Goal Achievement – 7 Steps to Achieving in Life
Goal achievement is a hot topic because people want to know how to get what they want out of life, and reasonably so. Life is short and living it the way you envision is prized. Have you ever heard the saying, graveyards are the richest place on earth because there is an abundance of unfulfilled hopes and dreams? You can reject this cruel fate by starting your journey to achievement and self-improvement. Review the steps listed below and add them to your toolbox. Glean and learn about what others recommend and piece it together until you find what works best for you!
Step 1 – Know what you want
Knowing what you are working toward is the first step to achieving. This is not about the destination, it is about the process. When you envision yourself in the place of achievement, that is only a glimpse of a much larger picture. A picture that needs to be evaluated in full view before signing up. Whether you are working toward a lean figure or buying your first home, there are two identities you should master. First, you are the person in the process of achieving, then you are the person who maintains what they have achieved. Consider the lifestyle and adjustments that you will have to make for your goal. Are you willing to make and sustain those changes?
To gain more insight, educate yourself on those who have achieved before you. That is not to assert that your journey will need to be completely identical, however, it is a salient data point. You may also find some non-traditional routes that may work for you, or even try an uncharted method. Regardless, collecting data on what your life will look like in relation to your achievement process can help you decide if this is a destination that you want to reach.
Step 2 – Reflect on the past
Have you taken the time to study your habits, challenges, and the areas you thrive in? Understanding how you are wired helps you to predict challenges and pitfalls to get ahead of any potential roadblocks. There are some challenges that will be unique to you. Knowing this can help you plan support to get you through. A reflection practice allows you to gather intel about yourself to leverage for your benefit.
Reflecting over the whole of your life may seem daunting and disjointed. Try looking back one year and list your accomplishments and areas that were challenging. Describe what qualities led you to each result. This will give you insight into what your superpowers are and where you may need more support.
Step 3 – Write it, don’t speak it
Write your goal down in an 11” x 9” ban.do notebook (paid link). I used this journal starting in 2019 to record, plan, and track the progress toward my goals. It was the best notebook I’ve dedicated to goal planning because of the free space to create, and non-detachable pages. Use the SMART goal method to write out your goal so that you can specify exactly what you want as a launching pad for your plan. This will help you plan and track progress toward your goal. SMART is an acronym used to detail the essential components of a goal. The acronym stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Check out my book here for a step-by-step guide on composing smart goals.
You’ve disclosed your goal in the secrecy of your ban.do notebook. Should you tell your family, friends, and co-workers about your plan next? A study conducted by Peter Gollwitzer a psychology professor at NYU demonstrated that talking about goals to others begets a sense of accomplishment depriving people of the motivation necessary to reach their goals (Chu, 2017). Limit the people you share your goals with. When I applied to Harvard I only told a few people closest to me. This goal was sacred to me and I like to think of all of my goals as precious. When I hold my goals close to vest it motivates me more to achieve them.
Step 4 – Build the plan
Write out a plan in your notebook. Consider the necessary tasks or practices and the frequency by which they must be engaged. What will you do every day, every week, and every month? Write this down in your notebook. Designate major milestones and minor checkpoints that will allow you to track your habits and assess if you are on track to meet your goal. This will serve as time for you to evaluate your progress and restructure your approach.
I like to physically write down my goals and draw charts to refer back to throughout the course of my journey. I have also used Google Sheets and Docs. However, I find that writing my goals out and making the charts facilitates more intimacy with the plan which increases my clarity on the path ahead.
Step 5 – Identify the habits
Atomic Habits by James Clear details the necessity of fostering good habits to build the life you desire. This book was confirmation of the power that habits can coalesce. Developing habits that help you reach your goal will give you the practice necessary to continue moving forward after the adrenaline of motivation and excitement runs dry. Tie your achievement destination to a habit that you can sustain.
Identify 1 or 2 habits that you can engage to help reach your goal. Figure out ways to incorporate these habits into your routine. Sometimes there can be an urge to start a number of new practices. I advise against starting more than two new practices because it divides your attention and discipline leaving all your habits unfulfilled. A great way to sustain a new habit is by tracking it. I offer a simple habit tracker in my goal-setting activity book here. However, you can make a table in Excel, in your iPhone notes, or by drawing to keep track of your habits. Make sure your tracker is easy to access so you are able to confidently track your habits upon completion.
Step 6 – Start
Act on what you have envisioned, researched, and planned. It is much easier to continue to conceptualize and interrogate. Set a date in the near future, not more than a week away, and begin working toward your goal. Setting a concrete date allows you to mark the division between your old self and practices and your new self and new practices. Get going!
Step 7 – Track your progress
Don’t forget to check in with yourself and interrogate the changes that you have made. This is essential to staying motivated to complete the journey and to evaluate if you are moving in the right direction. Engaging in the pursuit will bring clarity to the process and the goal, knowledge that your initial research could not provide since it was not your personal experience. When you arrive at the milestones and checkpoints designated in your plan, evaluate if the goal and path are still right for you. While I am not advocating that you change your goal to make it easier or require less work, if you genuinely realize that you want something different or that your path needs tweaking, make those changes and keep going!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post about achieving your goals. For more on goals check out the goals and habits posted here.
References
Chu, M. (2017, August 08). Research Reveals That Publicly Announcing Your Goals Makes You Less Likely to Achieve Them. Inc. https://www.inc.com/melissa-chu/announcing-your-goals-makes-you-less-likely-to-ach.html
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