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How to set goals and achieve them

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Alex, Staff Writer

Thursday, 27 May 2021

Life Coaching

How often do you find yourself daydreaming about the life you wish you could have? We all dream about how we wish our life could be, but how much time do you actively dedicate to achieving your personal goals?

There will always be challenges, but if you commit to setting goals that are realistic and achievable, and actually dedicate time and effort to achieving those goals, you can get where you want to be. With the right beliefs and a positive mindset, you can achieve your goals.  

Goal setting starts with deciding what you want

It’s important to consider what you really want to achieve in life. Do you want to get to the top of your career ladder, or do you want to be able to retire early and enjoy a calm and relaxed way of life? Maybe you dream of moving to rural Australia and enjoying a slower pace of life.

You might never have really thought about what you truly want. It isn’t always easy to know where you want to be in the future. Even if you aren’t entirely sure what your end goal will be, you probably already have an idea of what you don’t want in life!

Knowing what you’re aiming for can give you a focus in life, helping you to keep going when things get difficult. Life can be challenging in many ways and sometimes we need that motivation to keep us going.

Whatever goal you set, there's a way to achieve it. The most important thing is to define exactly what that dream is so that you can then create an action plan to achieve it.

Tip: Remember, we can't have everything in life. We all have to make sacrifices and prioritise what we really want. Trying to achieve too many things at one time is simply unrealistic. The key to setting goals and achieving them is narrowing down your goals and focusing on one thing at a time. This will help you to feel less overwhelmed and more motivated.

Creating an action plan

Once you’ve set your goals, you then need to work out how to achieve them. This could involve some personal development, whether you need to learn new skills or work on your self-esteem and confidence.

Putting together an action plan to help you to achieve your goals will give you a clear path to work towards so that you can see exactly how you’re going to achieve them. This will help you to maintain your motivation, even when things get difficult.  

Tip: Focus on the process, not the end result.
When you set a goal for yourself, you start with the end in mind. This can seem extremely daunting. But if you shift your focus to the small steps you need to reach the end goal, rather than the end goal itself, the task seems a lot less intimidating and you can celebrate the smaller wins that you experience on a more regular basis.
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Setting goals that are smart

If you're serious about achieving the goals you set yourself, it's important that you make sure they are SMART:

S – Specific. Define exactly what you want to achieve.

M – Measurable. Think about how you will measure your success.

A – Achievable. The goal should be attainable and realistic.

R – Relevant. The goal should be relevant to your dream.

T – Time-bound. Be realistic with your timing and set a target date.

Setting SMART goals will help to keep you on track with your personal goals, helping you to achieve your dream far faster than you would otherwise. You might need to do a bit of personal development along the way, but you’ll be able to track your progress against your goals and see exactly how far away you are from achieving your dream.

Smart goals will increase your chances of achieving the goals you've set for yourself by consolidating them into realistic, structured actions.

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Goal setting tips
Make your goal public - knowing that others are monitoring your results is a great way of holding you accountable.
Reward yourself for your achievements - external rewards can be extremely motivating, so don't forget to celebrate your successes, no matter how small they may be.
Visualise your progress - To stay on track, write down your goals with the steps to get there and keep them somewhere visible.

Hire a Life Coach

If you’ve got a dream that you’re hoping to achieve, setting goals is a great way to get started. However, it’s not always easy to maintain motivation or to know what goals to set. Sometimes, all we need is a little bit of guidance.

Life coaches are the experts when it comes to setting realistic personal goals and working towards a dream. A life coach will show you how to set goals and achieve them, whether that's transforming an abstract vision into a tangible goal or breaking down a mammoth task into manageable chunks.

FAQ: How much does a Life Coach cost?

Wondering how much hiring a Life Coach costs? We've created a handy guide that gives you an overview of how much a life coach charges in Australia, as well as tips on how to hire a life coach on a budget!

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If you need help setting goals and achieving them, hire a Life Coach on Bark. 

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