Why Goals are Important for a Year of Clear Vision?
By Ryan Eaton, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, MWG Broker Services
1. Why are goals important?
Just like lighthouses and beacons are used for navigation in the sea, goals are the beacons to our future. Goals without an action plan are just desires written down on paper. We all need something that we are striving to achieve, accomplish, or reach that will pull us higher. Goals can be physical, mental, financial, spiritual, or even in our relationships. Throughout life, our goal should constantly be how to be the best versions of ourselves, a better version than we were yesterday. Goals are the markers that keep us lined up with our target and keep us from becoming stagnant.
2. How do you build your goals?
While there is probably a much more sophisticated way of setting goals, I believe in the Power of Simplicity. Keeping it simple and easy to remember is key. Here are a few ways to focus on your goals, while not overwhelming yourself with unrealistic results:
- Choose the areas you will set goals — i.e. physical, mental, financial, spiritual, relational, travel, or adventurous goals.
- Next choose some desires that are SMART goals — SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Each one of these are accountability partners to your goal — they help you know specifically where you want to be. An example would be if you want to lose weight in 2020 — if you lose a ½ a pound that whole year, you will have hit your goal. Instead be specific: by June 30th, I want to have lost 15lbs. This goal meets the SMART criteria.
- Choose three goals per area — choosing more than 3 goals per area will pull down the probability that you will accomplish those first three.
- Write down your goals and review daily — a key to reaching your goals is consistent focus and reviewing daily will increase your odds of reaching them greatly.
3. How do you work towards achieving your goals?
The key is to review your goals regularly. Too many people write them down and put them away. It is very hard to drive a car with your eyes closed and it’s also hard to accomplish anything great without focus or a plan. The goals you have written down at this point need action — they need a thought-out plan on how you will accomplish them. In the example of losing 15 lbs., you may include an eating program, a workout program, measuring of your results each week or other things that will keep you accountable to your goal. Also, having an accountability partner is great when it comes to accomplishing your goals.
4. What motivates you to keep your goals?
If your goal doesn’t motivate you — it’s probably a bad goal! Your goals should be desires or things you need to do. Let your physical goal motivate you to live longer so you have more time with your family; let your financial goal drive you to work harder so you no longer must live paycheck to paycheck. When setting your goals, evaluate if they motivate you; if they don’t, try again.
5. How do you evaluate your goals?
Some goals can be evaluated weekly, monthly, quarterly, or even yearly. It all depends on the goal and your focus. Health goals should probably be evaluated weekly in my opinion, because they can pivot so quickly. Mental goals (learning/book reading/etc.) may be a monthly or quarterly review. Financial may be a monthly or quarterly review. These are just some suggestions, but the goal is to make sure you are evaluating — a goal never looked at again is not a goal. In the book of Habakkuk, it says, “Write down the vision and make it plain on tablets so that he who hears can run with it.” To me this is showing the importance of making it clear, writing it down, and putting it somewhere that it can be seen so that you can take the torch and run with it. It doesn’t say put it in a drawer or make it super complex. This is probably the most important piece of the goal setting process because without evaluation it doesn’t matter what you write down. If you find someone to help hold you accountable and vice versa, you should see great results.
One suggestion I have for everyone while making your goals is to think big — don’t set goals that anyone can accomplish. Henry Ford would say, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t — you’re right.” Believe in your goals and the value that they bring; this will give you extra momentum when things get tough.