Goal Setting: Be an Achiever not a Dreamer
With goal setting, there is a big difference between achievers and dreamers.
To tell the difference between the two, all you have to do is listen to the way they talk.
Achievers are very goal driven, and talk about specific deadlines for their goals.
Dreamers talk about possible plans and things they will do “someday” in the future. Sadly, someday never comes.
The question is: Which camp do you want to fall into? We hope you choose option one, “The Achiever”.
If you want to become an expert goal setter and start achieving success, then you need to write specific and measurable goals that mean something to you. Then, you must fully commit to your goals and not give yourself an out. This is the attitude of an achiever.
Rather than saying you will do something “someday” you need to take your specific and measurable goal, and then break down the task into manageable chunks, each with a deadline. With this approach you are not waiting for someday, you are making “today” someday. This will put you on the road to success.
There is huge difference between dreams and goals. A dream is something that you imagine would be nice. However it’s not specific, it’s really just a thought or idea. In other words, it has no specific plan to achieve it. Without a plan it will remain a dream forever. A goal on the other hand is a dream with an action plan. The dream is what keeps you motivated. The action plan (the goal beneath it) is what helps to achieve the dream by undertaking specific steps.
If you have decided you want to be a goal achiever, then you will need to change the way you work, and start turning your dreams into specific goals. The good news is, by following the four simple steps below you can easily change your mind set and start achieving your goals:
- Set Long Term Goals: Start by setting long term goals (7-10 years) in each major area of your life (Financial, Health, Family/Friends & Spiritual/Community). These are your dreams. These don’t need to be to specific, they are general thoughts about how you would like your life to be improved.
- Set Yearly Goals: Break these goals down into yearly achievable goals. This is where your goals become specific and measurable. You also need to develop a solid plan to achieve the goal as well.
- Set Monthly Goals: Break your yearly goals down into monthly goals. Yearly goals by themselves are not enough. You need to break your goals down further to monthly goals. This is where you get into the specifics and the detail, and start looking at what you need to do every day to achieve your goals.
- Write a daily to-do-list: Break your monthly goals down into specific daily tasks. A daily to-do-list is your friend. Look at your monthly goals every morning then write down what you will need to achieve each day to achieve your monthly goals. Your to-do-list is where you actively achieve your goals!
As you can see there is a big difference in the attitude of an achiever and a dreamer. If you want to become a goal setting achiever, then you need to change the way you think, and start setting measurable and specific goals.
You then need to break these down into manageable tasks with specific deadlines. Sure, it requires some hard work…but…the rewards are definitely worth it! Here’s to your goal setting success.
Cheers!
Rusty O’Connor
Rusty O’Connor has been providing goal setting, time management and self-help advice for the last decade. If you would like to learn more goal setting tips, and advice, and receive a free weekly ezine then visit TheGoalSettingEzine.com. You will even receive a free goal setting gift just for checking it out.
Rusty is married with four young children, and when not providing goal setting advice, enjoys rock climbing, surfing and travelling. Rusty is an Australian national, and currently lives as an Expat in the Middle East.