How Things Can Go Badly Wrong With Goal Setting

When following a lifetime game plan, you will need to break up this extensive journey into several smaller plans that can be tackled one day at a time. Many individuals also benefit from a series of daily reminders to keep them on the right track towards reaching their personal goals.

Numerous goal setters will also tell you that it is quite easy to falter or deviate from plans and that anything can go wrong when you're trying to achieve goals. These are the sorts of occurrences and events that you have no control over and cannot possibly figure into your personal plans because you have no idea if and when they may happen.

One of the things a goal setter can do on their part is to situate their plans in an effective manner. Depending on the type of goals you have set in front of yourself, they may or may not be easily achieved, but there is always the possibility of attainment. How you go about reaching your goals will determine the effectiveness of the accomplishment.

For example, let's say you finally achieve your goal of earning a Masters in Business. As you walk across the stage, what will be the depth of your accomplishment? If you squandered your time in the classroom, didn't take advantage of professor and student interaction, always studied late for exams and barely passed your finals, you may have achieved your goal, but the journey and overall results is somewhat flawed.

Not only have you fostered poor habits that will follow you throughout life, but also you have ineffectively achieved your goal. The student that makes the most out of their experiences and soaks up every last bit of information will receive the same degree as you, but will probably go farther than you in regards to their future goals. The hard-earned grades they have obtained and shining recommendations for future endeavors will place them ahead in society.

Just think, what if the two of you are competing for the same position within a company? Who do you think will get the job? The applicant with straight C's and D's and no extracurricular activities or the applicant with straight A's and B's that graduated top in their class and headed the Future Leaders of America club? This scenario just goes to show that even when achieving goals, it is the manner in which they are approached that determines how much you will receive out of the accomplishment.

In the case of the underachiever, they probably would have benefited more from setting smaller goals along with their desire to earn a Masters. Writing down weekly reminders to set aside a large chunk of time devoted to studying or visiting the library might have helped them along the way. Daily reminders and increased organization could have motivated them to attend classes on a regular basis and complete all homework assignments.

When you treat each smaller goal as a positive statement or entity, you will feel better about achieving them. In the case of the student, creating a motivating chant, such as "Study time is money time" or "I study so I can succeed and achieve" might have helped throughout the school years. Once the good grades and praise from professors started to roll in, the happiness, pride and satisfaction received from these accolades are enough to leave reminders and affirmations by the wayside, as good goal achieving habits become second nature.

Personal habits for goal setting and achieving include facing each challenge with a smile on your face. This makes each goal fly by with ease. If you approach your plans with a positive attitude, you are sure to get more out of the transaction. Frowning, pouting and displaying anger or frustration only increases the length of road you must travel to obtain your goals.

In order to avoid some of the common pitfalls and discouragements associated with goal setting, it is important to consider the following moves:

1) Set priorities

2) Write your goals down on paper

3) Always break down larger goals into smaller plans

4) Set goals for performance and not for specific outcomes

5) Set realistic goals

6) Do not set your heights too low

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About the Author

Clifford Mee is an author and expert in personal goal setting & time management. His highly acclaimed book the 7 Little Known Success Secrets Of The Rich & Famous is free at http://www.SuccessRichFamous.com