Would it surprise you to know that your self-esteem (the value you place on yourself) determines whether or not you reach your goals?
The reverse is equally true: setting and achieving realistic goals will substantially increase your self-esteem. You do not believe me? Just think about the last time you had a hard time mastering a new skill. At the very point of exasperation, when you are desperate, if you persevere despite being sorely tempted to give up… Suddenly, miraculously, everything falls into place…
Did you feel smart, surprised, rewarded, accomplished, elated, and like you were going to burst with pride? Did you feel that he could easily build on this achievement? This is how you will feel every time you propose and achieve a personal goal. It will be even more satisfying if you purposefully focus your energies on accomplishing something specific and concrete.
“Dare to dream! If you didn’t have the ability to make your wildest wishes come true, your mind wouldn’t have the ability to conjure up such ideas in the first place. There is no limit to what you can potentially achieve, except for the limitation you choose to impose.” to your own imagination. What you think is possible will always happen, as long as you consider it possible. Is it really as simple as that? Anthon Sint Maarten
People who dare to dream know that setting and achieving goals, however small and insignificant they may be, boost their confidence on a day-to-day basis. Every time you accomplish a goal set on purpose, your confidence in your own ability grows.
Although I was aware of the targeting procedure, and even occasionally used it, I severely underestimated the potential of this powerful method. Too much hassle, I thought. I have since converted, not only because of my own experience, but also because of the overwhelmingly positive reaction from my clients.
Your self-esteem, conscientiousness, communication skills, energy, and responsibility can be amplified by your use of goal setting. Building and maintaining our self-esteem is one of the challenges we all face sooner or later. Confidence comes from knowing that we can successfully complete what we set out to do. It is the result of experience, the experience of meeting our goals effectively. We must have some way of evaluating an experience, some way of knowing whether it was valuable or not. This is where goal setting comes in. Setting realistic goals, working towards them, and ultimately achieving them are excellent learning experiences.
We feel good about ourselves when we reach our goals. Which in turn makes it easier for us to reach our next goals, so the effect soon snowballs.
But how do you set achievable goals?
How to set and achieve any goal.
Perhaps our very human essence is goal-oriented. Human effort is measured by some of its greatest achievements. What do you want to achieve? Without a set of key goals, life can become a case of living haphazardly from day to day. Any goal, whether it’s a small one on the way to achieving a key goal or, indeed, a key goal, needs to be SMART.
SMART GOALS are:
-Specific: State each goal as a positive and unequivocal statement
-Measurable: break the key objective into small measurable steps
-Achievable: Make sure it fits with your current job, family, and financial commitments
-Relevant and Realistic: Physically and mentally possible
-Time limit: Try to achieve the various stages of your goal according to a preconceived time scale
- Specific – Setting detailed and precise objectives
State each goal as an unequivocal, positive statement. The process of reaching the goals includes an initial assessment, frequent reviews, and progress checks. Goals must be stated in specific terms so that they appear as crystallized images in the mind rather than blurry appearances on the horizon. “I have to lose weight” sounds like a daunting project with no starting point. Setting a more concrete short-term goal is more effective. For example, decide that after two weeks you will have lost 2 kg. This is a more specific, practical and therefore achievable goal. What exactly do you want to achieve? I want to be an Olympic competitor is not a performance goal; it is actually the result of a goal. Make sure your goals are specific and not just results. - Measurable: structuring of objectives that can be measured
So you want to walk for exercise… fine! What does success look like measured? How much and how often do you want to walk? How would you know that you are still on the path to success and how would you prove it to yourself? You’ll need to break your main goal down into small, measurable steps, like deciding to walk 5K 5 days out of 7. The best way to track your accomplishments and progress toward your main goal is to keep an exercise journal. - Achievable – Is this goal practically possible?
By making sure your goals are achievable, I’m not suggesting that you seek to downgrade them so that they become too easy to achieve. Instead, you need to weigh what you intend to accomplish against the other demands on your time, finances, and talent. Keep the low-level goals you’re working on small and achievable. If a goal is too big, it can feel like you’re not making progress toward it. Keeping goals small and incremental provides more reward opportunities. Derive today’s goals from larger ones. Prioritize: When you have multiple goals, give each one a priority. This helps you avoid feeling overwhelmed by too many goals and helps you focus your attention on the most important ones. Organization and prioritization are essential for the success of the true winner. Addressing the most important items on your “TO DO” list will result in maximum productivity. Less essential items can be marked off as time permits. Plan the work and then work the plan. - Relevant and realistic: are you honest with yourself?
Is it realistic to learn to play the piano up to the level of concert pianist? Is it realistic to sign yourself up to run a multi-billion dollar corporation? Do you have the right personality; Can you handle the pressure and worry when things don’t go your way? This is the essence of realism. Set performance goals, not outcome goals: You should be careful to set goals over which you have as much control as possible. There is nothing more discouraging than not achieving a personal goal for reasons beyond your control. If you base your goals on personal performance, then you can maintain control over achieving your goals and gain satisfaction from them. It is important to set goals that can be achieved. All kinds of people — coaches, parents, the media, and society — can set unrealistic goals for you. They will often do this while ignoring their own desires and ambitions. Alternatively, you may set goals that are too high, because you may not appreciate the bumps in the road or understand how much skill you need to develop to achieve a particular level of performance. - Time limit: has a start date and an ETA
You should aim to achieve the various stages of your goal according to a preconceived schedule. Unless you incorporate these parameters into your goals, you could end up paralyzed by procrastination and end up more frustrated and unfocused than before you started. Set a precise goal, putting dates, times and amounts so you can measure your achievement. If you do this, you will know exactly when you have reached the goal and you will celebrate your achievement, and you can feel completely satisfied that you have achieved it. Formulate short, medium and long term goals.
By mapping out your goals in this way, you’ll realize the skills, financial help, and time you’ll need along the way. Develop short and medium term goals to help you develop those skills. You will begin to make decisions based on whether or not those options will be beneficial to your long-term goals. If you simply drift in the sea of choice, allowing the tide of everyday life to take its course, it will only be by coincidence that you will arrive at your destination or even recognize it when it arrives. As you take each step, no matter how small, toward your goal, your confidence will grow and solidify.
“By the way, perfection of effort is not required. It is the consistency of trying to work these tools that brings progress. It’s like anything else. If I want to tone my muscles, lifting a ten pound weight several times a day will get me to my goal much faster than lifting a fifty pound barbell once a week. Yes, it really is true: “Slow and steady wins the race.” Try it a little, every day. You’ll see.” holly mossier