Setting goals can change your life. This is why and how to do it.

By Effa Norman

Have you ever felt lost in life? Not knowing what you’re working hard for? Having a hard time imagining yourself in the next decade?

If you might be experiencing any of the above, it seems like you don’t have goals in life. Well, you’ve stumbled upon the right article.

Your life = ?

To know what you want in life, you should start by looking back at your values. Whether its your life principles or religious values, you should be aware of what’s guiding you in life.

These values and principles are what you will use to determine if you are on the right path in life.

You can reflect on your values to make important life decisions and goals like; “Should I get a 9 to 5 secure job or take a risk and get my dream job?”. This is where your values come in hand.

There’s street smarts, book smarts, and then there’s….

If you’ve been paying attention in RBT class, you’ve surely heard of the S.M.A.R.T criteria. These parameters can help you set a clear, achievable goal and prevents you leading astray from your goals.

The S in SMART stands for Specific. To specify your goal, you could use the 5W technique: who, what, when, where and why.

The M stands for Measurable. Set a way to measure and record your progress to stay focused and on track with any deadlines.

A for Achievable. Setting unachievable goals for yourself just means that you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Ensuring the goal is realistic is another valuable asset. Do you have the ability and skills to achieve it? The goals should be relevant. Does it correspond to your values? Is your goal worthwhile?

Your goal should have a time period of when it starts and when it ends. This way, you are urged to achieve that goal within the time limit rather than your goal being all up in the air not having an end date.

Dream it, then be it

They say that dreams are just the tricks of the mind, but dreams are more often than not the launchpad for any goal.

Visualisation has played a huge part in identifying my goals. This means envisioning every step towards your goal. Consequently, you will be mentally prepared and lower your anxiousness.

One way to visualise is to do a vision board. You can place it near your bed or by the door. Every time you see it, you will be reminded of what you’re working towards.

Expose yourself to the things related to your goal. Research and read more about your goal to have a better understanding of your goal and make it feel more real.

Achieving your ultimate goal is not everything. Make sure to stop and celebrate the micro achievements.

You will realise that it’s not the end goal that we’re fighting for, but rather the journey and the person you become in the process of achieving it.

Life is full of twists and turns. So, grab a pen and piece of paper, and start drawing out that roadmap!