How to Set Clear Goals

Since multiple people contacted me regarding my last article on goals, I thought I would do a follow-up piece. Unfortunately, we often tend to overcomplicate the idea of goals, so I want to give you some clarity on this crucial topic.

Without spelling out your vision through goals, it is tough to focus on what fuels you and gives you purpose. If you haven’t figured out your goals for June, I would highly recommend blocking off time in your calendar (ASAP) to figure that out. If you want to come up with a game plan for goals, but you’re feeling overwhelmed, I pulled together some thoughts regarding goals that will be helpful to you. 

Properly Plan Your Goals 

Properly planning your goals will put you in a better position to succeed. A lot of goals miss the mark because the target objective was not planned out correctly. This stage is a lot of fun for some since you can dream about the end result. Although planning is such a nightmare for some, people would instead go through life goalless than take the time to plan. Regardless of what camp you fall into, without setting time aside to plan, multiple life desires that you have won’t come to fruition.  

While I’m a firm believer that different goal systems work better for others, there are some best practices to consider while you’re putting together your goals. 

Consider the following tips:

1. Decide on what you want. Whether your goal is gigantic or a smaller plan, figure out if it's something that you desire. When I say "desire,” is this something that has kept you up at night thinking about? Is your life worse off without it? Is it something that you're so passionate about that you're willing to delay instant gratification to obtain it? If that's the case, then you've probably figured out what you need to have. 
2. Get very specific. Details are important when it comes to goals. Instead of having a wish of ”I want to lose weight, ” consider a plan like, ”I will lose 1?2 a pound a week for six months.” As many of you know, just ”losing weight” is far too vague. By being too ambiguous with your goals, it will create confusion, which could derail any progress. 
3. Physically document your goals. An unwritten goal is only a wish. Now, you can ”write” this goal with a pen and paper or digitally, but make sure you accurately capture it through documentation. The important part is keeping track of it since goals tend to feel more real once they are clearly spelled out. 
4. Break ’em down into mini bites. If you have a goal that’s so big it scares you; you’ll want to break it down into tiny pieces. Having smaller steps will make it more manageable, but it will also alleviate a lot of the anxiety that could come with pursuing the larger goal. I recommend a year plan and then breaking it up into monthly goals. Once you have your monthly goal set, I highly recommend figuring out the daily disciplines that you’ll need to do to achieve your monthly plan. For instance, I have four specific daily disciplines that I do every day to put me in a position to hit my monthly goals. I use an app called “Way of Life” to track the habits, but you can do whatever works for you. Regardless, remember that breaking your goals down will give you a better shot at achieving them. 
5. Repeat the successful system. Once you figure out a great system that works for you, you’ll want to duplicate it, again and again, and again. The end result can be glamorous and glitzy, but steps to achieve that goal will often not be fun or exciting. It’s so incredible after losing a ton of weight. When I’m in shape, I have more energy; I sleep better, my life seems to thrive around me. Although, getting in shape sucks. It’s boring and mundane. That’s why visualization is so important. If we remind ourselves of the prize, it’s easier to get through our daily disciplines. It’s going to come down to executing the system you set up. So, make sure you set it up wisely. 

If you want your summer to be highly productive, don’t wait any longer!

Remember to:

• Figure out what you want (be specific)
• Write your goals down
• Break them into mini-bites

Once you have all of this together, focus on creating the best process to achieve them and keep working on that system repeatedly.  

It’s easy to keep pushing goals off week after week, but before you know it, this year will be over. Get moving on your goals and make the summer months count! 

*Matt Zaun is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organizations to attract more clients through the art of strategic storytelling. Matt’s past engagements have catalyzed radical sales increases for over 200 organizations that range from financial institutions to the health and wellness industry. 

Matt shares his expertise in persuasion with executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs, who he coaches on the art of influence and how to leverage this for profits and impact. 

For more info, check out his video | https://youtu.be/pflQtzgP7X0