Reaching a meaningful goal is one of the best feelings in life. However, many people struggle to work toward and achieve their goals, leaving them feeling disappointed and defeated. In my last post, I listed Five Common Goal Setting Mistakes to help you identify how your goals may be undermining your progress. Now I present some ways to set more effective goals – because effective goals generate motivation and motivation moves you forward.
Set a long term goal that inspires you.
The purpose of your long term goal is to provide you with inspiration. It is the vision that you daydream about; the picture in your mind that sparks excitement and perhaps some nervousness. When you talk about it, your eyes light up . . . Am I sounding a bit idealistic? YES. This is where we can learn a lesson from children. Have you ever seen a child talk about what she wants to be when she grows up? About the places he wants to visit? About how she wants to buy a horse or a helicopter? That is the stuff of dreams, and many adults need more of that spark and passion in their lives. 
While we eventually learn not to set unrealistic goals that we don’t truly believe we can achieve, many of us have allowed the pendulum to swing too far to the other side. We set goals that lack luster, and therefore find ourselves lacking in motivation. Set a long term goal that is meaningful to you, that inspires you to reach for it, that compels you to put one foot in front of the other. I often use the summit of a mountain as a metaphor – so clear before you that you can almost touch it as you imagine what it will be like to reach the top.
Set goals that move you toward what you want.
Word your goals in a positive direction. While this may seem like a minor detail, the research on motivation says otherwise. Moving toward what you want creates a state of motivation that is based on your anticipation of achieving a desired outcome. This type of motivation is more optimal than the motivational state that is created when you are seeking to avoid an outcome that you dread. The former elicits excitement, while the latter elicits anxiety and fear. When you successfully achieve a goal that you were looking forward to, you are likely to feel a sense of accomplishment and triumph. When you manage to avoid a dreaded outcome, you are likely to feel relief at best. It’s the difference between running a race with your eyes on the finish line versus looking over your shoulder fearing your opponents. It’s the difference between “I won!” versus “I’m so relieved I didn’t lose.” You will be more optimally motivated to move toward what you want than to avoid what you dread.
Find the right balance of challenge and attainability for you.
The old guideline says to set goals that are challenging, yet attainable. I will add that this balance is not only going to be different for different people, but that it will also differ for you at different times in your life. One consideration is your current level of functioning. There are many reasons why you may not be functioning at your best, whether you are recovering from an injury, working through depression, or you recently experienced a major life transition. When you are not operating on all cylinders, it is appropriate for you to modify your goals accordingly. Set goals that are less challenging, shorter term, and more manageable. It is important when you are in a vulnerable state that you do not set yourself up to be overwhelmed, discouraged, and unmotivated. Remember that the purpose of goals is to generate motivation and to move you forward. Another consideration when determining the right balance of challenge and attainability is the amount of time and energy you currently have to devote to your goal. Take into account your other life obligations and activities and your current level of stress. Perhaps there are some sacrifices you are willing to make while in pursuit of your goal, such as giving up some social time or taking a break from one of your hobbies. However, there will be some things in your life that you are unwilling or unable to put aside such as family and your health. Set goals that fit in with the rest of your life and that are attainable given the resources you currently have available.
Set goals that are specific, measurable, and time bound.
Vagueness implies lack of commitment and gives you too many ways to avoid being accountable. Make your goal a definitive statement that leaves no question in your mind of what you want to achieve. Once you have specified your goal, you will want to consider whether it is measurable. If you don’t know how to measure your goal, how will you know when you’ve achieved it? Some goals are inherently measurable, such as taking that trip to Italy that you’ve always dreamed of or achieving a new personal best in a 5K race. Other goals will require you to define how they are measured, such as improving your self esteem for example. Write down your definition of self esteem and the ways that you can measure your progress. Determine what will designate that you have achieved the level of improvement you desire. And since self esteem can fluctuate and is constantly evolving, identify how you will maintain the progress you’ve achieved. The last component to your goal is time. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t have a timeline or deadline I will tend to procrastinate. Attaching an expectation of time to your goal creates more of an incentive to take action and helps keep you accountable. To further ensure accountability, I suggest writing down your goal, displaying it somewhere where you will see it (e.g., taped to your wall, in your journal, on your screensaver, etc.) and talking about your goal with people who will support you in your efforts.
Attach a plan to each long term goal that includes short term goals.
“A goal without a plan is simply a wish.” I don’t know who first said that, but I have found the phrase to be a useful reminder to myself and my clients that declaring a goal is only the first step. The next step is to work on outlining a plan to achieve your longer term goal that includes incremental short term goals along the way. The purpose of your short term goals is to provide positive reinforcement, to move you forward, and to maintain motivation. Therefore, you want to set short term goals that are manageable and have a high probability of success. In order for short term goals to be effective, you must be able to achieve them. It is important for you to see yourself making progress and to allow yourself to acknowledge the small accomplishments that short term goals provide. Much of what you do on a daily basis to move toward a long term goal is made up of small tasks that may not seem meaningful. If you tie those tasks to short term goals, which are in turn tied to your long term goal, you are more likely to get them done. An example of this is being able to relate a mundane homework assignment in a class that doesn’t interest you to your long term goal of graduating from college. Connecting that small bit of homework to your long term goal allows you to create meaning in a seemingly meaningless task. Putting forth effort to complete that assignment signifies your commitment to your long term goal, and is a small victory in and of itself.
If you find yourself struggling to work toward and achieve your goals, view your difficulty as a signal to reevaluate. See Five Common Goal Setting Mistakes for ideas about what may be getting in your way. Remember that goals can and should be modified if they’re not effectively moving you forward.
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