What’s in a goal?

I once listened to Jim Rohn say that one of the most important lessons in his life was the lesson on goalsetting. He observed that it wasn’t taught in school or at work. It appears to be a subject everyone is assumed to be an expert in so very few people are asking questions about it. Whereas, it is impossible to become an achiever without being a goal setter. That is because you can only achieve what you aim for. According to Orison Swett Marden, “All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible”.

One of the things that aid effective goal setting is the understanding of what goals are. If we can comprehend the very nature of goals, it wouldn’t be too difficult to realise that they are essential to a successful life. Here are a few descriptions of a goal:

• A measurement for success: without goals, it would be impossible to understand the word “success” since the definition of success, according to the Collins English Dictionary, is “the achievement of something that you have been trying to do”. This means that no one can claim success who has not aimed for a mark. Setting a goal creates a sense of expectation of a desired end. No one sets a standard for failure. There is no need to aim to fail; simple do nothing and failure will be the natural outcome. Someone may argue that you cannot fail at what you don’t aim at. Well, you can also not get anything when you don’t expect and work towards something. Whatever comes to you by chance will vanish in an instant. Where the tragedy of a goalless life becomes manifest is when people desire the success that others deserve.
• A determinant of motivation: a goal determines how motivated you are. If you believe in your goal, you will wakeup every morning excited and you will live every moment with commitment. You will be eager for night to become daytime so that you can pursue your goals. The road to achieving your goal may be tough because of all the sacrifices you have to make but with your eyes focused, you will weather every storm.
• A measurement of efforts: if there are no goals, you will not know how much effort you need to put into your activities. Pacing is essential. Athletes know that when running a marathon race, they must pace themselves. If they run too fast at the beginning of the race, they may become exhausted by the last few minutes of it. On the other hand, if they start the race too slowly, they will not stand the chance of catching up with the others due to much gap. When your destination is known, your resources, which include your time and energy, will be wisely distributed. If your destination is unknown, your efforts, no matter how intense, will not be rewarded with favourable results.
• A determinant of focus: it is difficult to hit a moving target. If you don’t have goals, you will constantly change your desires and passions. Goals help you to keep your attention concentrated on what you wish to achieve. A wise man once said, “if you don’t know where you are going, everywhere will look like it”. Goals help you to effectively manage your priorities. Several times we encounter things that are important or even urgent, but they contribute little or nothing to our overall objectives. Goals help us to keep in line with our objectives. When you have your goals right, you will be able to tell if you are straying.
• A measurement of movement: imagine you need to travel to a city you’ve never visited and you don’t know the direction. If you decide to use Google Maps, you must input your current location and your destination, and then follow the direction as displayed on your device. No matter where you turn, you remain connected to your desired location and you move towards it. Goals keep you moving in the right direction. You can determine how much further you need to go by checkout your goals. The beautiful part of a goal is that even when you think you didn’t achieve it, you have move from where you used to be. According to Les Brown, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars”.

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