• What is a goal?
• And you may well ask! Get the answer here
• Plus, get a really great goal setting tip, too
What Is a Goal? In General
In very achievement oriented cultures (like the North American and several European cultures, for starters) goals are usually given a lofty status. In these cultures goals are important, goals are good. And who am I to disagree? Given that you want something, goals are in fact important. Because that is what goals are all about. Goals have to do with intention and desire. A goal is a state of affairs you want to achieve. It's something you desire and intend to achieve - often within a timeframe, a deadline. Viewed like that your goals are your plans for the future. And finally, in order to achieve a goal you usually need to take some sort of action. So, what is a goal? Briefly put, you might define a goal as 'a desired, intended and projected (future) state of affairs that is achieved after specific steps are taken (action)'.
What Is a Goal? More Specifically
- Sample Goals Objectives
Your goals might be concrete, like things you want to do or materials possessions you want to own - or they might be less concrete, like feelings or states of being you want to experience (e.g. love, inner peace or happiness). A goal can also be very general in nature - like a direction you want to move in. 'I choose to create a better life for myself' is an example of such a general goal. The more you define your goal and the means you will use to achieve it, the easier it becomes to both do what it takes and to measure your success. 'I choose to create a better life for myself using personal development, self improvement and spirituality for overcoming low self esteem and letting go of unhealthy relationships' is the same goal, only much more precisely defined. Regardless of whether the things you desire are tangible or not, setting them as pretty precisely defined goals can help you get there.
What Is a Goal? - It's a Time Based Target Achievement ... Long, Medium and Short Term Goals
If you make it simple, goals basically come in three variants: - short term goals, which are usually quick and easy to achieve
- medium term goals, which are usually medium fast and medium hard to achieve
- long term goals, which are usually the hardest and slowest to achieve
For example, you may set the goal of growing your business to three other states in the next three years; or to earn 50 percent more money next year; or to lose a specific amount of weight in three months; or to have better relations with your family starting tomorrow. That last one (better relations), by the way, is very loosely defined. This does not mean that setting it as a goal is untenable, not at all. But if you keep your goal like that it does make for at simpler approach. Check one such approach out in the goal setting article: How to Set Goals Easily - Goal Setting for Kids and Smart Adults [LINK].
What Is a Goal? - It's a Focus for Your Attention and Effort ... Setting Goals and Achieving Them
So, what's the point of setting goals? Well, in short setting goals is a powerful way to get your attention focused in a certain direction, getting you to make the right decisions and take the right actions that will get you there. And keeping your attention locked on the goal also has the very nice side effect of making any obstacles you encounter and setbacks you suffer on the way seem like positive challenges, or, at worst, mere bumps in the road. The great American industrialist Henry Ford once said it very succintly: "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."
What Is a Goal? - I Hope This Question Has Been Answered Now ... Know-how About Goal Setting Theory
and Goal Setting Strategies
If you want to know more about setting and achieving goals (how to set goals) I would recommend the following four resources: 1) You can read about setting big, long term goals in the goal setting article Goal Setting Strategies - The Personal Development Guy's Advanced Goals Check [LINK]. 2) For medium big medium term goals the SMART goal theory is perfect. Read about that one in the goal setting article SMART Goals - Goal Setting Theory & Strategies Made Simple. 3) For short term - and medium term, and long term goal setting, please consider reading: How to Set Goals Easily - Goal Setting for Kids and Smart Adults [LINK]. 4) And if you are interested in what goes on behind the scenes, so to speak, in our human consciousness when it comes to setting and achieving goals, do consider reading the personal development article Goal Setting Theory: How to Set Goals that Work [LINK].
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