From Potential to Progress: A Simple Guide to Discovering, Defining, and Achieving Goals
For me, identifying goals can be a challenge, and I often require a little inspiration and self-reflection to uncover what I really want to achieve. Talking with friends and colleagues, I know I'm not alone in this. Having a clear vision of where I want to go and what I want to accomplish is essential as I progress through my personal and professional life. Goal setting can provide the structure and motivation needed to clarify direction, move forward, and achieve success.
Aren't you late to the party? Goal setting (and adjusting) can happen any time throughout the year. I personally am too overwhelmed with the holidays and critical end of year deliverables, therefore, for me end of Q1 is a more sane time to conduct goal setting.
Where do I get started? How many of us know how to define, or better yet, discover what our goals should be? I personally struggle with this and sometimes it can be challenging to pinpoint what I truly want to achieve and prioritize. The good news is that there are steps we can take to help us define our goals. I start by answering these questions:
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These questions help me start to identify some potential goals or directions to explore further. I try to pick out goals both big and small, short-term and long-term, and I acknowledge to myself that they my change over time as I learn and grow. Once I've reflected on my strengths and areas for growth, I normally have a clearer picture of my overall vision. I then pick out high level goals that would give me a sense of purpose and accomplishment by the end of the year. I try to make sure the goals some how answer, what I want to accomplish in my career or personal life for the year.
OK, I've figured out a handful of goals now what? For me, the goals are still very high level, "Improve my technical skills to be a better tech Sr. SDM." This is too high level, so I start to convert them to SMART goals. I make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). If they aren't, for me, they will ONLY ever be good intentions. So, I convert "Improve my technical skills..." to "I'll become proficient in React Native within the next 6 months by dedicating 14 hour each week..." This enables me to use a weekly progress tracker on time dedicated, track what I've learned weekly/monthly, and self-reflect to help me adjust the goal as needed.
Woot!!! I have "SMART" goals now, off to the races, right? Not quite, my aspirations are usually larger then what I can truly afford to achieve in the year. I next prioritize my goals based on their level of importance and urgency. This helps me focus my efforts and not get overwhelmed with the mountain of goals I extract for myself. It's also important for me to set deadlines for each goal and track my progress along the way. This not only helps me stay accountable and motivated, but the incremental progress gamifies goal achievement for me. Finally, I stay flexible and adjust my goals as needed. Life is unpredictable, and circumstances can change quickly. I have a fulltime career and a full household. If I encounter obstacles or setbacks, I don't give up - instead, I reassess my goals and adjust plans. I strongly believe in progress is progress, no matter how small, and taking action towards my goals is always better than standing still.
I hope my thought process has been helpful by inspiring you toward discovering and achieving your goals. While I'm no expert, I'm happy sharing what has worked for me in the hopes it will be useful for you. The most important thing is to start and take consistent steps towards our aspirations, no matter how small they may seem. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic! Have you struggled with defining your goals in the past? What strategies have worked for you? Share your experiences and insights, I look forward to learning from your experience...