One of the most commonly shared pieces of advice for successful living is to set goals. Proponents of goal setting argue that having goals makes you more productive because you need to focus all your energy on achieving them. However, setting goals can be an uphill battle. For one thing, it’s hard to know which goals are important and which goals should take precedence over others. Knowing which goals are of higher priority depends on individual circumstances. We are not going to lecture you about how to prioritize your goals. Instead, we want to dig into the reasons why setting goals is important in the first place and explore why goal setting is so crucial for us to thrive and, in the end, succeed.
1. Goals give you a target to aim for
Without a goal, you’re more likely to wander around aimlessly, making your efforts futile. If you don’t know where you’re going, every way will lead you there.
However, with a goal, you at least know your target. Aiming at the target will help you see the ways to get there. You can then take the necessary steps towards your goal.
“What if it’s the wrong way,” you ask? Then you know for sure it doesn’t work, and you adjust your approach.
Having a goal gives you the focus you need, weeding out distractions and wasted effort.
2. Goals help you measure progress
We usually set big goals for ourselves, and the goals may seem out of reach initially, which could become discouraging.
You may think: “The big goal appears to be so far away…”
Well, we’ve all been there before. What we forget to do is break our big goals into smaller goals which we will achieve along the way.
There are two reasons why this is important:
- You need fast wins to push you even more towards achieving your goal, and
- You need to feel proud of yourself for how far you have come, although you may not have reached the big goal yet.
Measuring your progress with smaller goals will help you stay on track and make you realize that you’re moving in the right direction and that you’re closer to your goals than when you started.
3. Goals give you a reason to wake up in the morning and keep you motivated
Think about athletes who are preparing for an upcoming season or competition. The athletes will get in shape and work out every day – whether they are feeling like it, tired, or want to at all.
They do it because they set themselves a goal and aim at it single-mindedly, knowing that a little each day adds up to something great.
The goal is the reason they get up in the morning and put in the work.
4. Goals help you beat procrastination
Setting goals in life can help you realize that procrastination is dangerous. Putting off work for another day is wasted time and a lost step towards the goal.
With that in mind and staying focused on your goal, you’re more likely to remain consistent, put in the effort, and reach your goals faster.
5. Reaching goals will make you want to achieve more
Assume you break your big goal into smaller goals.
Remember the quick wins we mentioned? They are there for you to feel more confident in yourself and make you want to have that sweet taste of victory again and again.
6. Goals help you determine what you want in life
The sole act of setting goals forces you to do something that many of us might not want to do – think about what you truly want in life.
What are your desires? Do you want a better career? Do you want to compete in a sport? What about family? Relationships? What is it that you need to do to achieve your dreams?
Knowing what you want in life will help you aim at the right target. You will automatically think about the ways to get there. This, in turn, will help you break down your goals into smaller ones.
Goal setting is important because achieving goals makes us feel good about ourselves and motivates us to work harder at what we want to accomplish in life. So, if you know what your long-term goals are, make sure that your short-term daily tasks help you achieve those long-term goals.
In no time, you will see that no goal is too big for you with the right approach – and the right mindset.
Watch the video below and see how our partners and athletes use FitLine products to achieve their goals.