Setting Long And Short-Term Goals

Being successful requires having the right mindset and planning properly.

This means to be successful in different aspects of life you have to think like a winner and undertake proper planning. The planning entails setting goals for what you want to achieve and when you want to achieve them.

By setting goals you will be more focused since you will now know exactly what you want. Consequently, one needs to set long and short-term goals. The short term goals are for the near future, immediate results etc., while the long term ones are the ones to be achieved after a considerable period of time, which might even be years down the line.

Know Exactly What You Want To Achieve

The first step of setting both long and short-term goals is knowing exactly what you want to achieve. This means that your conscious should be clear before setting any type of goal. The importance of this is that you will know the things you need to consider while setting the goals.

You really need to lay down the dates for which these goals need to be reached. Be realistic and set some goals for perhaps 5 years time. This is your 5 year plan. Plenty of time to work on them and get things in motion.

Write them down and read and re-read them as often as possible. Writing down. Writing… not typing… will set those goals in stone in your subconcious.

Realistic Goals

Make realistic goals. Being realistic means that you are setting goals which you know you can achieve, plus a little bit more. By setting realistic goals, you avoid the frustrations that come when you repeatedly fail to achieve your goals. In fact, many people give up because they always set goals which are too high and as a result most of the times they fail to achieve their objectives. Therefore, while setting your goals, regardless of whether they are short or long-term, you should ensure they are achievable.

Short Term Goals

Setting the short term goals is simpler mainly because such goals might be achieved even within minutes or hours. This means you can wake up in the morning and set a short-term goal of something you want to achieve by the end of the day. Because of the short period you can easily tell the factors that might hinder you from achieving your goals. Therefore, you will be setting the short-term goals being almost certain of whether you will be in a position to achieve the goals.

Also you will be able to break down your longer term goals into bite sized chunks. Attach a date to acheive each chunk and when completed, move to the next… ever forward to your long term goals.

Long Term Goals

Making long-term goals can be a bit challenging. This is because the factors you had considered while setting the goals might change with time. Therefore, while setting long term goals it is advisable to consider that some factors might change. You can achieve this through setting long-term goals which are not too rigid. This means you should set goals with options of changing as time progresses. A lot can change in 5 years. Be flexible. Long term goals are made to be rewritten and adjusted anyway!

The end results of the long-term goals should be, to a degree, specific. They should have a range and have some desired results. For instance; you can say in five years you want to have opened two or three other branches of your business. This will motivate you towards expanding your business. You may want to have achieved some promotion to a much higher position in the firm you work for.

One may be that you wish to move to a bigger, more spacious house. This will probably cost more money, so what are you going to do to generate the income needed? Perhaps it’s that promotion? All part of your long term goals.

Keep these long term goals at the forefront of your mind. See yourself having already achieved them. Believe in yourself and you will be amazed as to how many others will start to believe in you too.

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