The Importance of Setting Goals and How to Achieve Them

A lot of my work as a coach is around helping people define goals and build a picture of their future. Setting goals is an essential part of personal and professional growth. It how we can measure our progress, gain a sense of purpose, and ultimately find fulfilment in our lives. In this post, we’ll explore the importance of setting goals and provide practical advice on how to achieve them.

Why is Setting Goals Important?

 For some setting goals is as natural as breathing but for others it can be daunting, fer induing or feel unnecessary as they float through life on a seemingly prescribed path. However setting goals is critical for personal development and growth, and we should all spend time thinking about what it is we want from life, our career, certain situations and relationships and our health and wellness. It provides direction, motivation, and a sense of purpose. Without clear goals, we risk feeling aimless, disengaged, and ultimately unfulfilled. Setting goals also helps us focus our efforts and prioritise our time, leading to increased productivity and better outcomes.

In On the Tranquillity of the Mind, Seneca emphasizes the importance of having a clear purpose in life. Two quotes from his works which sum up the need for goals are "We should not, like sheep, follow the herd of creatures in front of us, making our way where others go, not where we ought to go” and “Let all your efforts be directed to something, let it keep that end in view.” Seneca believed that setting goals and pursuing them was essential for living a fulfilling life. He argued that the pursuit of excellence required discipline, self-awareness, and the courage to take risks.

More recently Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People stresses the importance of setting goals as part of the second habit, "Begin with the End in Mind." Covey argues that setting goals is essential for creating a personal mission statement and aligning our actions with our values and aspirations.

How to Achieve Your Goals

 Hopefully by now you’re beginning to understand the need for a goal (or many goals), so now let’s explore how to achieve them.

 Set Clear and Specific Goals

This is the most important step; if you don’t know what the goal is, how can you work toward it! The best goals are clear and specific. For example, instead of setting a vague goal like "I want to get in shape," set a specific goal like "I want to lose 3 kgs by the end of June."

Seneca stressed the importance of clarity, stating "No wind is favourable to him who has no destined port." In other words, without a clear destination, we cannot make progress. By setting clear and specific goals, we can create a roadmap for achieving our objectives.

Goals can be largely split into two categories…..an ultimate goal and a performance goal. Your ultimate goal is the absolute end goal and dream scenario. This are often not within our full control. A performance goal is the level or personal progress that you need to achieve that ultimate goal. These are within your control and therefore an Ultimate Goal should always be backed up by a Performance Goal. Some people find that breaking down their Ultimate Goal into a number of performance goals makes a big task feel more manageable and achievable, and that’s what we’ll look at next. 

Create a Plan

Once you have set your clear and specific goals, the next step is to create a plan for achieving them. This involves breaking down your goals into smaller, more manageable goals and setting deadlines for each one. From there you can create an action plan of how you will achieve these goals. For example, ‘I want to climb 7a by the end of May 2023’ (that’s actually a real goal of mine, and is two grades harder than I’ve climbed before). I broke this goal down into weight, strength, fitness and mindset. I knew that carrying a few extra kilos wasn’t going to help me in this heavily gravity affected sport (I’m in control of my weight and not gravity!), so one goal was to lose 7 kgs by March 2023. I won’t go through all the rest, maybe that’s another blog! My next task was to look at how I could achieve a 7kg weight loss in 7months – I identified dietary and fitness habits and set myself weekly goals for each, rather than a weightloss goal per week as I knew that weighing in regularly was not an option for me due to past unhealthy habits. I weighed myself once a fortnight to make sure I was on track and didn’t need to amend my dietary and fitness goals/habits. By looking forward to the ultimate goal and breaking this out into a series of performance goals I was able to plan a simple and effective roadmap to success.

In The 48 Laws of Power, Greene emphasizes the importance of planning for the long term. He writes, "Always think long-term. In any situation, take the long view." By creating a plan and breaking down your goals into smaller tasks, you can focus your efforts and make steady progress over time.

How you create and develop your plan wil be personal to you, you might:

• Write lists

• Create a moodboard

• Draw a picture

• Have images of your ultimate goal around your desk/work out space

• Use excel

• Use online planning tools

Whatever you use make sure you include dates/times, structure of some description and how you will knwo if you are on the right path.

Develop a Growth Mindset

Achieving your goals requires a growth mindset - the belief that your abilities and intelligence can be developed through hard work and dedication. This means embracing challenges, learning from your mistakes, and persisting in the face of setbacks.

Covey suggests that a growth mindset is characterised by a willingness to embrace challenges, take risks, and learn from mistakes. He argues that a growth mindset is essential for achieving our goals because it helps us maintain a positive attitude, even in the face of obstacles and setbacks. When we believe that we can learn and grow, we are more likely to persevere in the face of adversity and overcome challenges. This, in turn, can lead to increased resilience, confidence, and ultimately, success.

Struggling to set goals?

If you’re struggling to commit to a goal or to even set one in the first place it might be a good time to explore your life, purpose and passions with a coach. As a coach I can help draw out desires, reignite ideas and open your eyes to your potential.