6 Keys for Success to Help Reach Your Goals

We often hear about the need to set goals, whether it’s at work or at the start of the year, but how many of us know how to set and reach meaningful goals? Keep reading, and we’ll show you why you should:

• Set measurable goals.
• Make sure your goals are attainable.
• Build a timeline.
• Make a plan.
• Write them down.
• Tell a friend.

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Set measurable goals.
What are measurable goals? A measurable goal is something that you can easily use quantitative data to identify its success. For example, setting a goal to improve your fitness is vague and immeasurable. You can make it a measurable goal by setting a goal to complete a fitness program, lifting weights three times a week, or working up to running a marathon. You can easily measure the success or failure of your goal by setting a specific benchmark. Knowing exactly what you’re working toward can help to motivate you in your efforts. While vague goals with a subjective target might be easier to “achieve,” you’re not as likely to get the desired personal outcome.

Make sure your goals are attainable.
Part of knowing how to be successful with goals is understanding attainable goals. Don’t set yourself up for failure by saying you want to get up off the couch tomorrow and run a marathon if you’ve never trained. Be reasonable with your goal setting and make sure they’re attainable. Sometimes this will take setting smaller goals along the way. Ultimately, it’s important that you understand what it will take to get from where you are to your ultimate goal, so you know if it’s attainable.

Build a timeline.
Setting goals is great, but are they effective if you don’t have a timeline to achieve them? Let’s go back to the goal of running a marathon. When do you want to run that marathon? Are you planning on next year? Two years from now? A decade from now? Of course, your timeline depends on your starting point, but it should be hard enough to push you while remaining attainable. If you’ve never done any kind of distance running in your life, it’ll probably take some time to condition. In this case, setting a timeline of running a marathon in two or three years isn’t unreasonable while running one next week is, in which case, you’re setting yourself up to fail. If you’re a 10k champ, then you can probably get yourself into marathon shape within a few months. Setting a goal to run in a year is attainable but probably won’t push you as hard as you’d like. Either way, decide what’s reasonable and create a timeline for reaching your goal that will push you to better yourself.

Make a plan.
French writer, poet, journalist, and aviator, Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” It doesn’t matter whether you want to run a marathon or write a book, you’ll need a plan to reach your goal. Work with your established timeline to make smaller and more easily attained goals that will help you along the way to your big goal. If you’re training for a marathon, set weekly mileage goals. If you’re writing a book, set goals to write chapters each day or each week. Whatever your goal might be, use the timeline you’ve already created for yourself and build a plan into that window. Knowing what it takes to get from start to finish and putting together that plan is one of the keys to success in creating goals.

Write them down.
You might have certain things that you keep on your mind all the time. Where you’re headed next, what you have to do today, and what needs to be done tomorrow. Your goals might even be one of the things constantly bouncing around in your mind. Even if this is the case, it’s helpful to write your goals down somewhere you can see them. Being able to see your goals in a to-do list form makes it easier to review them often and do a quick evaluation of how close you are to achieving them. It also holds you accountable for your original goal. It’s easy to move the mark after a few months to make it easier to reach your benchmark if it isn’t recorded. Writing down your goals ensure that you hold yourself accountable to what you really want.

Tell a friend.
Speaking of holding yourself accountable, telling a friend is another great way to be accountable for your goals. Sometimes it’s nice to keep goals to yourself. It gives you a chance to quietly work on a project without input from others. While that can be nice, it’s not always helpful. Pick a friend or a family member and tell them you’re working toward a goal. Let them know it’s OK to check in to see how it’s going and specifically ask for encouragement. A pat on the back can do a lot to push you toward your goal.

One of the keys to success in life is to continue to improve yourself. Whether you’re improving your professional craft or becoming a better version of yourself, setting and attaining meaningful goals and tracking your success is a great way to make the most out of life.