Goal Setting: How to Set and Reach Your Goals

As any good student knows, if you don't plan for success, you're in fact planning for failure. The core of good planning is knowing how to stake out your goals. These goals then work as milestones, helping you reach your destination much quicker.

If you don't arrange your goals systematically, you'll find yourself lost in the wilderness of your own thoughts. The clearer your mission is, the easier it becomes to complete it.

Goal setting is a process. You start by asking yourself why you're doing what you're doing right now. Are you proud of what you've achieved so far? Is there a noble purpose in following this path, or is it strictly about material gains such as money? In short, we have to learn the why, the how and the when of doing things.

This is where setting goals becomes important, whether they're on a small scale, such as losing a certain amount of weight each month, or a large scale, such as what to do with the rest of your life. That's why I urge you to plan right now and end procrastination today.

Think, ponder, reflect

Sit down and reflect on your life. Where are you going? Life is short, so what makes you want to live and keep striving?

Grab a pen and paper

Now it's time to set out the actual steps you need to take to reach your goal. Get a pen and a notebook and start dividing your plan into years, months and finally days. You might want to read this article on how to make a task list.

Start asking, and answering

An excellent way to start the whole process is simply to ask yourself some questions. Here are a few suggestions. Add or remove questions to form a picture that better fits your needs:

• Do I have any knowledge of this?
• What type of information is needed?
• Where can I get this information?
• Is there a skill I need to master?
• Are there any resources I could use?
• Is this really the only way to do it, or are there better options?

Take small steps, think big thoughts

Once you've finished planning, it's time to carry out the plan. Don't get in over your head: keep your goals small in the beginning. Take baby steps while keeping your eyes on the bigger picture. As a famous Chinese proverb says:

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Just do it

The longer you keep your plans on the shelf, the greater your regrets afterward. How many times have we wished we had finished a certain task long ago? Don't procrastinate: the faster you get things done, the better. Always keep this in mind.

For a closer look at long-term planning, see how to set personal goals.