Creating Your Goals List In 3 Easy Steps

“The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.” - Denis Watley

This quote above inspired me to write my call of action in taking the steps to put together my own personal goals list. I think it is important for everyone at some point in their life to put together their own personal goals list for self motivation. Sometimes we keep too many thoughts and ideas all bottled up in our heads and never put them down to have an awakening moment. There’s no right or wrong time to sit down and go for it. In fact I’ve rewritten mine countless times due to the ever changing circumstances that come into my life. Below I comprised a simple 3-step consideration to when one takes the initiative to create their goals list.

First, there are many different types of time restrictions to consider when writing your personal goals list. Some prefer to aim for short-term strides from a 6-month period up to 3 years while others may set a goal to be achieved by a certain date. You can put a title on your list such as, “Things I’d like to do before I turn 25 years old” or as many say in a drastic fashion, “things I’d like to accomplish before I die”. However you choose to set the time restraints on your goals list, make sure it is suitable to your everyday life and that you are giving yourself an honest shot of achieving your goals in the time frame that you are setting out to try and grasp them.

Secondly, selecting realistic goals is a major key to being able to complete them. Don’t just say, “I want to run a 5K and complete it in under 20 minutes” and then show up the day of the race and expect to compete and finish with a time under 20 minutes for those 3.1 miles, because it just won’t happen. You need to elaborate on your goal and tell yourself, “I want to run a 5K under 20 minutes without any complications by training for one”. Therefore you kick out setting 2 goals; running the 5K and training to get in the best shape that will allow you to finish it in under 20 minutes. How you go about getting it accomplished is all up to the effort you put into wanting to get to the result(s) through the stepping stones you place for yourself along the way. Some goals don’t require much effort, but instead just the awareness of what it is you want to achieve. While other goals require a strong focus and commitment day in and day out to accomplish the task.

Finally, you want to list down the goals that mean the most to you. You can start anywhere from academics, physical well-being, financial relations, all the way to personal desires and conquests. It does not have to be in any specific order as long as the time frame that you set allows you to have a fair shot at attempting every goal and being able to achieve it in the long run. So what are you waiting for? Grab a piece of paper or if you really hate to write but prefer typing it up on a computer, then open a brand new blank word document page and without numbering just freely list down the goals that come to you for the allotted time you have in mind. When you are done,  go back and review through your list, edit any typos and feel free to elaborate on your goals. Remember that elaborating makes you have a better and more clearer vision of what it is exactly that you want to accomplish. Ready, Set, Go-al!