Creating Personal Goals that Mean Business

Have you ever felt as if were destined to do something more? Maybe you have arrived at this page because you are still looking for a purpose or need a little motivation. One way to encourage a little self-motivation is by creating clearly defined goals for yourself. This means moving on from vague statements, to having goals that define what you want, why you want it, and what exactly it is that you want to do.

Setting goals may sound simple but have you actually sat down, in a quiet room, with a notebook, and jotted down some goals? How much time have you spent recently re-evaluating where you are with your goals? Are your goals even measurable?

Setting goals to find your purpose involves discovering what inspires you, why it inspires you, and researching the steps needed to get there. From there, you can set concrete goals that are motivating. In this post, I am going to share with you three tips to setting goals that motivate.

Discover your true inspiration

Before you start thinking about your goals, think about what inspires you. When you were younger, do you ever remember saying, “ah, I want to be like her when I grow up!” If so, what was it about this person that made you admire them so much? So, the first tip is to research others that inspire you. Then take note of how they got there and what they are passionate about. Is there something about these people that resonates with you? Did they start in a similar place you are in now? The purpose of this step is to discover others who are in a position that you would like to be in, and find out what it is about them that inspires you.

Narrow it down

Okay, so you want to be rich a CEO, your own boss, or famous? What ever your goal is, ask yourself why exactly do you want that title and what will you do when you earn this position or complete this goal? Below is something personal, that I haven’t shared with most. It was time that I did some soul-searching. Now that I have completed this step, I have realized my purpose and I’m motivated to get there.

To begin this step, complete the following sentence:

I want to be ____

Next, add a few lines of what you want to do with that title. When you reach this goal, what are you going to offer, what will you do with this new title?

Below is a personal example of how I developed a goal.

Version 1. I want to be an executive leader.

Version 2. I want to be an executive leader of a large, well-known company.

Version 3. I want to be an executive leader of a fortune 500 company.

Version 4. I want to be an executive leader of top technology firm, who uses her platform for good, and inspires other women in the technology field to succeed.

Final Version. I want to be an inspiring woman in technology, an executive-leader, a thought leader, who uses her platform to encourage othersto use their skills, their abilities, together, as problem-solvers, paving the way for others to do the same – breaking that glass ceiling.

Practice self-discipline

When you have a few minutes, watch this video from TED Talks. The speaker, Matt Cutts, discusses how it takes 30 days to make a habit. I wanted to share this video with you because I want you to pick something to do for thirty days. As you go through this journey of trying something new for 30 days, I want you to take note of the days when you just didn’t feel like it, or when you told yourself that you will try again tomorrow.

When you start working towards your goals, there are going to be times when you just feel like giving up, or you just don’t feel like doing it, or you need a day off. Remind yourself, that if you really want to achieve your goals, you are going to have to practice self-discipline and stick with it. So as we work towards our goals let’s do something for 30 days that will take us step closer towards our goals. Let’s not fall-off track!

After reading this post, I hope that you are motivated to set some goals. Good luck!