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Goals Need to be Specific

The Art of Setting goals

Written by R. A. Stewart

Setting goals does not have to involve money on its own. If you set goals based on money then your life is out of balance. It is important to decide what is important to you and is the vehicle to helping you to achieve those aims. In short, money should not be your number one aim. 

If you accept a job with a higher pay then you had better weigh up everything that the job involves such as the hours of work, the commute to the job, and responsibilities that come with the job and then decide whether it is worth all of the hassle.

It all depends on your personal circumstances and preferences. There is no size that fits everyone when it comes to goal setting. There is no such thing as “should” even though there are people who think others should do this or do that.

Personal goals are something which are personal to you. Here are some examples of personal goals:

Learning to swim

Learning a new language (specify)

Learning to drive

Learning to use the coffee machine

Learning to salsa dance

Reading the Bible from cover to cover

Meeting your favourite sports player

joining a sports club (specify)

The most important factor in determining your personal goals is your passions. The other factor is your talents. These two are often linked. Whatever most interests you is often where your talents lie but that does not mean that you cannot learn anything new. Most skills and talents are transferable. 

We often see international sports people using the skills which enabled them to reach the elite level in their chosen sport to help them succeed in their chosen career after they have retired. Many have prepared themselves for life after sport by studying to gain a degree during their playing days.

It pays to have a number of strings to your bow as a backup. 

You have to specify what your goal is otherwise it just becomes a wish and anyone can make a wish but it is taking action which will turn a dream into reality.

If you went to your travel agent and asked for a plane ticket they are unable to help you unless you were specific and told them your proposed destination.

Examples of vague goals which are non specific are:

To lose weight

To get fit

To be happy

To save money

The problem with vague goals is that there is no way of knowing when you have achieved your goal. Goals need to be specific and timed. A goal of “To deposit at least a grand into my retirement fund by June 30th, 2023 is a specific and timed goal. You have either achieved your goal or not.

A get fit goal may be “To be able to run a 5k fun run by 31 December 2023.” This is another example of a specific goal which has been timed.

Giving your goals a timeline will give you more motivation. Just telling yourself that one day or some day I will do such and such is not a goal; it is a wish and there is a big difference between wishing for something and being serious about achieving it.

Life needs to be in balance and it is important to consider your personal talents and preferences. Many people have achieved extraordinary success in their chosen field and despite not setting out to make money have accumulated a great sum of money doing something they enjoyed. 

The key here is to not make money your number one goal in life.

www.robertastewart.com

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5-steps to setting goals

5-Steps to setting financial goals

Setting goals can motivate you and help you achieve your goals but before are able to set any goals you must know what you want. This is the first step to setting your goals. Unless you know where you want to go how are you going to know when you have arrived? It would be similar to purchasing a travel ticket without specifying a destination and of course the person at the travel agent will be unable to help you. Unless you know where you are going how will you ever know when you have arrived? The first step to setting goals is “Having goals.”

Step one-Knowing what you want

Knowing what you want or at least setting a goal to achieve something because it is something you think you want is all very fine but you have to know why you want to achieve something; in other words “What motivates you to want that something?” Before you can answer that question you really need to ask yourself this one “What gets you up in the morning?”

Step two-Knowing what motivates you

Knowing what you are capable of doing is an simple as giving it a go. People often short change themselves by setting goals that are not challenging. They stay close to their comfort zone and never venture away from their own well-worn beaten track and stay within their own self-imposed limitations. To achieve anything worthwhile means you have to take risks and that means you make mistakes occasionally but “He or she who never made a mistake never made anything.”

Step three-Knowing your capabilities

There will be lots of people willing to give you advice but you have a choice whether or not to accept it. Problem is there are so many people who will expect you be be a carbon copy of themselves. Such people will tell you what you can and cannot do and place limitations on you. Sadly, they will criticize you for not doing anything with your life and then once you come out of your shell they will be the first ones to point the finger at you for your mistakes. Best thing to do is spend less time with such people, there are kind people out there who will encourage you in your endeavors.

Step four-Knowing who to listen to

This sounds obvious but you must take action in order to get anywhere in life. Your life will not progress unless you take some type of action but this should be actions that lead to your objectives. Some folk make the mistake of taking actions which are not compatible with their goals and so after a while they have gone back into their old ways. If you have no vision then you will return to the past.

Step five-Take action

www.robertastewart.com