The Importance Of Goal Setting

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

There are always two options when starting a new venture/practice/project.

1. start setting goals and take it seriously.

2. treat it like a hobby and give it attention when you feel like.

The first option, I believe, is the road least travelled.

I want to be frank with you, I’ve never been much of a goal setter. In fact I’ve always thought that I could just work my hardest, and I would progress.

But the reality is that I may have been missing out on making more progress than I did, because I didn’t have a goal/target.

Here’s what would happen…

I would work very hard in the beginning, and then as time went on, I started to have days where I would feel less and less like doing it. And here’s the sneeky part, I would find ways to justify/rationalise not doing what I was supposed to be doing. In other words make excuses about my abilities or blame in on the circumstances.

I think we all do this.

Here’s why we avoid goal setting…

By setting goals, you have to, out of necessity, track your results. Now when you track your results, it’s like holding up a mirror in front of yourself. It shows you exactly where you’re falling short or where you’re excelling.

This can sound both good and bad, because it amplifies the awareness of both your successes and your failures. And to be honest some people might not want that.

I think that what happens to most of us is that, when faced with the choice of setting and pursuing a goal, fear of failure kicks in, run away from the goal setting process by making excuses like “I’m not a goal setting person”, or “Goals are not for me”, or “I’ve done goal setting before”…in fact these were the words I used earlier in this post as I considered the decision.

Anyway when we make excuses like these, what ends up happening is that we lock down the possibility of success too and settle for dull, mediocre, cyclical results.

The Importance Of Goal Setting

I’m starting to realise that the only to experience success, is if you make the choice to set goals, and move past the dreaded obstacles of rationalisation, so that you get to the destination of your desire, instead of staying at the airport.

I think that with a steady commitment to working no matter what the outcome, goals can become a fun way for you to work smart.

– Brian Morris

P.S If you want to make money with your own blog, click here.