6 Reasons Why You Should Goal Set

Goal setting is an extremely useful tool used by highly successful individuals everywhere. Businesses also set goals. An example of this is sales goals. What do you expect your sales to be? Where do you want your sales to be? How can you get there? Goals do not always need to be ridiculously hard to attain. Some of the most powerful goals can be those little ones that create habits and leave you feeling fulfilled and accomplished. All of a sudden, you feel like you can do anything! 

Goals can range from striving to make a million dollars every quarter to simply making your bed in the morning. Both are equally important. One provides an immediate sense of gratification whereas the other one may provide a larger feeling of accomplishment but will take longer to achieve. Smaller goals are helpful as they keep you engaged. When you reap the rewards of completing a goal almost immediately, you are more likely to continue creating new goals and less likely to get discouraged. 

Ever try to start a diet and then fall off almost as quickly as you began? A lot of people do. For many, this is because they felt like their goal was far away and they couldn’t see progress fast enough. Next time you try, set the same goal but only for a day this time. “For one whole day, I will eat healthy meals and maintain a calorie deficit”. This, all of a sudden, seems a lot easier and less daunting. The next morning you may think to yourself, that wasn’t hard, I can do that again. Before you know it, you are creating a habit of clean eating and the impossible task of dieting for a year and losing “x” amount of pounds seemingly becomes more attainable. 

The other important aspect of goal setting is to not get discouraged if you don’t hit your mark. Not attaining a goal doesn’t mean giving up and never trying again. This can simply mean either a) keep pushing or b) take a step back, reevaluate and try again. Take a look at what is working, what feels good, what isn’t working, and what other people around you are doing and is it working for them? 

Motivation

Setting goals is a great way to keep you motivated for a project or desired accomplishment. It’s exciting to have something to look forward to such as fitting into an old pair of jeans or seeing your bank account triple in size. When you have a goal in mind, you have something you are working towards, you want to achieve the end result. Goals should push you to want to get up and go. Goals keep your mind and body engaged. Motivation is not only great for getting things done but it is also amazing for your mental health. When you have a purpose or drive, you know you have something you need to do rather than trying to kill time watching movies on the couch or scrolling through YouTube videos on your phone. 

Challenge

Goals challenge you. They challenge you to push yourself, to get somewhere further than you were the day before. When you truly challenge yourself, you may be amazed at just how much you can accomplish. As you start setting and achieving goals, keep track of them in a journal. It can be really beneficial to look back at how far you’ve come, and all of the progress you’ve made. You may even begin to notice your progress goals suddenly spike as you keep hitting your targets. Sales getting larger and larger, and productivity in a day incorporates more and more tasks. 

Focus

When you set goals, you are more focused. Instead of trying to do a little bit here and a little bit there, you can really narrow down on what needs to be done. Often when we have a large project with lots of moving parts, our brains can become scattered. When there is too much to be done we can struggle with finding focus. Goals can help set a clear path of what needs to be done to achieve the desired result. 

Unity

Not only do goals help increase sales in a company, but they can also create a sense of unity among the employees. Giving prizes or awards for completing goals can create friendly competition and boost morale. By doing this you help the employees push themselves and push each other. You encourage coworkers to work together creating a healthy, fun yet challenging work environment. 

Accountability 

Setting goals creates accountability. When you set a personal goal, it is you and only you that can make that dream become a reality. When a business sets a goal for its employees, the owners are holding those specific employees accountable. They are expecting certain results at a certain time. When a task and deadline are set, you are held responsible for upholding your portion of the project.  

Commitment 

Goals help you stay committed. If you have a goal you really want to see achieved you will stick with it until it is done. Goals are great for individuals who have a hard time seeing things through. 

In conclusion, goal setting can be used in all aspects of life from businesses to personal to relationships and more. Goal setting is fantastic as it invokes:

• Motivation
• Challenge
• Focus
• Unity
• Accountability
• Commitment 

Try setting a goal today! For more information on how you can get started, you can take the Goal Setting course on the Safety Canada website.