The power of goal setting for life improvement
Setting goals is game-changing in improving our lives. We can work hard, be resilient, and still not be able to achieve our objectives because of a lack of vision and clarity. When we don't have clear goals and an action plan it is hard to keep the course and prioritize what's really important, especially when things get difficult. The journey is more important than the destination and we have to plan for it. Furthermore, setting goals can be a great motivator and give a self-confidence boost, because you track the journey and acknowledge the little wins, you know that you are getting closer and you get the chance to celebrate each success on the way. You can set goals for each part of your life and let the magic work.
Make your goals visible and palpable by writing them on paper, if you feel creative do some drawings or add images that relate to your goals like a vision board. Vision boards are a great visual reminder of your goals and tasks to achieve them. If you chose to write in your journal make sure you keep coming back to it, reviewing and reevaluating it.
Start by thinking of what you wish to accomplish over the year, some goals will be quick and easy while others may take a whole year or even more time, so be aware of the pressure that you're putting on yourself. Be ambitious but realistic as well. Another important factor is to understand that things may change along the way and you might need to adjust your actions in order to achieve a certain goal. On another note, most people set goals at the beginning of each year but you can start anytime!
Now take a look at your list of goals and think of which one is more important to you, that goal will become the main one. By having this clear you'll have more chances of getting it done, successfully. If you try to do a lot of different things at the same time your mind will get scattered and your energy will be drained by jumping from one goal to another. So the best is to prioritize the most important goal and go from there. This is also why it's so important to have an action plan with tasks and even deadlines.
When writing down your goals, be as specific as possible, set specific dates and an action plan, this means breaking down your goals into small tasks that combined will help you achieve your goals. For example, your goal is to read more, your goal can be "I read 8 books this year", so your deadline is the end of the year. Note that the sentence is in the present tense, this is because it will boost your motivation and will help you to visualise reaching your goal successfully. Then make your action plan which can be:
- Research for interesting books {date}
- Set a day of the week for reading {date}
- Set a reading corner and make it enticing, to reduce friction {date}
- Set the time that you want to spend reading {time}
- Increase the number of reading days to {number}
Be as specific as possible and focus on what matters the most. Make a list of your plans and tick point by point until you reach your destination! Ticking each task will keep you motivated and on track.
When setting goals you may want to have a crystal nearby, to aid gain clarity and process ideas. Smoky Quartz, for instance, is one of the most efficient grounding stones. This stone helps promote positive and pragmatic thought and can be used to give clear insight. Smoky Quartz is an exceptionally protective stone and has a strong connection with the earth. The stone also relieves fear and helps life depression.