Why You Should Start Setting Goals

By Jake Reynolds

Setting goals is one of the most effective tools that people rarely use. When you set a goal, you give yourself a purpose. You have something to work towards, an objective which you can dedicate your time to. The reason I chose to learn about and utilize goals was simple - I was unhappy. I didn't like who I was and I hated feeling like crap every morning. I wasn't active, I smoked cigarettes, liked to get messed up with my friends, and lived in constant clutter. I wasn't taking care of myself physically or mentally and was absolutely miserable. Then I started to set goals.

When I first started to set goals, I made a crucial mistake that most people tend to make. I set too many of them and essentially wanted to transform myself overnight. I made it my goal to work out twice a day, brush my teeth three times a day, read one chapter from a book every day, limit my phone use to thirty minutes, clean my room every day, track what I eat, and stop smoking. It didn't take long for me to get frustrated and subsequently give up. It took a while for me to come to the realization that if I was going to change, I had to start small and grow from there.

With that in mind, I decided to take the smallest step possible in setting my first goal. My first goal was that every morning when I woke up, I would make my bed. It doesn't seem like much, but this proved to be incredibly effective for the future. Plus, it felt nice to go to sleep and not have socks wrinkled up in the blankets.

After a few weeks of making my bed, it became a routine. I no longer thought about it. I would wake up and automatically go through the motions, just like brushing my teeth - which ended being my next goal. I wanted to start brushing my teeth after each meal, and that is what I focused on over those weeks.

As time went on, I started to set bigger goals for myself. I also learned about the SMART goal system, which has proved to be highly effective. As I go over this system, I want you to think about something that you wish to change about your life. You don't have to necessarily decide on something now, but just keep that in mind as we go over this.

The first step in the smart goal system is to be Specific. One of the most common mistakes people make when setting goals is they are too vague. For example, if I set a goal to "get in shape", it probably won't happen. If I set a goal to "do pushups and curls on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and do squats and sit-ups on Tuesday and Thursday, for three months", my odds of success would skyrocket. You must have a clear path to victory, otherwise, it's like trying to find a treasure chest without the X to lead you there.

The second step in the smart goal system is to make it Measurable. Many people, including myself, may set a goal to save up more money. How much money? 500 dollars? 1,000 dollars? You must know when you have achieved what you set out to do.

The third step in the smart goal system is to ensure that the goal is attainable. Remember when I tried to change everything about myself in one day? That is why we have this rule. Don't overload yourself with too many goals. Make sure that what you are doing is actually doable and fits into your schedule.

Next up is to make sure your goals are Relevant. If you are still trying to figure out what you want to do with your life, then don't worry about this step too much. However, this step is incredibly important for the future. Essentially, you want to make sure that whatever goals you set pertain to your plans for the future. For example, if I wanted to be a novel writer, I would make it my goal to have a rough draft finished within 90 days. This allows you to stay focused on what you are doing and have a better chance of landing that dream job.

Finally, the last step of the smart goal system is to make sure the goal is timely. Your goals must have a deadline. Think of it as a homework assignment. If our homework didn't have a due date, it would almost certainly never get done. Goals must be treated the same way. Give yourself a specific time that you want to accomplish your goal, otherwise, you'll continue to put it off.

Thanks to setting goals and utilizing the SMART goal system, I learned to play two musical instruments, got in shape, enrolled in BJJ, and aced my college classes. I want to be clear that I did not do all of this within a few months or even a year. This was the result of many years of hard work and patience, and there were many failures throughout, which is another important thing to point out.

If you set a goal and fail to complete it, do not give up. I cannot stress that enough. In fact, if you set goals and don't ever fail at completing them, then you are probably not setting very difficult goals. Treat each failure as a learning experience, and try to figure out why you were unable to accomplish what you set out to do. Failure is arguably the biggest key to success.