Goal Setting Worksheet
Do you have a big goal you're not making significant progress towards
? If so, you need a Goal Setting Worksheet. But don't worry, you can build one yourself right now, simply by opening up your word processor and create a box for each of the following segments.
Step 1: What is my goal? It must be specific, challenging and attainable.
A lot of goals aren't reached because they're too nebulous. For example, "I'm going to have a relaxing holiday this year for a change!" is a weakly stated goal. Contrast that with "I am going to rent a beach house for one solid week in a very quiet out of the way community, leave my cell phone off and read at least one novel." No wiggle room there! You will know if you've succeeded or failed. And, assuming the targets are also appropriately challenging or significant, you will have a strong goal statement.
#2: What is your reason for wanting to reach this goal?
If it is a fitness goal, your motivation may be tied to a desire for a long active life. A financial goal may be tied to a desire for more security. Write down every reason. The purpose of this step is to identify your deepest motivations, get them on paper, and refer to them as you progress towards your goal.
#3: Identify the barriers that make it difficult to reach this target.
The greater the goal, the greater the challenges will be; so itemize them up front. Maybe you are flabby and out of shape because your job has long commute and you sit on your butt all day. Maybe you travel a lot and have never figured out a way to eat right in restaurants. Maybe you have a huge debt that makes it hard to save. Make a comprehensive list of all the issues.
IV. When you review the list from the third step, which one or two things rise up as the obvious hurdles to deal with?
Narrow it down to just one, and decide that you will overcome it first.
#5: What is the cost of reaching this goal?
Any substantial goal requires sacrifice. The more significant the goal, likely the more substantial the sacrifice. This is a reality check: Are you prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to reach your goal?
#6: What do I need to know or learn to do before I achieve this?
Much like the hurdles discussed earlier, there are knowledge and competence issues we need to face as we move toward our goals. The more significant a goal is, the more we need to change to get there.
VII. Is there someone to enlist to help you along the way?
This is a very important question, and your answer is also very important. An unachieved goal usually means we lack the self discipline to get there alone. So we need to lean on the discipline and accountability of another person. In some cases they might be partners who are moving toward a similar goal; in other cases they are mentors who are leading us and coaching us to go where they have already gone.
#8: List everything that needs to happen to hit the mark.
List every single stage you see that you will need to pass through to get to the end. You don't need to put them in any particular order at this point, just get them all down on paper, or on the screen of your computer.
Step 9: What are the three primary steps I need to take to reach this goal?
For example, you might narrow down your savings goal to spending less eating out, working overtime once per week and setting up an auto transfer from your bank account into savings.
Step 10: Which habits (daily, weekly, monthly) do I need to establish to reach my goal?
Whatever you do, do not skip this step. Goals are achieved due to the habits we start or the habits we stop. Think about that for a second. Your life = your habits. Where we end up is simply the logical result of our habits.
XI. On a scale of 1-10 how badly do you want this achievement?
Now that you've thought it through quite thoroughly, how passionate are you about going there? You can describe it with words or simply rate yourself out of ten. If you are not significantly committed to reaching a goal, consider dropping it and developing one that fires you up, rather than feeling guilty for an extended period of time before quitting.
Step 12: What's one simple thing I can do right now, at least today, to move toward my goal?
It doesn't need to be a big thing, it just needs to be something. The sooner you take action, the sooner you will feel that sense of progress, and the sooner you will reach your destination.
You can use these steps to make your own goal setting worksheet on your computer.
Goal Setting Worksheet
By: Won Fran
Successful Goal Setting in 7 Easy Steps Realistic Goal Setting Smart Goal Setting - Set Goals And Achieve Success Do You Know What to Do When Your Goal Setting Fails? Are You Making These 4 Goal Setting Mistakes? How to Develop Your Own Goal Setting Program The Smart Goal Setting System Get More With Smart Goal Setting Techniques Strategies for Getting the Most from Your Goal Setting Book Smart Goal Setting - Set Goals and Achieve Success Unleash Visualization to Get Your Goal Setting on Track Noticing The Unexpected Can Help You Achieve Your Goals Wealth Information On Developing The Habit In Achieving Goals Every Single Time In Business