In five years, ten years, or even this time next year, where do you want to be? These locations are your goal destinations, and even while you may know that you don't want to stay in the same spot forever, it's not always simple to pinpoint your true objectives.
A common misconception is that establishing a goal destination equates to having an ideal that will only ever be realized in the far future. Two factors make this turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy:
First, the objective isn't stated clearly enough in the first place; and second, it's still just a far-off fantasy that needs to be realized but is never done.
You should give this some serious thought before defining your desired endpoint. The actions listed below for organizing your life goals ought to set you on the path to success.
1. Make a List of Your Goal Destinations
The things that are significant to you are your goal destinations. They might also be referred to as goals or aspirations, but goals seem unattainable whereas destinations are unquestionably reachable if you are prepared to put in the necessary work to get there.
What then is your true calling in life? What are your top life goals that you would like to achieve? If you suddenly discovered you were going to have a limited amount of time left on earth, what is it that you would truly regret not doing?
All of these are objectives. Give a brief explanation of each objective destination.
Remove any objective from this list if it serves as a springboard to another one of the goals; it is not a target destination.
2. Think About the Time Frame to Have the Goal Accomplished
The five-year, ten-year, and next-year plans come into play here.
Discover the distinctions between short-term and long-term objectives. It will be up to you when you want to accomplish some goals; others will have a "shelf life" due to factors like age, health, finances, etc.
3. Write Down Your Goals Clearly
At the top of a fresh sheet of paper, write the destination of each goal.
Note down what you now lack and what you need to accomplish each objective in order to reach it. This could involve learning a new skill, changing careers, finances, or education of some sort. Any "stepping stone" objectives you eliminated are compatible with this practice. Follow the same procedure for any sub-goals that any of these smaller "goals" have so that you have specific action items to deal with.
4. Write Down What You Need to Do for Each Goal
Note the actions you will need to take to fulfill each step needed to accomplish the goal under each item on the list.
These will be added to a checklist. They provide you with a concrete means of monitoring your advancement toward your objectives. An account of your accomplishments!
5. Write Down Your Timeframe With Specific and Realistic Dates
On each goal destination sheet, indicate the year you plan to finish each objective using the time frames you created.
Consider the date you would like to have completed any goal that doesn't have a set completion date, and use that as your destination date.
Work within the time constraints for each goal location and note the reasonable deadlines for doing each little task.
6. Schedule Your To-Dos
Make a timetable of the tasks you need to complete this week, this month, or this year to move closer to all of your goal destinations after you've taken a broad look at them.
Put these action items on a calendar so you know when to complete them.
7. Review Your Progress
Examine your accomplishments for the year, cross items off your target destination checklists, and create a timetable with the action items you need for the following year.
You may need to obtain an MBA before you can finance a part-time degree course, so it might take you a few years to get the promotion you want, but in the end, you will succeed in reaching your goal destination because you have made plans for not only what you want, but also how to get it, and you have taken proactive steps to make that happen.
