Setting goals helps us give direction to our lives and gives them meaning.. Having goals gives us the motivation and energy we need to keep moving forward. So much so that it can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
Viktor Frankl, the Austrian psychiatrist who spent three years in Nazi concentration camps and wrote the famous book “Man’s Search for Meaning,” discovered that people who had a purposeful, purposeful life were the most likely to survive.
Fortunately, today we don’t have to face concentration camps, but we do have to face a great monster called everyday life. Inm Rohn, entrepreneur and author of personal productivity books, once said: ” If you don’t design your life plan, you’re likely to fall into someone else’s plan .” In other words, if we don’t have goals, we’re likely to waste time doing trivial and unrewarding tasks.
The Dream Trap
We all have dreams. However, having dreams isn’t the same as setting goals. Dreams are more or less unrealizable desires that we keep under our pillows. Goals, on the other hand, are composed of objectives; they’re more tangible, and we usually engage in their achievement because we perceive them as something we can achieve. I would like to have that house ” is a dream, a wish expressed in such a way that only fortune could make it come true. It’s quite different to say, “ I want that house. Starting tomorrow, I will do this and that to get it .” This is a goal, and if the person follows the steps they’ve been planning, they’ll have a good chance of achieving their goal at the end of the journey.
The difference between making a commitment and achieving a goal
Having dreams is the first step toward personal fulfillment, but turning those dreams into concrete goals and committing to achieving them is what makes the difference between a wish and effective action.. It’s important to understand that committing involves taking consistent and deliberate steps to move us closer to our goals.
Imagine you want to run a marathon in a year. That’s your ultimate goal, but to achieve it, you need to commit to an action plan. In this case, the commitment would be to run every day for an hour. This is the consistent, disciplined practice that will get you closer to your goal. Remember, a goal is something you achieve, but commitment is the habit you build to get there.
It’s important to recognize that without a firm commitment and a concrete action plan, our goals can remain mere pipe dreams. While it’s possible we could win the lottery and suddenly buy that dream home, relying on that possibility is unrealistic and unlikely. Instead, we must take responsibility for creating our path to success, based on commitment and dedication.
However, it’s also essential to consider our circumstances and individual capabilities when setting our goals. We can’t set goals that are completely out of reach or contrary to our abilities. To achieve this, it’s essential to develop the skill of setting goals intelligently and realistically.
This involves assessing our current circumstances, our available resources, and our strengths. By setting goals intelligently, we consider these factors and ensure they are achievable and aligned with our reality. This allows us to develop an effective action plan and motivates us to keep moving forward.
In short, to turn our dreams into achievable goals, we must commit to a concrete action plan.. Commitment drives us to take the necessary steps to achieve our goals, while smart goal setting helps us maintain the right motivation and focus. Remember, success doesn’t come with desires alone, but with the commitment and determination to turn those desires into reality.
What are SMART goals? What does SMART mean?
SMART goals are a powerful tool that will help you set effective goals and achieve success in any area of your life. SMART goals are a systematic and structured approach that allows you to define clear and well-defined goals, thereby increasing your chances of success.
