Setting goals can help you reclaim control over your life when done properly.
Define Your Wants and Needs.
In order to make the right decisions, you must first know what your goals are. Are you trying to become rich or happy? Do you want to be healthy or wealthy? This is the first step in goal setting, so it's very important that you decide on this before moving on with the process.
Goals Are Only As Meaningful As You Make Them.
The first step in goal setting is coming up with the goals themselves. Since you're reading this article, it's safe to assume that you've already got a few ideas in mind. But before we go any further, there are some things to keep in mind about how to set goals effectively:
Goals should be specific and measurable. For example, "I'd like to save more money" is not as effective of a goal as "I will save €100 each month by cutting back on my spending."
Goals should be realistic and achievable. If your goal is too ambitious (like saving €10 million) or too vague (like "stop smoking"), then it's going to be hard for you to take action towards it or feel motivated when things get tough along the way.
Write down your goals so that they're out there where they can't be forgotten or ignored! You don't have anything written down yet? Now's the time - grab a pen! A journal works especially well for this purpose because it'll provide physical evidence that you're serious about doing whatever work needs done before moving forward with anything else (which might happen later).
Break Your Goals Into Manageable Steps.
Setting goals is the first step to getting more control over your life, but it's also only half of the battle. The second step is breaking down those larger goals into smaller steps.
If you're more comfortable with visual cues, consider creating a timeline on a wall calendar or in an app like Google Calendar. This can help keep you on track as you make progress toward your end goal, and it'll show you whether any deadlines were missed along the way.
When setting deadlines, don't be afraid to aim low—the point isn't to meet every single one of them perfectly; it's just about being realistic about what's possible for yourself and doing what needs to be done without letting fear paralyze or discourage you from moving forward when things get tough (which they will).
Start Small.
The first step to setting a goal is to start small.
Don’t try and do everything at once. Set yourself up for success by aiming for something that is realistic and attainable, like losing 20 pounds or saving €500 in your savings account. If you set the bar too high, you might get discouraged when it doesn't happen right away and give up altogether—and then who knows what will happen? You might even have to go back on some of the other goals you did set!
Remember not to get discouraged if you don't meet your goal right away—it may take time. I know from experience that losing weight can be tough at first because of cravings and feeling hungry all the time (especially if we're used to eating junk food), but over time those feelings will fade away as our bodies adjust themselves accordingly. In fact, after about two weeks into starting my diet plan my body stopped craving sugar as much as before so now I only eat it on special occasions instead of everyday like before which makes sticking with this diet much easier :)
Be Accountable.
Accountability is one of the most important components to achieving your goals. You need to hold yourself accountable for your actions, and no one else can do it for you. You can be accountable to yourself, or others. The best way to achieve this is by setting deadlines and rewards for yourself that will help motivate you in reaching your goal.
Let's say I want to lose weight this year (like a lot of people). So every day at 8pm I'm going on my treadmill for 20 minutes and then doing 30 push ups as a reward for sticking with it all day long! There are no excuses now because there's no way out except through me…and my sweat.
Set Deadlines.
A deadline is an important part of goal setting, because it creates a sense of urgency in your mind. You know that you need to get the job done by a certain date, so you will naturally be more motivated to work on it more often and harder than if there were no deadline at all.
There are two key benefits to setting deadlines for your goals:
It helps you create realistic targets for yourself (e.g., “I want to lose 10 pounds by March 1st”). The main reason why people fail with their resolutions is because they set unrealistic goals in the first place – like losing 50 pounds within 6 months – which leads them into feeling disappointed and discouraged when they don’t achieve their objectives.
Deadlines create pressure on yourself which makes achieving your goals easier! When faced with this kind of pressure, most people respond well: they put their head down and get back busy working towards completing whatever task has been set before them.
Set Realistic Expectations.
You can’t always have everything you want. You have to be realistic about what you can achieve and what goals are possible for your life at this time.
You may be thinking, “But my life is already settled! I know exactly where I am in life and what I want from it.” This is great! But when we talk about setting goals, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to set a goal for every aspect of your life or even one overarching goal for the next five years ahead of time. For example:
> Your job is stable but not particularly exciting
> You want more flexibility in your schedule so that you can spend more time with friends and family (and maybe even pick up some new hobbies)
> The stress level at work has been increasing over the past few months which has started affecting how well rested/focused/happy you are outside of work
Setting goals can help you reclaim control over your life when done properly
In the past, I've been stuck in a situation where I wasn't able to control the outcome of things. I'd find myself in situations where I was frustrated because I couldn't do anything about what was happening around me. And it wasn't just one thing—it was many things.
I felt as though my life had been taken over by other people or circumstances that were out of my control and that there wasn't much I could do about it. But then something happened: I started to realise that while certain events were out of my hands, my reactions were not. It didn't make sense at first; after all, why would someone be upset when they are unable to change an event? And yet this is exactly what happens all too often—people let themselves become defined by their circumstances instead of defining themselves through their reactions (or lack thereof).
Setting goals is a great way to reclaim control over your life. It’s important to remember that the process should be enjoyable, not stressful. You should feel energized by the act of goal setting and excited about achieving those goals.
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