Learning the importance of goal setting and the benefits of sticking to those goals can be the defining factor determining whether we truly embrace the importance of goal setting. The more willing we are to embrace this method, the more likely we become to reach our personal definitions of personal and professional success. According to the research of psychologists, neurologists, and other scientists, setting goals pushes us to invest in the target as if we’d already accomplished it. That is, by setting something as a goal, however small or large, however near or far in the future, a part of our brain believes that the desired outcome is an essential part of who we are – setting up the conditions that drive us to work towards the goals to fulfill the brain’s self-image. Thus, this article is going to walk you through some of the benefits you’ll see from learning to set goals for yourself and answer the question — why is goal setting important?
What Is Goal Setting?
To kick off our goal setting tips guide, you need to first recognize what goals are and how they are different from objectives, dreams, and expectations. A goal is essentially your aim for the long-term future. It is the bigger umbrella, the main focus. Objectives, on the other hand, fall under the umbrella of goals. They are the stepping stones that help you achieve your goals[1].
For example, you may decide you want to learn a new language. Your goal is to be fluent in the new language. Everything you do to achieve this goal, such as the daily tasks and monthly learning aims, are the objectives. Similarly, your expectations, visions, and dreams are not your goals. If you wish to learn a new language someday, that is your dream. If you see yourself fluently speaking multiple foreign languages, that is your vision. If you think you’re capable of learning a new language, that is your expectation. However, if you aim to fulfill these visions, dreams, and expectations practically, that is your goal.
Why is Goal Setting Important?
Did you know that people who have ambitious goals showed better performance and outputs compared to those who didn’t? [2]. Considering this, having goals is truly integral for everyone. But first, what is goal setting definition? Goal setting is about setting specific and achievable goals for oneself. A helpful tool to evaluate your goal is to see if it fulfills the SMART criteria:
Specific – A clear and specific idea of what you want to achieve; a simple trick to set a goal is to start with a verb. Measurable – Be specific with how much or how many when it comes to your goal. Achievable – Look at the skills you have or lack; make a plan of the exact things you’ll have to do to reach your goal. Realistic – Think about the resources available to you and be realistic about the effort you’re willing to put into it. Time-bound – Set a time limit to keep you motivated (daily, weekly, or monthly target).
Wondering why are goals important? We’ve rounded up the benefits of goal setting below.
1. Goals Guide and Align Our Focus
It’s hard to get to where you want to be in life if you don’t know what you’re aiming for. Some people believe avoiding goals means living a more carefree life. Without goals, we lack a degree of direction and focus. Sure you may be able to avoid disappointment, but just avoiding disappointment doesn’t mean you are necessarily happy. If we don’t have goals, we will pointlessly waste our time, energy, and efforts. Listen to anybody who is the top of their field and they’ll tell you something like this, “Yes talent is important, but often your success depends much more on what you decide to do with that talent.” And what you will do with your talent largely depends on your focus. Your goals give you direction. Your goals give you something to shoot for. This direction and target you create in your mind will help you to progress towards your main life goals rather than simply wander around aimlessly. These goals will help you align your actions and behaviors as you continue moving forward. So, why is goal setting important? Because it gives you direction, alignment, and purpose!
2. Goals Help You Avoid ‘Shiny Object Syndrome’
Basically, shiny object syndrome is always being in pursuit of the next big thing, constantly switching your goals based on what you feel is most fun and interesting at the given moment, but never actually giving yourself time to accomplish any of those goals. You don’t get anywhere because you continually change the direction you are heading in. This is one of the consequences that may result if you decide to live a life without goals. So why are goals important? Your goals can sometimes help you to create mental barriers or blinders that help you to remain focused on what you think is important and avoid the things that are second priority. When you outline goals for yourself, you are better able to avoid things that distract you from achieving and accomplishing those goals. Setting goals helps you to step around the other shiny objects because you’ve taken the time to make some mental notes that remind you what it is that you want from your life. Your goals act as subconscious deterrents to anything less than your main priorities. This is what helps you to reach your personal definition of success.
