The process of setting goals should begin after you have a clear understanding of your current state and behaviors. This understanding allows you to consider where the development opportunities are, which often provides an incentive to change.
Prioritize the areas or opportunities that you have identified and set a few goals that are SMART:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Realistic
- Time-bound
Setting goals that are meaningful and relevant to you is a huge step in improving your personal productivity, leadership effectiveness and overall satisfaction with the life God has given you.
The difference between a dream and a goal
Goals are actually nothing without action. A goal can literally be considered a dream if you do nothing about it.
Action steps are described as the moves you make to achieve the things that you have deemed important to you. They involve thinking through the intentional steps that you must take to achieve goals that matter to you and the people important to you.
Establish appropriate action steps for each goal and afterwards, review and consider the benefits from achieving the goal and/or losses to be avoided from achieving the goal.
This should be followed by developing a list of possible obstacles, which are countered by a list of possible solutions for each obstacle identified to achieving that particular goal. This will allow you to be proactive in considering and dealing with challenges and self-defeating thinking that often arise during the process.
Setting action steps with target dates for completion
At this point, specific action steps for achieving goals can be listed along with target dates for completion. Review dates and completion dates should also be included and recorded.
Accountability is also an important component of the process. Who else needs to know about the goal? Ensure you tell them and give them permission to hold you accountable for taking the necessary steps toward achieving your goal. If there is no one close to you who can/will do this, consider hiring a professional who counsels and encourages clients through personal or career challenges, often called a Life Coach.
Complete the action step process by ensuring that you have
- a method for accurately tracking your progress, and
- affirmations and visualization to help you see and claim successful achievement even before it occurs.
Action steps are paramount to goals achievement. By implementing this process and these steps, you will find that you are improving your personal productivity and your leadership effectiveness.
You may also experience more joy and fulfillment in life.
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