How to set goals you'll be more likely to achieve

How many times have you started a project or even imagined a new project and given up, sometimes halfway through or even before you started?

Crystal clear clarity is required when setting a new goal. The clearer you are about what you want to achieve, the easier it can be to plan the steps towards it.

Here are some tried and tested tips that may help increase your chances of achieving your goals.

• Once you have clarified what it is you want to achieve, ask yourself how serious you are about it. On a scale from one to 10, how committed are you to achieving your goal and paying the price required for its attainment?
• Getting clear about the ‘why’ will help to keep motivation levels high. Is it in line with your values and the bigger picture of what you want to achieve? If not, what adjustments need to be made? If your goal is meaningful enough and in line with what you believe in, then you’re on the right track.
• Get clear about the outcomes you wish to see. What will you actually achieve with this goal? Imagining the desired outcome through visualisation, using all your senses, can help you clarify what you're working towards and how achieving it might feel.
• Create a 3D experience of achieving your goal. Just suppose for a moment that you have achieved your desired goal; what is it like? Connect and associate with the feeling. What are you seeing, hearing and saying to yourself? Consider, also, how it would change or affect other aspects of your life.
• Make a list of benefits of achieving your goal, by considering what it would do for you. Put the list up somewhere visible, as a motivational reminder at times when you are feeling off track.
• Different parts of you will need to come into play to make this goal happen. If you had this goal, how would you be different? Are you being more organised, focused, dynamic, switched on? Is your desk more organised and have you eliminated all possible distractions? What new habits do you need to develop to support your goal?
• Make your goal SMART. The more specific your goal is and the more control you have over the actions involved, the easier it may be to plan and track your progress. Have a timeline with a specific completion date and be as realistic as you can about its attainment; otherwise you may find it harder to maintain motivation and progress.
• Once these goal-setting basics are in place, think about what behaviours or habits may support you in achieving this goal. This means reviewing specific current behaviours, attitudes and habits, and making adjustments required, e.g. better time management and being better organised, daily motivational practice, planning the night before habit, etc.
• A degree of planning is necessary, but don’t worry about having the whole route mapped out. Take the obvious, necessary, and most effective two to three actions and know that the steps after that may become clearer as you progress.
• Build in flexibility: The key is not to get too hung up on the outcome. If your intention is set firmly, develop the art of taking focused actions and at the same time letting go of tension and the need to succeed. Be in the present as much as possible, and you may spot opportunities, people and circumstances that you did not expect. Once you've done what is within your control, try to let go of the need to predict every step. Staying open and flexible may help you notice opportunities you hadn't anticipated.

Design your unique blueprint. Make conscious, positive choices about what you want your life to be and do it. We may have strengths and capabilities that we haven't yet had the opportunity or confidence to express. Give yourself permission to commit to a goal that is meaningful for you and then go ahead: Play, experiment, focus and take action!

And above all, enjoy the journey!