GOALS

Generally, goals are what people set for themselves or others to improve something in their life. However, some goals can be made unrealistic and unattainable which might make the person feel like making further goals is hopeless and a waste of time. This is due to the things that occur in our daily lives that make goals harder to achieve. Depending on the person who made the goal is one reason why goals are not always achieved. In order for any goal to be achieved who ever is making the goal must first follow the seven characteristics of goals.

            First, the goal must be self chosen meaning a goal chosen by the person who wants to achieve the goal will be more attainable and will motivate the person much more effectively. As the person reaches that first goal they should began to make the goal moderately challenging. This characteristic will challenge and push the person to do more. Of course the goal should always be realistic so the person can actually achieve the goal. If the goal is made unrealistic there would be no point in attempting to achieve it.

            Next, make sure the goal is measurable  This will help the person to see where the starting point is, how much progress they have made, and where the finish line is. Setting a specific goal is very important, because the person will be more likely to conquer one set goal.  Setting a specific goal will not only give the person direction, but it will also decrease any anxiety the person may feel. Setting a finite helps the person to have a finish line. For example, make a short term goal that will end within a month is finite. Lastly, all goals made should be positive at all times. If the goal is positive the person is more likely to accomplish their goal. Certain words such as, “try,” “should,” and “hope” are words that should be avoided because they are key reasons why people may doubt themselves. If these words are omitted from the goal statement this creates less room for procrastination.

            After that, there are five steps to writing effective goals. These steps are to help a person use the correct terms and wording when setting goals. Writing a tentative goal statement should say exactly what it is that a person wants to achieve. The reason being as I have stated before there are certain words that may hinder a person from attaining the goal. Listing all the obstacles that might interfere with attaining the goal is an excellent way of finding a person’s weakness within that goal. Once the person is aware of those obstacles they can then work toward overcoming them.

            With that being said, the more resources you have to help achieve the goal the better a person’s chances increases of conquering the goal. Always review and revise the goal statement accordingly. See if there are any changes to be made after reviewing the obstacles and if so this step is the time to make those changes. This step is critical because the previous step made the obstacles come to light about the goal and could have possibly have altered the goal. The final step is to polish the goal statement. This step ensures the correct words have been used and it should resemble the seven characteristics of effective goals.

            In closing, the seven characteristics of effective goals should help a person with short and long term goals. These steps are a great guideline of how each goal a person should make and what the goal should include in it. Not only do these characteristics help a person attain their goal, but it also increase the chances a person might help others to attain their goals as well. The five steps to writing effective goals will help break down a goal in simple terms so they do not seem complicated and create anxiety to the person reaching for their goal. Ultimately these seven characteristics and five steps will help people to achieve their goals and improve their lives.