Who does not dream of learning how to meet personal goals? You probably know the feeling of wanting something good to happen but not being able to make it happen.
Do you set personal goals each year but have not been able to achieve them?
Believe it or not, it is a common feeling that most of us experience, and it occurs not because of our lack of abilities, but because we do not know how to set objectives and goals. We are experts dreaming of them, but we are not good at materializing them.
For this reason we want you to know what are the biggest mistakes that prevent us from reaching our personal goals. Pay a lot of attention.
How to meet personal goals: 7 mistakes you should not make.
1. Not writing down your goals.
If you have been following us you will think that we have already said this many times. Know something? It is true, we have repeated it in many of our articles. But it is one of the critical points when setting goals.
We trust our memory so much that we think writing is an unnecessary step. This is probably the biggest mistake that keeps us from learning how to achieve personal goals.
No matter where you write; an old notebook, a sheet, a post-it, a note on your mobile phone, a Word file whatever, the important thing is that you write down each and every one of your personal goals.
It is widely accepted and supported by various studies that writing down your goals is an indicator of your likelihood of achieving them, so if you are not doing this, start now. Your chances of achieving results will increase by 40%.
If you can’t part with your phone, try Evernote or Trello. These applications can help you.
2. You don’t set a deadline for your personal goals.
If you don’t set a deadline for each of your personal goals, you haven’t really set a goal at all. The reason is because what could be a goal is actually a wish.
Also read: 7 habits that will lead you to obtain enormous results.
Over time you will discover that achieving goals requires having a plan, and this plan needs deadlines. The more concrete your date can be, the better.
Buy a calendar and make notes of the deadlines for each activity.
3. You set too many goals.
It’s common to get very excited about goal setting and in the middle of it set 10, 20, 30 goals. Realistically you are not going to have enough time to achieve them all. You must prioritize.
Quality over quantity is an important parameter when setting goals. Establish 1 or 2 that are of great importance to you. When you achieve them, establish another one. Small steps will help you go great ways.
4. Not creating specific and measurable goals.
Another mistake that keeps us from learning how to meet personal goals is that we tend to set very general goals. For example: “I want to earn more money”, “I want to go on vacation”, “I want to exercise”.
It is excellent that you have these personal goals, but if you do not make them specific and measurable, you will not be able to achieve them. You will not be able to know what you need to achieve them. They are not good objectives for the simple fact that they do not have an end.
Also read: How to keep the promises we make?
If you want to “have more money” and you find money on the floor or you win a raffle, you have already achieved your goal. Was that what you were looking for?
Make your goals specific and measurable.
- Increase my income by 15% by December 31 of this year. Remember to establish how you are going to do it and what tools or resources you are going to use.
- I will lose 15 kilos by December 31 of this year. Establish the diet you are going to follow, what exercise plan and measure your results month by month or week by week. Based on these results you can make corrections in the process.
5. Not knowing your why.
Having goals without knowing why you have them is like building a house without a foundation. Sooner or later it will collapse.
Instead of setting random goals, set goals that have powerful motives, true motivations for you. What is your life purpose? What makes you really happy?
Once you know your reasons and have a purpose, achieving your goals will be fun and above all fulfilling.
Also read: Do not be adrift and create a life plan.
6. Do not say “no” to other opportunities.
It is not about having negative thoughts…Saying “yes” to one thing means saying “no” to something else. Unfortunately we can’t have it all…we would like to but we can’t.
For example, if you say “yes” to dinner plans and “yes” to every bachelor party you’re invited to, you’re saying “no” to what you would do during that time. Which can be some activity that brings you closer to meeting your goals.
To make sure you’re prioritizing your goals and not prioritizing other people’s plans and your fun, learn to balance your activities.
Don’t go to opposite poles. It is important that you go out and have fun, because your mind needs to clear and be nourished by other experiences to be productive. Likewise, you will need to dedicate time to your goals, so you will have to sacrifice some outings and invest that time in your life purpose.
7. Not measuring progress.
If you do not measure your progress you do not know if you are being efficient in the execution of your objectives. It is vital that you evaluate your progress and make the necessary corrections.
Our objectives can change over time due to situations that are out of our control and it is up to you to measure their impact to know how much your deadlines and daily activities are affected.
Just because you set a goal doesn’t mean you’ve already achieved it. Life throws things at you that you could never have imagined, so you have to be flexible in adjusting your goals.
The key to learning how to meet personal goals it is having a plan in place and reviewing it periodically, as circumstances change.
And remember that if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can purchase our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
