May 04 2009
Setting Realistic Goals for Success
I like lists. I always have, probably always will. I’m sure I could trace my love of lists back to childhood and reading a Frog and Toad story called “A List” (if I remember rightly…). The aforementioned toad created a to-do list for his day including activities such as get up, eat breakfast, etc. I seem to think the toad was so caught up in his list that the day ended up being destroyed, however I conveniently blanked out that point to concentrate on the almighty to-do list.
Before you start to think that I plan out every moment of my day I should reassure you that I don’t. But when it comes to setting a goal for something I want to achieve in my life I have always found my ‘to do list for life’ exceptionally helpful.
Whether you’re trying to break a bad habit, learn a new language, or start on a new career path, setting yourself realistic goals will help you to reach your target.
For the last two and a half months I’ve been dieting. I’m completely convinced that I wouldn’t have been as successful in this were it not for the goals that I set myself. Had I simply woken up one morning and said to myself “I think I’ll lose a bit of weight” I would have struggled to find the motivation to continue. Instead I told myself how much weight I wanted to lose, and set myself some targets along the way. Meeting those targets has given me the boost that I needed to continue to deprive myself of chocolate and cheesecake for a little longer.
An overall goal can be incredibly daunting. I want to be a freelance writer; with that as my goal I believe I would be sitting in the corner rocking gently and sucking my thumb instead of writing this. I wouldn’t know where to begin. Instead I’ve broken down that overall goal into several realistic goals, each of which can also be broken down. Finally what I am left with are several realistic and attainable activities to help me along my way. I’ve shown a simplified version of this diagrammatically below:
No matter what you are trying to achieve you will find it much easier if you can break it down into ‘bite-size’ chunks. There is nothing like the feeling of being able to start ticking off your activities to see yourself starting to attain your goals.
Good luck!
That’s excately right. One large piece of pie can be overwhelming in one’s life, but one you break it down into bit size pieces it’s more digestable. As a freelance writer and aspriing novelist I can understand your goals.
You may want to check your link, it’s appearing incorrectly.
www.passiton.today.com