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When you fail to meet your goals, you might blame yourself, thinking that you lack talent or willpower. In fact, innate ability has little to do with whether reach your goals.
Instead of faulting yourself, try these two ways to make your goals more achievable:
1. Be very specific.
Targets like 'get a better job' or 'eat healthier' are too vague. Hazy goals can leave you discouraged or bored. Spell out exactly what you want so you don't settle for less.
Taking the time to get specific and spell out exactly what you want to achieve removes the possibility of settling for less — of telling yourself that what you've done is "good enough." Thousands of studies have shown that getting more specific is one of the single most effective steps you can take to reach any goal.
Your goal should be measurable, so don't shy away from numbers. Also, specify the medium-term steps it will take to get there.
When what you are striving for is vague, it's too tempting to take the easy way out when you've gotten tired, discouraged, or bored.
2. Be optimistic and realistic, at the same time.
This strategy is called mental contrasting, and in a nutshell, it involves thinking optimistically about all the wonderful aspects of achieving your goal, while thinking realistically about what it will take to get there.
First, imagine how you will feel attaining your goal. Picture it as vividly as possible in your mind. Next, reflect on the obstacles that stand in your way.
For instance, if you wanted to get a better, higher paying job, you would start by imagining the sense of pride and excitement you would feel accepting a lucrative offer at a top firm. Then, you would think about what stands between you and that offer — namely, all the other really outstanding candidates that will be applying for the same job. Kind of makes you want to polish up your resume a bit, doesn't it?
That's called experiencing the necessity to act — it's a psychological state that is crucial for achieving any goal. Daydreaming about how great it will be to land that job can be a lot of fun, but it won't get you anywhere. Mental contrasting turns wishes and daydreams into reality, by bringing into focus what you will need to do to make them happen.
Which career goals do you want to achieve this year? Are you doing well achieving them or do you need that extra "push"?
Instead of faulting yourself, try these two ways to make your goals more achievable:
1. Be very specific.
Targets like 'get a better job' or 'eat healthier' are too vague. Hazy goals can leave you discouraged or bored. Spell out exactly what you want so you don't settle for less.
Taking the time to get specific and spell out exactly what you want to achieve removes the possibility of settling for less — of telling yourself that what you've done is "good enough." Thousands of studies have shown that getting more specific is one of the single most effective steps you can take to reach any goal.
Your goal should be measurable, so don't shy away from numbers. Also, specify the medium-term steps it will take to get there.
When what you are striving for is vague, it's too tempting to take the easy way out when you've gotten tired, discouraged, or bored.
2. Be optimistic and realistic, at the same time.
This strategy is called mental contrasting, and in a nutshell, it involves thinking optimistically about all the wonderful aspects of achieving your goal, while thinking realistically about what it will take to get there.
First, imagine how you will feel attaining your goal. Picture it as vividly as possible in your mind. Next, reflect on the obstacles that stand in your way.
For instance, if you wanted to get a better, higher paying job, you would start by imagining the sense of pride and excitement you would feel accepting a lucrative offer at a top firm. Then, you would think about what stands between you and that offer — namely, all the other really outstanding candidates that will be applying for the same job. Kind of makes you want to polish up your resume a bit, doesn't it?
That's called experiencing the necessity to act — it's a psychological state that is crucial for achieving any goal. Daydreaming about how great it will be to land that job can be a lot of fun, but it won't get you anywhere. Mental contrasting turns wishes and daydreams into reality, by bringing into focus what you will need to do to make them happen.
Which career goals do you want to achieve this year? Are you doing well achieving them or do you need that extra "push"?
