In response, numerous tips pour in. Public likes to talk about other people’s goals and give instructions with a serious face when it does not concern them personally. Taking part in someone else’s life is much easier and safer than organizing your own.
A lot of advice coming from people with a poor understanding of goal setting methods is ineffective, and sometimes even harmful. But there is also the Internet, which contains thousands of recommendations on how to achieve success in the shortest time possible. Often these are the same tips, repeated on different web resources. When you read about them many times over, you start to think of them as if they are undeniable truth. But this is not always the case.
When working on the GoalSet Master project of the GIG-OS platform, we studied the experience of different people in setting and achieving goals. As a result, we managed to find out which methods really work and which do not.
In this article, we’ll take a look at six bad tips that are often heard about or read on the web.
1. Have an idea? Make an implementation plan right away!
Many do this and immediately begin to outline their actions step by step. They get confused, rewrite everything several times and eventually come to a dead end.
Why? Because they have an idea without a clear goal. How can you make a sound plan if you have a vague idea of what you want to achieve?
A well-thought-out and univocal formulation of your goal — that’s what needs to be done first. And only then proceed to planning.
2. Focus on the actions that will lead to the desired result
Our research has led to an unexpected conclusion. Having set a goal, you should not immediately direct your attention to what needs to be done to achieve it. The first thing to think about is what to avoid.
Once you figure out what can prevent you from realizing your plan, it becomes clear how to take action. By identifying traps and obstacles in advance, you will move towards your goal reasonably, accurately, with the least risk.
Undoubtedly, it is very useful to familiarize yourself with the experience of famous personalities. But you need to keep in mind that every person is unique just as every person’s life path. The things that worked for one may not necessarily work for the other.
Apply the advice of successful people where appropriate, but don’t try to imitate them in every aspect. Find your own path, develop your unique talents and abilities.
4. Wait for the right moment to take action
“Considering the tough economic times, it’s not a good idea to start taking action right now. We must wait until the situation improves.” Such advice can often be heard from people who believe that there has to be a “perfect moment” for everything. But what if it never comes?
Time is your most valuable resource. You shouldn’t waste it, hoping that one day luck will be on your side, and everything will work out as if by magic. You will succeed only if you do something for that every day, starting today.
If circumstances prevent you from taking large-scale actions right away, do what you can: plan, gather information, look for like-minded people. Even the smallest steps bring you closer to your goal.
5. Have multiple goals. Life should be varied!
Sounds nice, but in fact, this leads to an irrational waste of effort, time and money. As a result, none of the goals are achieved, and the person gets tired and disappointed.
Even if you have many goals in the pipeline, today, here and now, there should always be only one goal. Focus all your efforts and resources on it. And only when you’re done with it, move on to the next one.
“Who will change the world if not you? Many billionaires started out with just a few dollars — you can do it too! Everyone must make their mark in history!” — such call-to-action phrases are often heard from motivational speakers.
So, instead of tackling really important issues, a person thinks of the ways how he/she can leave his/her mark in history. Vivid fantasies come to mind, which are very difficult to form into specific goals. After all, it is completely unclear where to get billions of dollars to change the world.
But you can start small: get at least a thousand and strengthen the financial standing of your family. It is easy to turn such a task into a meaningful goal and outline ways to achieve it.
Conclusion
In the course of our research, we’ve confirmed that goal setting is a special art that is subject to certain rules. The main thing in this undertaking is to avoid common mistakes and misconceptions that most people face.
The principles of goal setting that we have discovered form the basis of the GoalSet Master tool that is freely available on the GIG-OS online platform.
Average reading time — 3 minutes One of the most painful problems of the modern society is debt. States, large and small companies, individ...
