There are a few people in this world who can succeed without any goals or plans. They are either lucky or made some kind of otherworldly deal. For the rest of us, having a plan is probably the only way to succeed in what we want.
It makes no sense to persevere if you choose the wrong plan or no plan at all. By setting goals, you can strive to complete them, which you will use to persevere. This doesn’t mean that all the goals or tasks will be correct. But, you can find alternatives when needed. At least when you have a plan, you have a reason to pursue them.
“If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.“
–Lawrence J. Peter
There are many ways to set goals, but one of the more acceptable ways is to start with high-level goals. Then, for each of those high-level goals, define the tasks that it would take to accomplish those goals. Set milestones so that you can measure how you are doing at each step. It’s okay to make adjustments along the way, even to the high-level goals. But, the key is to use this as a roadmap to keep going. That is the best way to get to where you want to go. Perseverance will play a big role here.
If you give up at any point, don’t beat yourself up too much. Either start over or if possible, pick up where you left off. When you finally accomplish your goals and milestones, it will be that much more worth the effort.
“A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.“
–Bruce Lee
Sometimes, people don’t get back to their goals. Either they gave up too quickly, or they weren’t meant to make them happen. If this happens to you, find out what you really want from those goals and if they are right for you. It is okay if they aren’t, but just make sure that you didn’t give up because it was easier to do that. You don’t want to live with regrets.
You may want to consider buying a goal setting workbook to help you focus.
Check these out on Amazon.com:
Be sure to read behavior vs outcome based goals
If you find that you are constantly giving up on your goals, you may want to get some professional help. This can either be in the form of coaching or in extreme cases, you may want to seek the advice of a counselor. Sometimes this can make the difference in breaking the barrier of quitting before meeting your goals. A mentor or counselor can give you the necessary guidance and may even be able to help you define better goals. It could be you just weren’t following the right plan.
“The great danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.“
– Michelangelo