3. Goals Turn Our Largest Goals into Manageable Steps
A lot of us have big hopes and dreams. It’s one of the things that make our lives exciting! But a lot of us never take the time to figure out how we can effectively get from point A to point B. So, sadly, we never fully achieve those goals. We look at our dreams and convince ourselves that only a select few people ever achieve them, so we write ourselves off as people not meant to reach that level of success. Looking at the end product of a goal can be intimidating, daunting, and discourage us from even pursuing them. Thankfully, goal setting helps us break large intimidating goals into smaller ones. These small steps and more achievable goals will help us to build momentum and will encourage us to keep working towards the next phase of our goal. They form the foundation from which we can begin building the life that we truly hope to have for ourselves, our families, and maybe even for our communities depending on how big your goals are! Whenever I get talking about this aspect of goal setting, I can’t help but think about the mountain climbing analogy, and that the easiest way to climb a mountain is simply step-by-step. It’s also important to note that people who write down their goals are 33% more successful in achieving them compared to those who only thought of the outcome goals in their heads [3]. So, why is goal setting important? Goal setting gives you a list of manageable steps that you can take in order to take your life from where it is now to where you want it to go both effectively and efficiently.
4. Goals Encourage You to Take Action
This builds on the last benefit of goal setting. Not only does effective goal setting help you break down your larger goals into smaller, more manageable ones, but it also encourages you to actually begin taking action on those goals. After all, a plan is completely worthless if you aren’t willing to invest the effort required to execute it. Setting your goals and putting your plan in place motivates you to begin taking action towards achieving them. These goals give you something to plan and work towards. Essentially, they help propel you forward. What I like to do is write out and place my goals somewhere that I’ll regularly see them. This constantly serves as a reminder of my top priorities. It allows me to focus on taking small progressive actions towards achieving these goals daily. This ensures that I don’t fall into the trap of setting a goal, beginning to work towards it for a while, then having my motivation fade resulting in me falling off track. This is exactly what many people see happen when it comes to their “New Year’s Resolutions.” So, why is goal setting important? Because goal setting actually motivates you to stop thinking about your goals and actually get out there and achieve them! If you want to learn about how to take action towards achieving your goal, here’s how: How To Take Action Towards Your Goals Right Now
5. Goal Setting Helps You Continually Improve
A lot of personal development and self-improvement writers talk about continual improvement. For those of you who are not aware of the term, continual improvement is exactly what it sounds like – taking small steps towards improvement as frequently as you can to develop into the person you want to become. What’s the point in improving a little bit each day if you’re not improving in the areas that you want to improve in after all? The goals that you define for yourself will inevitably shape you into the person you want to become. They’ll shape your character. Your goals can help you measure your progress as you strive for this type of development. Essentially, having goals helps you determine where you started, where you are now, and how much further you need to go. In this manner, your goal setting can serve as milestones and benchmarks that help you determine how well you’re progressing towards your most important goals! So, why is goal setting important? Goal setting helps you make improvements each day that will slowly transition you into the person you want to become.
6. Goal Setting Keeps You Accountable
Not only does setting goals help you measure your progress, but it also is a means through which you can keep yourself accountable. Too many goals fail because they lack this crucial aspect of outlining accountability. For example, if I have the goal to do 50 push-ups, that’s great. Most people would support that goal. However, this goal lacks accountability. When do I want to accomplish this goal and what steps do I take to get there? These are important questions that the original goal leaves unanswered. A much more descriptive and specific goal could be to do 50 push-ups within the next 3 months by starting at 5 push-ups and then adding 5 each week. This goal outlines the deadline as well as the steps I’m going to take to achieve it. This plan will keep me accountable because if I fail to retain my progression schedule, I will know that I’m not going to achieve the goal on time. Additionally, it can serve as a marker helping to signify when something is impeding my progress that I may not have initially accounted for. This tells me that I need to re-evaluate what I’m doing and figure out what adjustments I can make to facilitate my success. So, why is goal setting important? Setting goals is key to keeping ourselves accountable and on track towards accomplishing our goals according to the schedules and deadlines we set for ourselves.
