Last Updated on October 31, 2022
Have you ever wondered why the world is so obsessed with competition, success, and the burning desire to achieve your goals?
Most people, if not all, were asked since they were kids about their dreams in life. Your parents or perhaps other people might have told you about the importance of setting goals.
Even at schools, teachers ask their students about creating short-term goals or long-term goals. They even give talks and tips on achieving them!
If you are looking for motivation to help you with goal setting, keep reading this article to see how these two successful people achieved their goals through writing.
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Considered as one of the bestselling novel series with more than a million copies sold around the world, did you know that the authors went through obstacles at first before becoming successful?
Motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen first met in the 80s and quickly became good friends. During their experience and conversations with their audience, they came up with an idea to compile 101 inspirational stories they’ve heard from the past years and create a book about them.
Their main goal was to make their readers feel comforted and soothed while reading their book that’s why they came up with the title “Chicken Soup for the Soul”. It took them three years to draft the book and once their manuscript was done, many publishers showed their doubt and were unenthusiastic about it.
144 publishers rejected their manuscript, but despite their failure, their commitment and passion to accomplish their goal didn’t waver.
By 1992, when hope seemed lost, Canfield and Hansen’s work was noticed by a small publisher, Health Communications. Never in their wildest dreams that their effort was finally well-received.
Many people enjoyed and related to their first book. Readers kept asking for more that’s why it has become the series it is known for today.
As of 2020, there are more than 250 titles in the series.
What We Can Learn From Success Stories
Setting goals is a process that, in most cases, precedes the execution of a specific task. Achieving goals requires not only for you to work hard but to also possess the right mindset during the entire process.
Many accomplished people like Jack and Mark possess the same attitude towards their work – and it always starts first with setting goals. Whether you are an athlete or an entrepreneur, setting goals will give you a clear objective.
In order to improve your ability to achieve your goals, it is important to start with something simple and attainable. This will not only allow you to track your progress but also measure your comfort level in terms of how challenging the goal is.
To help you focus, improve performance, and not lose track of your set goals, here are some things that can help you reach them:
Table of Contents
State Your Goals Positively
When setting your goals, using a positive statement can help you to work harder and do better.
“I will practice hard on this technique” is better than “I don’t know how to this technique. It’s so hard.”
Set Your Priorities
It’s totally fine if you have several goals in mind. Just make sure that you know how to prioritize according to your plans.
Setting your priorities can help avoid getting overwhelmed by having too many goals and direct your attention to things that matter most.
Show Dedication
If you really are eager to reach your dream you will have to show dedication and give every bit of your energy to it.
Being highly motivated and keeping a positive mindset is very important when met with challenges so that you would know how to deal with bad situations.
Always remember to give it your utmost best and stay focused when working on your future.
Personal Goals That are SMART
Using the SMART approach is a great example to achieve your important goals in life.
SMART stands for the following acronyms:
1. Specific
Is your goal clear and simple? If it’s not then it will be difficult to keep motivated and focus your effort towards your set goals.
When thinking of a goal, try answering these five “W” questions:
- What is it that you want to accomplish?
- Why is this goal important for you?
- Who is involved in this process?
- Where is it located?
- Which resources are used?
2. Measurable
Your goals should be measurable by the criteria you set for yourself. If you have no criteria to assess your progress, it will be very difficult to stay on track.
When measuring your goals, keep in mind the following questions:
- How many/much is it?
- How do you know if you’ve already accomplished your goal?
3. Achievable
For your goals to work, it has to be realistic and achievable. Although it might be challenging and require your skills to be improved, it still has to be doable.
When thinking about an achievable goal, you may come across your previous goals that didn’t work and reflect on them. Identifying and acknowledging this is essential to bring you closer to it.
Usually, the questions under an achievable goal are:
- How can you accomplish your goal?
- Considering the possible factors, how realistic is your goal?
4. Relevant
Always look at the bigger picture when you’re goal-setting. How relevant will it be and who would benefit from it?
In the story above, Jack and Mark’s goal was ideal because their book showed that it was relevant to their own goal and to other people as well.
In this step, you evaluate all the goals you have and decide if:
- Is your goal worthwhile?
- Is it the right time?
- Does it match your efforts and needs?
- Is your goal applicable to the current situation?
5. Time-bound
What is the time period you’ve decided to achieve your dream? All tasks should have a deadline to help you prioritize the things you need to complete your goals.
Questions for this part can be:
- When can you expect to achieve your goals?
- What can you accomplish right now?
Performance Goal Over Outcome Goals
As much as it’s exciting to think about the outcome of your goal, it’s important to prioritize thinking about how you will reach it.
What skills do you need to perform to reach your goal? Is it attainable?
Rather than focusing only on the outcome, you have to think about the things that are in your control which is how you will perform.
Setting your goals based on personal performance can help you stay in control over your achievements.
Surround Yourself with a Good Support System
Consider yourself lucky if you are surrounded by positive people who uplift you towards your goals. When you are with people who genuinely support and believe you in what you are doing, it can motivate you to do your best and perform well.
Some may even be luckier to have a certain role model or mentor by their side to encourage them to get through the difficult times.
Achieving Your Goals
Having a goal is one thing. Actually achieving that goal is another. Achieving even the most basic of goals can be a challenge for some, and a daunting task for others.
The key to achieving any goal is knowing what you want and actually doing something about it! Your efforts will pay off if you can take the first step and believe in yourself. There’s no way to know without giving it a go!
