Setting Life’s Goals

1. If life is worth living, it’s worth planning

Start with that one, non-negotiable principle. It’s very important to have your life in balance and to be looking forward, so you don’t end up having regrets. We’re busy being busy, and it’s not easy to fit all the important things into your life, so if you want to do that, you need to plan. When you do plan you are more likely to achieve goals, and it gives you a long-term view, which helps to keep things in perspective and stops you getting caught up in the minutiae of the day-to-day.

2. Put it in writing

Writing down your goals is of immense importance. To some it might sound like overkill – what’s wrong with keeping them in your head and simply reviewing them mentally? – and perhaps that’s why only around five percent of us ever put our goals in writing. But there is one overpowering reason to put pen to paper or set to at the laptop: just three percent of people who don’t write down their goals ever achieve them. Writing them down and reading them back makes you register them mentally, creates a sense of urgency and possibility, and helps you see – even subconsciously – how to create balance in your life. If you’re serious about achieving what you want, writing your goals down is more than a helpful thing to do, it’s essential.

3. Be positive

It’s crucial, because of the power of the subconscious, to write each goal as a positive statement, as if it has already been achieved. This is because your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between what you wish you had and what you already have. If you think of it as already achieved, and by a certain date, your subconscious will make it happen.

4. Get into the details

Create a grid with timeframes along one side – three months, six months, one year, and two, five, 10 and 20 years – and then place the different areas of your life across the top:

• Health
• Marriage/partner
• Work/career/finance
• Family
• Friends
• Community
• Hobbies
• Spirituality
• Any other goals

Most people have little trouble in quickly filling in the top left corner – across to five years and down to family and friends, but then get stuck on the rest. It’s important that your goals are realistic and achievable, and that they are your own aims and not ambitions held for you by others, like spouses, friends or society.

5. Redraft

Fill in the table in its entirety without limits. Now is not the time to self-censor. Don’t be content with a first draft, either. Write and rewrite – it creates maximum impact. Once you’ve written down your goals, put the table away for a few days, then get it out and make changes. Rephrase and compact your writing, add detail and descriptions, make it pithy and succinct. A week later you may want to adjust it again. Keep on fine-tuning the table until you’re completely happy with what you’ve written down.

6. Highlight the non-negotiables

Look at all areas of your life. Highlight the areas in which there is no room for compromise – health, your marriage or partnership, your children – and address those before anything else. Giving each goal a priority helps you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by too many goals, and keeps you focused on the most important ones and the order in which you want to achieve them. You need to know what is important to you so you don’t get caught up in trivia. To be successful, you need balance in your life and to know what you’re going to do. Life is not a rehearsal – if it’s too late, you’ve blown it.

7. Review your goals regularly

Your goals will change as time goes on, and as your knowledge and experience increases. Review your goals every three to six months, and do it all again.