3 tips for setting goals that you’ll actually achieve

Many of us naturally spend time reflecting on where we are, what we've achieved and what we'd like to change.

A lot of my initial work with coaching clients involves exploring their goals.

When I ask people what they want to achieve, I often hear responses that begin with:

"Well, I don't want..."

That's completely understandable, but there are often more effective ways to think about goals.

Here are three simple tips that can make goal setting much more powerful.

The three tips to getting goals that work for you

1. Focus on what you do want

Thinking about what you don't want can confuse your brain. Your mind creates an internal picture of the very thing you're trying to avoid. Where the mind goes, the body often follows.

If you're not convinced, try this:

Don't think about a purple elephant.

What are you thinking about now? Exactly. 

Instead, focus on what you do want. This will allow you to only picture and visualise exactly where you do want to be headed.

Sometimes this is simply a case of reframing your goal into more positive language.

2. Create an emotional connection

Goals become powerful neurological drivers for change when they satisfy three important conditions.

You need to believe:

• You can achieve it.
• You deserve to achieve it.
• You genuinely want to achieve it.

For example, when someone asks me whether I can help them stop smoking, my first question is always:

"Do you believe you can, deserve to, and genuinely want to stop smoking?"
Making a change for someone else rarely creates the same emotional motivation as making it for yourself.

The stronger your emotional connection to the goal, the more likely you are to stay committed when challenges arise.

3. Share your goals

This final tip is particularly valuable for teams and businesses.

Share your goals as you develop them with colleagues, peers and stakeholders.

Not only does this help ensure they align with wider organisational objectives, but it often creates opportunities you may never have discovered on your own.

I'm continually surprised by how few organisations openly discuss individual goals and the amount of energy that can be wasted as a result.

A great place to start is with the leadership team.

Encourage senior leaders to share, review, challenge and refine one another's goals so they become stronger and more closely aligned and accountable for their development. 

If you're too worried about what you don't want, are pursuing a goal because somebody else thinks it's a good idea (i.e., you don't have a deep desire for it yourself) and you keep it to yourself, you're going to face a lonely road that's too easy to turn back on.

Goals are mean't to challenge us - don't be afraid, just make sure you have the right principles in place first. 

Goals become powerful when they inspire action

Setting a goal is only the beginning.

The real value comes from creating goals that inspire action, connect with your values and encourage you to keep moving forward.

When your goals are clear, meaningful and shared with the right people, they become much more than intentions; they become a roadmap for positive change.