Definite Objective
If you want to achieve something, you need to tell your brain about it in a way that it understands. It would be best if you were extremely specific about your goals. Usually, people know what they want, but they never define it so their brains can achieve their goals.
For example, a person knows that they want a big house. But a big house doesn’t give any clue to your brain. It needs details like why you want it, how important it is for you, whether you have any reference picture, and how you will pay for it. In short, your brain wants to know all the details of what you want to achieve and related things. So, when you are setting up an achievement goal, make sure you include as many details as possible. If you don’t think you’ll remember them later on, write them down now!
You need to provide all the details to your mind. For instance, if you’re planning to buy a new car, you must specify which model, colour, size etc. Your brain does not understand vague statements such as “I’m gonna get one”. You might say this because you haven’t thought much about buying a car yet. However, your brain won’t accept these words without knowing more information.
You may ask yourself: How am I supposed to come up with all those details? The answer lies in your imagination. When you imagine a situation or event vividly enough, your brain begins to create its own story around it. This process helps you recall the details quickly. Imagination also allows you to visualize future events. Therefore, whenever you set an achievement goal, try imagining every piece of it first before writing anything down.
Action Plan
The next thing you should do is specify how you are going to achieve your plan. Achieving means doing something towards achieving your plan. There’s no point in saying you want to become wealthy unless you explain exactly how you intend to reach that goal. What actions will help you achieve your plan? Will there be obstacles along the way? Do you have the resources at hand to overcome those obstacles? These questions are fundamental since they determine whether you can achieve your plan or not.
In addition, you need to consider who else will support you during your journey. Who will encourage you? Who will discourage you? Are there other factors that could affect your success? All these answers are crucial to your success. Without considering these aspects, you cannot expect to succeed.
Time
Finally, it would help if you decided when you will start working towards your goal. The time factor is also crucial. Setting a deadline gives your brain a sense of urgency. And once you’ve decided to work hard until you accomplish your goal, you’ll find yourself motivated to keep moving forward.
It would help if you also created milestones and put them on the timeline. Milestones can serve two purposes. First, they act as checkpoints where you evaluate your progress. Second, they motivate you to continue working toward your goal. They allow you to see clearly how far you still have left to go.
Goal Attainment
So, when you have clearly defined the above three things, your goal, your plan of action to achieve it and your timeline (milestones vs time), your brain takes your goal seriously. These things create a feeling of certainty so strong that you are pulled towards your goal. You become hopeful, patient, consistent, courageous, and creative. You keep on overcoming obstacles without feeling tired. In short, you feel like you already achieved what you want!
Achieving goals requires planning. Without proper preparation, achieving any goal becomes much less probable. However, if you want to achieve something big, having a clear vision of what success looks like is essential. Otherwise, you may find yourself stuck at the starting line without knowing where to go next.
When you don’t have a clear, definite goal, all the parts of your subconscious mind don’t work in harmony. There’s a constant conflict within you. You are not able to use your full potential. Sometimes people are afraid of setting a definite goal because they don’t want to commit to hard work. They don’t want to take responsibility. They know that they will not have any excuse for their inaction when they put a definite goal.
Why do most people fail to achieve their goals?
They don’t know how to define their goals properly. Most people think that just by setting a goal, they automatically achieve it. But if you want to achieve something, you must make sure that your goal has been well-defined and put your plan into action. Otherwise, you’ll never know if you succeeded or failed.
The second reason why many people fail to achieve their dreams is a lack of discipline. Discipline is one of those qualities which cannot be taught but only developed through practice. The more you do something consistently, the better you will become at doing it. It’s a continuous process. When you set a definite goal, you build self-discipline. This makes you focus on your destination rather than being distracted by other activities.
The third reason is that many people connect their identity with their goals. Even if the goals are tiny and insignificant, they don’t like to identify with the results. They don’t want to “become” what they will become by persuading the goal. So, deciding a definite goal also involves determining your identity. If you think your goal will not help you become who you always wanted to be, you will not define it clearly. In short, defining your goal means also connecting your identity with it. It increases your performance and reduces the time taken to achieve your plan.
Summary
– To achieve your goals, you need to define them clearly.
– A definite plan is essential to achieve your goals.
– If you want to achieve something great, you need to be prepared.
