about the outcome.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
Be the first to comment on "5 Essential Elements of Goal Setting"