7. Goals Make You Feel Good
Trust me, the progress you feel as you set and achieve goals can become super motivating and super addicting (in a good way)! The dopamine release you get from achieving your goals is like a little reward for our brains that continually motivates us to try and hit that next goal! Having some clearly defined goals will help you to feel better about yourself and your life in general, especially when you stick to those goals, actively work towards achieving them, and end up accomplishing and surpassing your initial expectations. I’m not the oldest book on the shelf myself, but I can attest that there are not many feelings quite like the one you experience when you truly get on a roll! Additionally, our goals give us an endpoint to shoot for. Rather than progress for progress’s sake, you can actually see where you’re heading! That’s so much more rewarding. If you don’t know where you’re going, you risk the journey becoming tedious. It doesn’t tend to be much fun wandering around aimlessly. Goals make us feel good about where we’re directing ourselves. So, why is goal setting important? Because setting goals and accomplishing them plain and simply make us feel better about ourselves and our lives!
8. Goals Help You Live Your Best Life
I’ve talked a lot in this article about how goal setting helps us progress towards our top priorities and live the way we truly want to live. So I think it’s fit to end the article with this goal because, in the end, I feel it’s the most important one. Setting your goals and clearly defining what they mean to you will help you live a life that is tailored to your beliefs and values. Your life will become directed towards the things that you most want to achieve. Life is a tricky game and only in very rare circumstances are things handed to us on a silver platter. Often it takes a great degree of work, planning, and effortful execution of both. There is no point clinging on to things in your life if they don’t bring you happiness or help you accomplish something that, in some way, aligns with your goals. Simply put, setting goals helps us live a life that allows us to pursue the challenges and rewards that we truly want to achieve. So, why is goal setting important? Because our time is always limited and setting clearly defined goals can help ensure that you make the most of your life and live to the fullest! Find out more here: How to Use SMART Goal to Become Highly Successful in Life
How to Set Goals (The Essential Principles)
The best way to guarantee the fulfillment of goals is to set them the right way.
1. Develop and Write Down Your Core Values
Also known as personal values, understanding what you value is important to goal setting. What you value the most is what structures your habits, processes, and the goals that you set. When you’re not aligned with your core values, chances are you’re not motivated to achieve them at any capacity, even if those goals are inherently good for you like losing weight or being a better partner. If you don’t have core values in those areas, then chances are your willingness to improve isn’t going to be much. And that’s okay. Because that often means you are more focused on other things that are more important to you. You won’t know what that is until you put together your core values. There are many examples of core values. Some of these are:[4]
Authority Competency Determination Leadership Love And many more
You can do this in two ways: either write your goals and find core values after or find core values you associate with and set goals around those.
2. Use SMART Goals
Every goal you define has to be SMART[5]. SMART stands for:
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-Bound
In summary, your specific goals should be very well defined. They shouldn’t be generic or broad, and every detail should be clarified as you’re goal setting. If you want to start running, how often do you want to do it? How long will each session be? For how long will you continue this habit? There has to be a connection between your goals and beliefs or you’ll never be able to achieve the results you want. Most importantly, do not be unrealistic. You cannot learn to fly, and forcing yourself to try is only going to demotivate and stress you out. You can also make use of these Effective Goal-Setting Templates to help you set goals.
3. Align Your Goals With Your Purpose
Several studies have pointed out that people tend to get to achieve their goals when those goals have roots in their life purpose.[6] A life purpose is something that your entire life is designed to achieve. It is the thing that drives and motivates you to get out of bed every day and hit the ground running. If you have not yet identified the purpose of your life, then your first priority is to discover that purpose. When you have discovered your purpose, then align your goals with the purpose. Your personal, career, financial, and family goals, etc. should actually stem out of your purpose. Everything should fit into the ultimate agenda for your life. It’s just like building a house. Every unit is placed together to bring out the beauty of a masterpiece called a building.
