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Setting big goals and achieving them doesn’t just work for me. Certainly not if I don’t believe in them. Several years ago, I was following a course, and we had to write down an incredibly big goal. Something in the order of a million in turnover and to be the best in a business. That doesn’t feel realistic to me. It seems like I am being pushed towards a goal and have to go along with a crowd. I then burst into resistance, and three main fears (What if I fail? What if I am successful? What will others think of me?) come to me and make me come to a standstill. Do you recognize this?
Of course, it is good to challenge yourself by doing or wanting to do something that is outside of your comfort zone.
What does work for me is setting big goals in line with my WHY, with what I want in life, and defining concrete steps to achieve those goals. This article will give you a roadmap to achieve your goals and do those things in line with your WHY. The roadmap is based on Simon Sinek’s “Live your WHY” worksheet. It’s about the WHAT in the Golden Circle, which he invented. Read more about it here.
Reflect first
How do you find out what to do? A crucial step is to reflect first. In this blog, I have 12 questions for you to reflect on. This way, you find out what you should not do (anymore) and what you want to do.
Your WHY
To achieve goals successfully, aligning them with your WHY, life purpose, or vision is good. That is what you believe in, what drives you, what gives you energy. It should therefore be at the top of your list of goals. This way, you can always check whether the goals match your WHY. Your WHY is your contribution and its effect on the world.
Set goals for different areas of life
I encourage you to set goals for different areas of your life. Think of:
Personal goals
For example, with personal goals, I mean eating healthier, quitting smoking/drinking, losing weight, or getting in better shape (so that you can run a Marathon).
Family goals
Also, set goals in the area of your family. Maybe you want to spend more time with your family, give them undivided attention, or go on an adventure with your dear ones.
Career goals
Set career goals. It does not matter whether you are an employee or whether you are an entrepreneur. Write down which position you aspire to, how much you want to earn, how many customers you want to serve, or which projects you want to contribute successfully.
Goals for the community
What goals do you have for the community? Would you like to become active within a network? Do you want to get a first-aid diploma? Or do you want to do good through volunteering?
Other areas of life
Of course, you may set goals for other areas of your life, such as spirituality, finances, or hobbies. I think those other parts often fall within the areas of life mentioned above.
Time-bound goals
For me, it doesn’t help to set very big goals. It can be reassuring that you don’t have to achieve those big goals by tomorrow. What works for me is to divide goals into smaller (manageable) goals or steps. Goals are only really successful if they are time-bound. For the roadmap, you make three time periods within which you want to achieve something: 5-10 years, 1 year, and 90 days.
5- 10 years
Long-term Fulfillment
For the period of 5 to 10 years, write down which accomplishments are possible. What mark will you make? Describe what your dreams are and your hopes are. Write this down for all areas of life, and regularly check your WHY at the top of the page.
Key Relationships
Systemically, you cannot do everything on your own. You need people to support and help you. People with whom you can collaborate, brainstorm, spar, and live together (in love). Write down the most important relationships, who the most important people are, and which relationships you will impact. For example, how people interact with each other in the future.
Your Role
Find out (and write down) what your role is in your long-term fulfillment.
Your role in the family or at the office can change over time (especially after 10 years). How will that role develop in the future? Is that project leader, manager, director, CEO,…?
1 year
Goals are only successful if they are specific. So what are your results within a year? Write them down for all areas of life.
90 days
A goal like 1 million in turnover is too big for me. It helps me to define actions that contribute to my bigger goals. Write down which actions you will continue, stop, or start within the next 90 days to achieve specific results within a year. It is important to know what you are going to focus on. If not, probably nothing will happen.
How are goals really successful?
Discipline
Important forces that ensure that your goals are achieved start with the discipline to complete this roadmap (and hang it in front of your desk). It is good if you have already completed just one area of your life. Below you can see an example of a goals roadmap. You can get a FREE copy here.
Optimism
Also, know that optimism is an important force for achieving goals. That doesn’t mean you have to be positive all the time. Sometimes the road to your goals is bumpy. Positivism alone will not help. It’s about being aware of your situation, taking the right actions, and assuming everything will turn out fine. That’s optimism. Read more about optimism and how to be optimistic here.
Accountability
You alone are accountable for achieving your goals, but others can help you achieve your goals. Find a buddy, a colleague, or a business partner with whom you (periodically) talk about achieving or not achieving your own goals. That keeps you sharp/focused and on the move. You may then realize that it can be better to do something else to achieve your goal. There is a good chance that the other person has a tip for you.
Need help?
Do you also want to set successful goals that are in line with your WHY? Start by discovering your own WHY, and let me help you set the right goals that align with your WHY so that you can ultimately experience more satisfaction, joy, and love. Contact me today for a FREE intake session!
How do you successfully achieve your goals? Let me know in the comment field below. The other readers of this article and I are looking forward to reading from you!
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Have you seen an error in this article? Let me know! I am grateful!
Update: I wrote the original article on January 26th, 2021, and it was updated on January 1st, 2024
