There are a number of reasons why certain people attain success in life and others do not. Clearly there are some factors that are beyond the control of an individual, but there are others that are not. One key indicator of success is whether or not an individual has key goals toward which he or she can strive. Those who lack such goals, often described as life goals, will in many cases merely go through life day to day without the impetus to do any more than is currently being done.
The existence of life goals helps to focus on a person’s choices and encourages that individual to keep moving forward in order to accomplish the goals that have been set. Life goals are clearly an important part of the life of any person who wants to make a significant mark in his or her world. What is the process through which attainable life goals can be created which will assist a person in achieving much during his or her lifetime?
Understanding the purpose of a goal
Goals are essential in almost every endeavor in life. Whether the reward is monetary, such as in a job situation, or distinction, as in a sports league, or some other inducement, it is often the promise of reward for success that encourages an individual to work hard in order to attain to the goal that has been set. People, in general, seek comfort and regularity and it is often the presence of a goal that provides the encouragement necessary for a person to put in the effort and time required to move ahead and to strive to exceed that which is currently present in a person’s life.
A goal is something that directs a person’s energy and focuses. Success and achievement do not come about merely through the exercise of energy and work without there being a particular goal to which that energy and work is being directed. Mere action without purpose, no matter how intense or consistent, will never achieve an end. A goal is a specific end that can be seen and which a person is able to work. The very presence of a goal, an end, helps a person to keep going when things become hard or when inevitable setbacks arise. The focus produced by a goal is exactly the impetus that enables an individual to continue to strive and work and often allows a person to accomplish what is being strived for.
Ensuring that goals are truly attainable
Developing attainable goals is a fine balancing act between encouraging people to dream big and also challenging people to accurately assess what they are truly capable of doing.
An attainable goal is one that can be achieved and while some purposes can be dreamed of they cannot always actually be accomplished. The challenge is not to use the attainable as a reason for not attempting to do more than can seem reasonable. There is a key difference between what is possible through much hard work and dedication and that which is just beyond the scope no matter how much there is a desire to do so. Some goals require physical, mental, or emotional faculties that a person either does not possess or in some cases which he or she just is not able to develop no matter how much time or effort is put in.
Much mental and emotional discipline is required to distinguish between those goals which are truly within the reach of a person and those which cannot be achieved under any circumstances. Dreaming big is always a good method of pushing a person to achieve more than he or she may think is possible, but there need to be appropriate guards in place to help a person to identify those goals that are truly beyond his or her capabilities. Failure to put such measures in place will result in a person striving after that which is truly impossible and the inevitable failure has the potential for doing serious damage to the emotional development of such an individual.
Putting short term goals in place
Attainable goals are generally best attained by breaking up the larger goal into smaller goals that can be reached in shorter amounts of time. Most people become easily discouraged when their hard work and effort does not bring immediate results. The current culture encourages the idea that a person can have whatever he or she desires immediately and in fact is entitled to do so. Such a mindset is a challenge to the long-term implementation of attainable goals. When a person becomes discouraged he or she will often lose heart and give up before the goal is attained.
Small successes along the way provide encouragement and help to make the long-term goal seem less daunting. One of the challenges is to help a person to not become overwhelmed with a large challenge and a primary manner of accomplishing this is to set up a series of stages that can be reached along the way. The psychological and emotional strengthening that comes from accomplishing a small task will be a great encouragement to keep going toward a goal that is farther down the road. Breaking up a larger goal into smaller, more manageable goals will also help a person to get a clearer grasp on all that is involved in the larger goal and will make the process easier to handle through the hard times and the difficulties that occur along the way.
Understanding individual development
The reaching of a goal and even the attempt to do so has rewards that go beyond the mere achievement of what is being striven toward. The very process of desiring to accomplish a larger task while bringing positive improvements in a person’s life. The physical, emotional, and psychological transformation that comes about as a person strives to accomplish more than he or she has in the past will make that individual a better person whether or not the primary goal is reached. While these personal changes are often difficult to bring into reality when they are the ultimate goal, they often quickly fall into place as a person strives after a larger accomplishment.
The setting of the mind on something big and possibly overwhelming takes the mind off of the day to day life choices that are often such a struggle. As these day to day choices are focused on the necessities of achieving the larger goal, a person often makes better choices and these choices make him or her a better person who is more able to accomplish other goals in the future. While a goal may be a wonderful thing to accomplish, becoming a better person will bring more success over a lifetime.
Making attainable goals a way of life
There is an enormous benefit to consistently developing and attaining reasonable goals. The confidence and emotional strength that comes from setting a goal and reaching that goal have benefits both for the reward of reaching a particular goal and in the positive changes that the effort make in the individual’s life. Success over a lifetime comes about by setting a reachable goal and making the necessary choices required to make that goal a reality. The focus that attainable goals provide enables an individual to use his or her energy in a manner that brings fulfillment and success.
The process of developing attainable goals is not merely a short-term process but is a way of life that brings enrichment and happiness. Struggles in life will not seem so frustrating when they are seen within the scope of an overall goal to which a person is striving. The act of overcoming setbacks will actually bring confidence as a person draws closer to achieving a long-term goal. Goals that are attainable are a source of personal development and achievement that bring fulfillment and joy to a person’s life.
