Setting Achievable Goals

Top performers, world-class athletes, and overall-successful people all set goals. They all know that when you take the time and effort to set goals, you have a vision to work towards. These actions help you stay focused and act as deterrents to anything less than your main priorities. If you feel you’ve tried setting goals before and haven’t had much success, perhaps you’re not taking the correct first steps.

Start With Your Values

What is your reason for wanting to achieve this goal? The people, things, and beliefs that you value most must be the foundation on which you build your dreams. These are often referred to as ‘Your WHY’. If you set goals based on your values, you’ll find the motivation to pursue them. These could include family, faith, adventure, fitness, joy, financial security, etc. Once you have your list, prioritize them according to what matters most to you. Now, link your goals to these values so they’ll hold more weight in your life. This will make it easier to find the energy to get motivated and complete your goals.

Break Them Down

Many people have big hopes and dreams, but most never take the time to figure out how to get from point A to point B, let alone point C, D, or E. Looking at the end product of a goal can be intimidating and discouraging. Thankfully, goal setting helps us break large dreams into smaller, more attainable goals. Begin by listing your lifetime goals, then set a five-year plan of smaller goals that you need to complete if you’re to reach the lifetime ones. Next, create a one-year, six-month, and one-month plan of progressively smaller goals. Each of these should be based on the previous one. Make a plan to start working to achieve these smaller goals, which will eventually lead to the bigger ones.

Tell Someone

When you share your goals with others, it allows you to hold yourself accountable in a new way. You’re more likely to take action toward your goal if you know that your friend will be following up with you about it. You might  also consider finding  an “accountability partner”; someone that’s working on achieving goals similar to yours or facing similar challenges. Set up a time once a week, or once every other week, to check in and share your individual progress.

Anticipate Push Back

It’s not easy to leave your comfort zone, but nothing great ever came from playing it safe. But what happens when you try to push yourself to do something new? Anxiety and fear. Yet, if you know this is going to happen, it’ll be less unsettling. Ultimately, the more connected you are to yourself, the better equipped you’ll be to bravely step beyond your comfort zone.

Still feeling unsure where to start? Check out our wide array of goal setting products including: Goal Planning Forms, Weekly Compass Cards, Progressive Task Lists, and more. Following these steps will allow you to make your dreams a reality and create the life you’ve always wanted.

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Meet Brian B.! Brian is new to the Franklin Family and shares why he uses his planner:

“I got into planning after getting an opportunity to do an internship at Franklin Planner.  Planning is not a behavior [that is] common here in Africa, but I got to know how effective planning can be.  In my mind I thought having to utilize the internship opportunity, keep school going, show up at my day job, and still be a normal youth was too much to handle, but the planner summed it all up for me. I keep sight on all my key assignments for the day, [and] I actually can have a break.

The planner helped me focus more on how I can use my time and work with my own habits to set achievable goals which I can easily monitor by flipping back across the pages.

I use a Classic size 7 Habits planner which features sufficient writing space, and the motivational quotes or themes on each page will keep you inspired and encouraged always.”