Despite the fact that most people know that setting goals is hugely important and a key to achievement, many people fail in this department. We need to really understand why goal setting matters and the benefits to our life. However, we obviously haven’t fully understand, according to statistics. Moreover, the University of Scranton study concluded that only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s resolutions—often due to hesitation and lack of clear goals.
Here are five reasons to set goals, and five tips to ensure you maximise your chances of success.
Why Goal Setting Matters
1. Clarity and Focus
Goals help us prioritise and filter out distractions. Studies by Locke and Latham (2002), show that specific, challenging goals lead to higher performance than vague or “do-your-best” ones.
2. Motivation and Positive Reinforcement
Each small win causes our brain to release dopamine. This chemical reward helps us keep motivated and reinforces our new behaviours.
3. Building New Habits
Goals help us replace unhelpful habits with constructive ones. As habits are the cornerstone of all success, they are powerful catalysts moving us closer to our desired outcomes.
4. Adaptability
Challenging goals develops cognitive flexibility, which helps us build mental toughness, an essential skill in our fast paced world.
5. Increased Confidence
Every small win, and milestone achieved boosts our self-esteem. Moreover, as psychologist Edwin A. Locke discovered, achieving goals, especially ambitious ones, contributes to our overall satisfaction and well-being.
As Rumi wisely said:
“The regrets of not having walked down those roads will often outweigh the fears you inhabited of what worse could come along the journey.”
Above all, goals push us out of our comfort zones, a place we sometimes fear leaving. For that reason, the cost of not pursuing them is often greater than the fears we imagine; we cannot grow in our comfort zone.
Why Goal Setting Matters – Five Tips for Maximising Goal Success
1. Define What You Want, and Why
Write down your goal with as many reasons as possible for why you want it. Understanding your “why” and expanding this to many “why’s”, is like a powerful fuel that helps keep you motivated. Additionally it helps you connect to your goal and understand the fundamental reason why goal setting matters.
2. Stack the Benefits
Dig deeper beneath the surface benefit, to uncover a powerful emotional driver that fuels your goal, and helps you grasp why goal setting matters. Check out the example below, from a former client:
GOAL – Pursue an MBA
Question: What will doing an MBA give you that is even more important?
Answer: Respect in my business and more skills
Question: What will having the respect in your business and more skills give you?
Answer: More clients through greater trust and credibility
Question: And what will this give you?
Answer: It will give me more income and financial abundance
Questions: What will having financial abundance give you?
Answer: It will give me choices and freedom. I will have a successful business, be able to choose when I work, and have freedom to pursue my other interests.
The Core Emotional Driver is Freedom
This is the key fuel we must use to help ourselves stay committed and is a compelling reason why goal setting matters. Furthermore, it’s about how we will feel and be when we have achieved it.
3. Create a Detailed Plan
Break down your goal into daily and weekly action steps. Schedule these tasks and select one Routine Action Task – (RAT) that will be your focus. Just as many of us avoid real-life rats, we naturally steer clear of boring or difficult tasks. However, “befriending the RAT,” by practicing and repeating this essential behaviour can turn it into a powerful habit that helps you move closer to your goal. Moreover, helping you understand yet another reason why goal setting matters. It helps you create great habits which ensure we feel good about ourselves.
4. Celebrate Milestones
Establish mini-rewards for milestones achieved along the way. Recognising progress reinforces your self-belief making it easier to keep going.
5. Develop a Backup Plan
Additionally, most people have no plan for when they hit a hurdle or simply lose focus or motivation. Creating a plan will exponentially increase your chances of success. Furthermore, a favourite technique of mine is to record a video message from your ‘future self’. Therefore, when motivation dips, simply listen to your video for a pep talk. Additionally, having an accountability partner can help keep you focused and moving forward.
Why Goal Setting Matters – It Helps Us Learn and Grow
Remember, we’re wired for safety and comfort. Goal achievement pushes us outside our comfort zone, requiring new habits, routines, and ultimately a shift in our identity. Endorsing why goal setting matters. Recognising that discomfort is a normal part of the process makes it easier to stay the course.
Finally, if you would like a copy of my ‘How to Create CLEARer Goals’ so you can maximise your chances of success, please send me an email with CLEARer Goals in the headline and I will send you one.
About the Author
Mandy Napier is a Global High Performance Mindset Coach who dedicates her work to supporting business professionals and entrepreneurs. She helps them fulfil their potential and achieve extraordinary results professionally and personally. Transformations are the norm, and results guaranteed.