Tweet

Setting goals - ten steps to success

Written by: Chanie Pritchard

Article Overview: We all know that success begins with setting measurable and carefully considered goals. But setting goals is not enough - you need to devise several roadmaps to reaching those goals, and then follow through. Whether your goals are small or big, following these ten steps will help you on your way.

Setting goals - ten steps to success

We all know that success begins with setting measurable and carefully considered goals. But setting goals is not enough - you need to devise several roadmaps to reaching those goals, and then follow through. Whether your goals are small or big, following these ten steps will help you on your way.

1. Be Decisive
A no-brainer. If you’re going to set successful goals, you need to know exactly WHAT you want and be confident in that decision. Think your goals through - make sure you know WHY you want what you do, and think about HOW to best achive it.

2. Stay Focused
It’s way too easy to get distracted and run off-course. There are simply too many demands on our time… but that’s the way of life we’ve chosen in running a business. We need to prioritize, plan and organize our time so that our goals do not get shifted to the back burner.

3. Don’t Fear Failure
Yes, failure sucks. But it’s often a necessary part of growth and progress, and failure can be an excellent (albeit harsh) teacher. Think about possible roadblocks that may appear in your path, and plan on how to redirect resources and ultimately grow from the experience.

4. Write it Down
You’re a smart person. And you probably have a decent memory… but it’s not just about remembering your goals. There’s something about having it in writing that causes us to try twice as hard to check it off the list. Write your goals down, and keep that piece of paper or file somewhere visible. That way it’s always there, not just in the back of your mind, but in your workspace, gently keeping you on target.

5. Plan
Another no-brainer, but shockingly a frequently overlooked step. Implusively driving through the country without a map can be fun, but odds are you won’t make it to your destination in time (or at all). The old adage holds true: “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”

6. Don’t Go it Alone
We’re social creatures… even those of us who are more quiet and introverted rely on some element of social support to get us through our daily lives. Share your goals with people who you know will support you when you need it, or who can offer wisdom and advice that may help you get there with less scrapes and bruises in the end.

7. DO Something
You can’t run a marathon sitting on the sofa - get one foot in front of the other and take purposeful action, or you’ll never get there. It’s a clicheed bit of advice, but it’s true: you need to be proactive.

8. Pat Yourself on the Back
You’re not in a twelve step program (or maybe you are, in which case you know all this)… but it’s great advice. When you accomplish some small success, don’t berate yourself for not having achieved more… instead reward yourself for your hard work, focus and persistence. Reward works much more effectively than punishment. Besides, it’s more fun.

9. Audit Your Expectations
The only true constant in life is change. Take a critical look at your plans on a regular basis, and if current circumstances warrant a change of plan, then do it. If your plan becomes obsolete or outdated, it will no longer get you where you want to go.

10. Keep Your Integrity
You’re a person of your word. You’ve committed to doing this thing, and you’re going to follow through. Excuses will present themselves along the way, but like a dieter after an enormous binge, you will lose respect for yourself if you give in. Stay on course, reach your goals, keep your promises and maintain your integrity.

Reaching your goals isn’t all that complicated; all it takes is dedication, forethought, and commitment.

Related Articles
  How to Set Goals
  Goals Lead to Success
  Most successful people set goals. How about you?
  3 Steps To Regularly Achieving Your Goals
  Reaching Your Goals

Article Tags: element, fear failure, harsh teacher, map, memory, no brainer, odds, old adage, piece of paper, roadblocks, roadmaps, running a business, setting goals, smart person, social creatures, target, way of life, workspace



Related Forum Posts
Re: The Best Method for Online Marketing - There is no one "best" solution for all, because each organization is going to have different goals and capabilities. I recently gave a presentation about social media marketing, where I talked about the importance of aligning activities with goals and having metrics that track your progress towards those goals. If you're experimenting with online marketing, there's a good chance you'll find some activities are more effective than others. In my experience, you'll increase your chances for success if you're disciplined about establishing goals and metrics (how you'll measure progress) but flexible on activities as you respond to customer feedback and results. Best wishes for your business! Jay B. (Intuit)
Re: Quote of the Day - "People are not lazy. They simply have im - To stay motivated and work to achieve your goals, first thing is that the goals must be ones that you truly want and believe you can achieve. If the goals are ones that you think you should have,(in other words impotent goals) then forget it, it just won't happen. MichelleJ
Re: Did you meet your goals in 2010? - Hey Yinka, I met some of my goals, but I didn't meet others. One of my goals was to get out of debt. I managed to do so, only to get back into debt due to an unforeseen circumstance. Business-wise, I didn't quite reach the goals I had; although, I came much closer than I did back in 2009. At least it was an improvement, and I expect to reach my goals for 2011. Best wishes for you, and I hope you can reach all the goals you set.
Re: Email marketing strategy - [quote="cathleen":1how8x8i]Here are the some steps you need to take to develop an effective e-mail strategy: Identify qualitative goals. Analyze the current situation. Complete a competitive analysis. Define the target audience. Determine which types of e-mail meet your needs. Develop a content strategy and a frequency and send schedule. Design the e-mail template. Create quantitative goals. Compile budget and ROI (define) projections. Evaluate results and tweak the strategy accordingly[/quote:1how8x8i] Nice tips, Cathleen. Is this something you do professionally?
Goals of a Press Release - Hi Binary Guy, I know the thread has been started elsewhere, but just in answering your question about goals of a press release, I've found the following are usually the main ones: * to increase awareness * to establish credibility * to get media interviews * to become an expert source * to promote sales * to change buyer behaviour/ expand market share It's important to be aware of your specific goals, whatever they may be, so that you can evaluate the impact of your PR and build on its success in the future.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

An Intelligent Contact Sheet

SEO – Link Building Secrets

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.