​Top 10 Goal Setting Secrets

A new year has arrived.  Every year we all make resolutions of doing something new, something better, achieving more and winning more. Nonetheless very few can achieve the goals that they set in the start. That is why I have gathered top 10 secrets to help you achieve your goals during this year.

1) Plan strategically.

Planning goes beyond simply writing down your end goals. Strategic and tactical planning means including the overview of the plan. Then the overall plan is divided into smaller, achievable and feasible sections that map out ways to achieve the plan.

For example, to get good grades, there are strategies that you can use. You can formulate strategies such as preparing a reading calendar and dedicating more time to the toughest topics and attending all the class etc. All such types of strategies should be included in the plan. The idea is to plan strategically with a "big picture" in the mind. Apart from being strategic, one must also be tactical in breaking that big goal into smaller ones.

2) Recognize when help is needed.

The suggestions of others are important to achieve successful goals. When you experience difficulties, you should ask for help from family, friends, and colleagues. Remember, stiffness limits growth.

Some goals cannot be achieved individually; you need others to know what went wrong and how you improve. Teamwork is always better than a lone wolf.

3) Stop and re-evaluate.

It is important to review the progress and evaluate yourself. These evaluations will keep you on the right track. Circumstances can change and impede your goals, that is why re-evaluation of the action plans must be made from time to time.

If there have been changes that affect the action plans, they are adjusted to the current circumstances. This ensures that the objectives are always up-to-date.

4) Plans must be reviewed regularly.

Reviewing the action plans helps to know if you are doing what is agreed in the plan. The goals should be checked time and again to see if they are still related to your career goals and priorities. The objectives should be written where they can be seen so that you can reflect on them. Sometimes, we are very enthusiastic while making plans, but after a few days we forget them, this is human nature. Therefore, keeping the plans in a visible place makes it easier to maintain consistency by remembering them frequently.

5) Use action verbs.

The goals that you set should lead to the actions. If the goal is to exercise daily then this needs to be acted upon. The use of action verbs gives you an impulse to act, whatever the situation may be.

For this reason, action verbs should be used at the beginning of a sentence while they become objectives to achieve the impulse mentioned above. For example, "Exercising 30 minutes daily" shows the determination and motivation that you will exercise daily.

The goals should focus on the action that must be taken.

6) Set a timeline for each goal.

A goal could be short-term, long-term or as simple as making a decision that "I will not allow anyone to do judge me". The objectives may be long-term, short term, or they may be ongoing. The important objectives must be timed and synchronized with the calendar to achieve the best results. Instead of talking about what you need in the future, a timely set goal gives clarity of what you need to achieve.

In addition, a timeline prevents procrastination and gives us healthy pressure to achieve our goals.

7) Identification of the obstacles.

For each obstacle, action plans must be presented on how to eliminate them. We must recognize that the journey to success is never easy and there may be obstacles in our path. If we identify the obstacles then we are in a better position to dig deeper to determine the cause. For example, if your goal is to exercise daily and you didn’t exercise for a week then the possible obstacles could be your tight schedule or lack of any gym membership. Now when you know the obstacles, you can think about removing them.

8) Involve parents and families.

As I said earlier that group work is much better than being working alone. Similarly, if you share your plans and goals with people who care about you, then you will have much better motivation to achieve them. Your friends, partners or family members can be very supportive in boosting your morale. Everyone needs to have someone who keeps him or her reminded that they can do this.

9)  Progress, not perfection.

Being oriented​ ​toward progress instead of trying to be perfect. This will allow you to maintain the paradigm achievements. You must celebrate your progress and rewarding yourself has a lot of motivation. 

10) Have Fun

Remember that you are human and you need time for fun and leisure. Do not get too heavy on yourself and be realistic. You should have time to recharge yourself. You can do this by rewarding yourself after achieving every milestone of your goals.  ​