The Importance of Setting Goals

You’ve probably heard dozens of times in your life about the importance of setting goals. Even if you are aware that it matters, goal setting can seem elusive or even unattainable. I think that’s because we often look at the concept in the abstract. I know I have often felt like setting goals seems too hard and I just avoid it even though I know that it really does matter.

However, in order to really make goal setting stick, we need to actually set specific goals and write them down! The reality is that creating intentional objectives will make you much more successful at achieving what you want in life. You can take charge of writing the story of your life by setting goals, creating action plans, and following through by doing something to work toward your goals each day.

That’s what I want to share with you now, so let’s move on to understanding the importance of setting goals and the difference doing so can make in your life.

Avoid Getting Stuck

Without setting concrete and specific goals, it’s simply too easy to fall into the never-ending cycle of complacency. You know the one I’m talking about. It’s that awful feeling of being stuck in a cycle of going nowhere or living your life on auto-pilot. Setting goals and checking in on your progress allows you to visualize the outcome you wish to achieve. It gives you focus and lets you know you have some control in your life. That empowerment is motivating and is essential to moving forward.

Break It Down

Sometimes the things we want for ourselves seem simply too massive to consider. Making a goal can help you to break these giant dreams into smaller, more manageable portions that allow you to track your progress and actually see results as they happen. Knowing you want to earn more money is fine, but it’s a resolution that can leave you wondering where to start. If you resolve to gain a promotion at work or learn a new skill to help you earn a pay increase that can seem less intimidating because it is much more doable.

Be Accountable

Goals help you to be accountable to yourself. This can get tricky because it’s easy to ignore the promises you make to yourself. That’s why it’s also important to share your goals and dreams with carefully chosen people you know will be supportive and who care about you too much to let you not follow through. If you do decide to keep your resolutions secret, at least write them down somewhere and add check-in dates to your calendar. By being held accountable, you will be more motivated to make those dreams a reality. Humans simply respond better to accountability. It is much easier to help yourself be accountable when you have specific, measurable goal.

If you haven’t yet signed up for our 30-Day Goals, Habits, and Resolutions Challenge, I encourage you to do so and then you’ll be invited to join our Facebook group where you can find additional accountability with others who are on the same journey.

Live Your Best Life

Finally, goals allow us to focus on what we really want to accomplish. They help to give us purpose and serve as a map to guide us. When you resolve to do something different, you make specific changes in your life to accomplish that. You act in a proactive manner and move forward with purpose, rather than succumbing to what life throws at you. It’s far more rewarding to approach your world in this way.

These are just a few examples of the importance of setting goals, but I hope they’re enough to get you thinking about the benefits you can get from the exercise. Keep them in mind as we move forward to explore more in our Goals, Habits, and Resolutions Challenge.