From the desk of Anthony Buchalka

Goal setting is an absolutely vital step towards achieving one's success and it's surprising that so few people have a good understanding of it. Let's spend a few minutes looking at goal setting then.

There are two basic steps to goal setting.

The first is to actually do a personal goal setting session and determine what your goals are. The second is to take those goals and create an action plan. It is one thing to decide you want to do something, but it is quite another thing to actually achieve it. You may realize that setting personal goals is not a guaranteed way to achieve success.

Yes, you may fail to reach your goals. For example, if you have career goals and one of them is to achieve a promotion in your company, but you didn’t get it, there are probably a few good reasons why you didn’t achieve that. Some of the reasons may be out of your control, others may be in your control. However, one thing that seems to be fairly consistent in nearly all cases where goals were not met is that they failed to create an action plan.

When you set goals, you need to realize that simply saying you want to do something is not enough. No matter if you have fitness goals, financial goals, career goals, or personal goals. All goals need to be accompanied with a plan saying exactly how you will achieve it.

Here are some tips on how to create an action plan:

Brainstorm a list. So, you went through the process of goal setting and have a pretty substantial list of things you would like to accomplish. You’ve even prioritized it. Now, it is time to take those goals and create an action plan and the best way to do that is by making a list filled with ways you will achieve your goals.

For example, after your personal goal setting session you may decide that you want to lose ten pounds over the course of the next five weeks. That is a great goal.

The next step is to brainstorm ways that you can make this happen. This could include going to the gym three times a week and controlling your portions. Don’t leave any possible solutions out of your list.

Write down everything you think of. You will go through the list later.

Go through the goal setting list.

Your next step after you go about setting personal goals and you brainstorm a list on how you will achieve them is to go through the list and pick the top five or so items that will help you reach your goal quickly. If your list has twenty items on it, tackling them all at once may feel overwhelming.

Combine items that can be grouped together and eliminate any that do not make sense for your lifestyle. Your goal is to find the top solutions and action steps needed to achieve your goal, no matter what it is.

Create the action plan.

The final items on your list make up your overall action plan. Your career goals, financial goals, personal goals, business goals, etc depend on how well you can come up with a plan. For each action item that you decide to follow from the list you created, determine exactly what you need to do to complete that action item.

For example, if you decide you want to lose weight and go to the gym, you will need to have a gym membership if you don’t already have one. Determine exactly what needs to be done and when it will get done. This is your action plan.

Baby steps with your goals initially.

When you set goals, sometimes the goal may seem so vast you won’t know where to start. Well, there could be a few reasons for this. One is that you didn’t make the goal specific enough. The other is that you failed to create an action plan that took into account the concept of baby steps.

Goal setting can be effective, but only when you make it work for you. Sometimes the only way to do this is to handle things in one small step at a time.

Personal goal setting is not the ultimate answer. It is important to make sure your goals are specific. If a goal is exceptionally vast, you may need to break the larger goal into a series of smaller goals and create your action plan based on the smaller goals. Utilize the concept of baby steps and you will be on your way to success.

Using your action plan.

Again, when it comes to setting personal goals, career goals, and other goals, it isn’t enough to simply set them. You need to create an action plan. Not only that but you need to make sure you execute your action plan. Create a daily to-do list that will help you achieve your goals. At the end of the day, evaluate if you are on the right track. If you are not, think about why.

If you are consistently not on the right track you may need to revise your goal or time frame. Goals are supposed to better your life and if you set them and don’t reach them, it helps to find the reason why.

All the best and I urge you to start on your action plan today, right now in fact.

warmly,