Practical Goal Setting Tips For the Future
With the prospect of lockdown easing upon the horizon, it is time to consider the next move for you and your business. Before this unprecedented situation unfolded you may have planned your daily, monthly, yearly and 10 year goals and perhaps have been well on your way to achieving some of these, but it is likely that covid-19 has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works. If you have been thrown off course or feel worried about the future, then you are not alone and taking stock of your goals can help. Within this article I am going to share some of my top tips to help you plan your next move by re-evaluating your approach to goal setting.
Set small achievable goals
When you are looking to set some new goals, many people think it is a case of simply writing down where you want to be 5 years into the future and then you will know exactly what you are working towards; but how will you get there? When life throws up curveballs like the situation we find ourselves in you can quickly find yourself unsure of where you are headed when there are no practical aspects to your goals or you haven’t considered your development in the here and now.
Incremental and practical goals are key to guiding your success. When you achieve one of these small goals, the sense of empowerment you feel propels you onto the next one. When you can look back and see what you have achieved so far, you are much more prepared to set your next goals and build upon them. Goals should always be about winning, not setting an unattainable benchmark with no path to getting there. Instead, write it down, do it and move forward with that win because goals about creating confidence in yourself, you already have the ability.
Couple this with an overarching aim
That being said, having your one big dream and aspirational thought to work towards has its uses too. When you have been thrown off course by an unexpected event it’s easy to feel like you may as well give up because you’re never going to reach this goal, but this is not the way forward. Just because something has thrown you in a different direction does not mean that you are not able to reach your endpoint. That dream is still achievable and should still be your line on the horizon, you just may need to take a different route there. This is where your small incremental goals will help to work towards your dream.
Flexibility to change
Sometimes when we set goals we try to stick to them as rigidly as possible. Whilst this can provide discipline, it is ultimately unrealistic as things can quickly change. Instead, see your goals as providing clarity for your path and be open to revising the most long term ones at least each year. This can also help you to feel more prepared when the next challenge hits but will also boost your confidence as it becomes clear how far you have come.
These uncertain times can make us feel disappointed, frustrated and push us into a negative headspace. Do recognise these feelings, but also use them as your fuel to power you forward. Even if covid-19 means you are having to rethink your approach, you are not back to square one so use the confidence and skills you have gained to date. Empower your next move by making both incremental and practical goals and use your aspirations as fuel to achieving
