Why Is Goal Setting Important?
A goal is a simple, straightforward target set by you. It can relate to small, inconsequential, everyday matters or can be life-changing, ambitious, and have a lasting impact on your life. We play numerous different roles in life; career, working mother, partner, wife, sister, daughter, friend, colleague, or a single parent; it can be challenging to see the wood for the trees and maintain an element of control over our lives. We rush through each day, changing or adapting to our various roles as demands dictate. For many of us, this is just the way it is, and possibly just how we like it.
However, do you sometimes feel that you are not in control of your life and that life is controlling you?
This is where setting goals can help. Goals allow us to take back control. They provide some direction in life and, once clearly defined targets are set, motivate you to achieve them. As you complete the first target, aim for the next one. And then the next. It can be quite addictive to experience some minor successes, and this feeling of achievement can act as a driver to some significant, life-defining success.
So, set goals for each role you play in life and have an ultimate goal, maybe the job of your dreams, the house you always wanted, or how you want your life to be in, say, 20 years. If you work towards an end goal, your chances of getting there are obviously, much improved. The alternative is not knowing where you want to go, which means you will never get to where you want to be.
What Is Your Dream?
Do you have one, or just a general idea of how you wish to be as a person? What about a career? Family? Health or sports? It took me many years to realize the importance of dreaming, but I achieved something I did not think possible when I did. I enjoy running distances. I started because it significantly improved my lung capacity, which limited my asthma. I dreamt of building up to a full marathon and trained with that aim in mind. I won a place in the London marathon and completed it in just under five hours. I was elated. However, that achievement motivated me higher. I wanted to be faster and more robust, so I kept at it. After ten marathons, I finally ran under four hours. I also collapsed after the finish line and was quite ill, but I didn’t mind at all. I had achieved something I never imagined I could do by having that clear goal at the forefront of my mind.
Confidence
Achieving goals, big or small, increases confidence. Feeling confident can change our outlook on life. If I am optimistic, I am happier, feel lucky, smile more, and stand tall. Minor challenges remain just that: minor. I feel less stress over juggling all of my roles in life and better equipped to move forward. There is also a positive knock-on effect on my performance at work and my mental well-being.
Focus
Without a clear focus in life, I find that time passes me by and slips away. Specific goals prevent this from happening and enable me to stay in the moment and appreciate different aspects of life rather than merely going through the motions. I can have targeted each day that address my life roles; they might spend a minimum of one quality hour with my children, have a meaningful conversation with my partner, or write two articles before bed. Simple goals like these drive me forward to have a more enjoyable day, keep working hard, and maintain an optimistic outlook for all my life roles.
Responsible
If you set a goal, you will (hopefully) feel a responsibility to achieve it. A goal will hold you accountable to finish what you set out to do, and when you are determined to finish something, you probably will. It will provide a clear direction rather than meandering aimlessly. If you do not accept the responsibility you placed upon yourself, you have only yourself to blame if you fall short.
The main benefit of having goals is that you use goals as an inspiration to make more effort in all your life roles, to perform better, deal with setbacks, never give up, and find the resilience to keep working to your end goal. Every small goal you achieve will inspire you towards your ultimate goal.