The Importance of Setting Goals

You've probably heard dozens of times in your life that it's important to set goals. It's one of those things that matters, but can seem elusive or even unattainable. I think that's because we often look at the concept in the abstract.

However, in order to really make goal setting stick, we need to examine the specifics of it and to focus on the reality of just what creating intentional objectives can do for your life. That's what I want to share with you now, so let's move on to understanding the importance of setting goals and the difference doing so can make in your life.

Avoid Getting Stuck

Without setting concrete and specific goals, it's simply too easy to fall into the never-ending cycle of complacency. You know the one I'm talking about. It's that awful feeling of being stuck in a cycle of going nowhere or living your life on auto-pilot. Setting goals and checking in on your progress allows you to visualize the outcome you wish to achieve. It gives you focus and lets you know you have some control in your life. That empowerment is motivating and is essential to moving forward.

Break It Down

Sometimes the things we want for ourselves seem simply too massive to consider. Making a resolution can help you to break these giant dreams into smaller, more manageable portions that allow you to track your progress and actually see results as they happen. Knowing you want to earn more money is fine, but it's a goal that can leave you wondering where to start. Resolving to gain a promotion at work or learn a new skill to help you earn a pay increase can seem less intimidating.

Be Accountable

Goals help you to be accountable to yourself. This can get tricky because it's easy to ignore the promises you make to yourself. That's why it's also important to share your goals and dreams with those close to you. If you do decide to keep your resolutions secret, at least write them down somewhere and add check-in dates to your calendar. By being held accountable, you will be more motivated to make those dreams a reality. Humans simply respond better to accountability. Having a resolution is great for this purpose.

Live Your Best Life

Finally, goals allow us to focus on what we really want to accomplish. They help to give us purpose and serve as a map to guide us. When you resolve to do something different, you make specific changes in your life to accomplish that. You act in a proactive manner and move forward with purpose, rather than succumbing to what life throws at you. It's far more rewarding to approach your world in this way.

These are just a few examples of the importance of setting goals, but I hope they're enough to get you thinking about the benefits you can get from the exercise. Keep them in mind as we move forward to explore more in our Goals and Resolutions Challenge.

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