Many people set goals, but then struggle to achieve them. There are lots of different reasons why this might happen, choosing unrealistic goals, boredom, apathy, laziness, lack of finance, lack of motivation, insufficient knowledge ... the list goes on. However, there are people who are incredibly successful with goal setting because they are realistic, focussed and committed. There are a number of different issues that you should consider to ensure successful goal setting and I have condensed some of these into my goal setting advice.

Pick goals that inspire you

Although when giving goal setting advice people often suggest that you pick something that is short-term and easy so it helps you to stay motivated when you achieve it – I don’t. Breaking down tasks to complete your goals is one thing – but goals should be inspiring and exciting. Of course there may be bits on the way that are boring, or challenging, but the fact is you should really want that goal. If you don’t – don’t bother.

Prepare before you embark on a goal

Hey, this bit of goal setting advice isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds. When I say you should prepare I think there are three main components to that.

• Be honest with yourself - Is this something you want, or are you doing it because it’s what someone else wants? Have you set goals before and failed? If you have draw on that experience and think about what you will do differently. Just don’t kid yourself when it comes to goal setting or you’ll be wasting your time and be setting yourself up for failure.

• Be realistic – Are there any barriers or obstacles that could you prevent you from achieving your goal. That may be other people, it may be time, it may be money. That’s not to say you shouldn’t do something about any obstacles, but it’s wise to anticipate some before you start and work out how you’re going to deal with them.

• Plan for motivational dips – Although it appears some people manage to be extraordinarily motivated all the time – we all suffer from dips in motivation. This may be through boredom, things going wrong, the lack of support from other people, finding it difficult to achieve ... Again – you may not be able to anticipate every issue, but if you spend some time thinking about where you might have problems with motivation you can think about some of the different strategies you can use when those dips arise.

Decide whether you need help

You may be someone who is used to doing everything for yourself but when you’re goal setting think about what help you may need to would be useful to achieve your goals. That may mean asking people to help you directly – like a goal buddy or helping you by doing something for you and freeing up some of your time. Don’t be too proud to ask for help.

Don’t share your goals with the goal saboteurs.

Lots of people want to share their goals with their loved ones or friends – which is great until they make negative comments or are not as supportive as you had hoped. So if you’re sharing your goals you either have to be strong enough to counter any negative reactions and not let it phase you or decide that you won’t bother to share at all. Negativity from other people can completely sabotage your efforts – so be aware.

Summary

My goal setting advice is simple. – Choose goals that inspire you, prepare before you embark on a goal, get help where needed and avoid the saboteurs. After you have set your goals remember you move on to the fun part and the hard work. That’s taking the action.