4. Prioritize Your Goals
As you’re looking into how to write goals for the next month or year, it’s likely you’ll come up with more than one. In this case, it’s important to prioritize which are the most important or the ones that have the tightest deadline. This is going to be subjective, as only you know which goals will have the most impact on your life. What this refers to are the goals that make you feel good but aren’t driving you to pursue them. One example is how most people use vision boards. People are quick to putting together a large vision board and filling it with all kinds of goals. While there is a feel-good feeling, a lot of it is filler and things that would be nice to have but aren’t actual needs. I’m referring to the massive houses and the “expensive cars”-type of goals. These are good goals to have as it suggests making more money and working hard and smart financially. That said, they’re big distractions from the goals that play a bigger role in your life. Maybe you’re having relationship issues and one of your core values is to fix it and make amends however you can. The more goals you have means the more opportunities there are for distractions. As much as goals are important, it’s key that you have a narrow focus on the goals that you set and a narrower one on goals that you are working on. One way to help you focus on goals is after you’ve written down your list, create another list. One list ought to have the five most important goals for you at this moment. The second list has any other goals that you may have or come to mind. The list of five or fewer goals is your “must-do” list, while the other is the “avoid all of them” list. Instill in your mind to only focus on the most important goals. You may also want to pick a life aspect to focus on.
5. Break Down Your Goal Into Milestones
Achieving your goal will be significantly easier if you learn to focus on smaller units of the goal rather than the whole goal itself. This means that you can break down your goals into smaller units that you can complete in the short-term. For example, if you have the goal to self publish a book in a year, you can break your goal into milestones to make it achievable. This includes activities like creating and researching your book idea, creating the outlines, researching the potential content, writing the manuscript, getting someone to edit it, peer review and endorsements, graphics design, publishing and marketing, etc.[7]. Each of your milestones should have a timeframe within which they should be completed.
6. Think of Those Around You
As you’re working on goal setting, keep your loved ones in mind. You may have a partner, children, or employees that depend on you, and you should take them into consideration with your goals. For example, if you set a goal to travel to 10 different countries in the next two years, how will this affect your children? If you want to lose 30 pounds this year, is there something your partner can do to support you? S/he will need to be made aware of this before you set off on your weight loss journey.
7. Take Action
Setting goals is the first step, but in order to be successful, you have to follow this with action. If you set goals but never act on them, they become dreams. Create an action plan laying out the steps you need to take each day or week in order to achieve your big and small goals. The biggest thing is that an action plan allows you to break down your goals into smaller pieces. Often, people feel overwhelmed when looking at a big goal. Furthermore, people are more motivated if it’s a smaller task. For example, what sounds easier to do: losing 25 pounds in three months or working out at the gym for three hours per week? Most would go for the second option as it builds up habits. Best of all, you can put it into your action plan and schedule it into your routine. In the end, an action plan can be made however you like, but it has to outline actions you can do every day. If you put down daily actions, it puts into perspective that goals are habits you work on regularly.
8. Don’t Forget the Bigger Picture
Most people refer to the big picture as their vision. Whether it is the long-term result or the connection of the goal with your desire, keep it in mind to keep yourself from getting distracted. Developing a strong goal setting mindset with these steps can help you too.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of the benefits of goal setting that outline why it truly is so important. If you take a moment or two, I bet that you can even think of a few more benefits yourself that you could add to this list. If I could leave you with something, it would be this: Goal setting has the potential to take us to some amazing places in life because we all have talent and ambitions. To achieve your biggest dreams, you need to be willing to sit down and create a life design uniquely tailored to you that will help you achieve them! Featured photo credit: Unsplash via unsplash.com
