How do we accomplish the things we want in life? When we imagine the future in our head, we have all sorts of goals and ideas we want to strive for. But just wanting something isn’t enough to actually get it, there’s lots of pitfalls we must avoid. I recently found two systems for setting goals, one bad and one good, we’re gonna discuss them today. 

So let’s start off with the wrong way to do it. I’ve done this many times in the past, and no doubt will again. But it’s good to be aware of it so we can recognize our failings and improve in the future. The wrong way to do it is to set vapid goals:

Vague

Amorphous

Pie in the sky

Irrelevant

Delayed

If you keep things too vague and distant, there’s no responsibility to actually deliver. You can keep making up excuses and doing irrelevant things that *feel* productive, but doesn’t actually get you closer to your eventual goal.  And because these goals are too unclear to have step by step deadlines, you can just keep delaying indefinitely. You’ll keep waiting for motivation to come and get you started, but it will never be enough to actually matter. You can also fall into the trap of setting up unreasonably high expectations, which will guarantee failure. And mentally, your brain will not be in a good spot either. You’ll feel bad about not accomplishing these unreasonable and vague goals, making you feel discouraged and resentful. Draining what little motivation you still have, sinking you deeper and deeper into this unhealthy mindset. 

So how do we actually need to set our goals? Well we need to be smart:

Specific

Measureable

Actionable

Responsible

Time-Bounded

If your goals have these traits, then you’re much more likely to actually accomplish them. Being specific means that you can take measurable steps that you’re responsible for. By keeping to this you’ll see that you’re actually progressing, which makes your brain reward you for every single step forward you take, further incentivizing you to keep going and not give up. Achieving your goals can take a while, especially if they’re long-term life goals. By being realistic and taking it step by step, I’m sure we all can make it eventually! I hope this can help you at least a little bit.