Why Should I set Goals??

“Why do I have to set goals? Can’t I just think about what I want when I want it?” This is a question I asked my parents as a young teenager when they were trying to teach me one of the most important lessons of my life. As a young kid, I didn’t understand the importance of goal setting simply because I felt what's the point. I would soon realize that not only was I wrong but also that my parents were trying to make sure I got a grasp on a skill that would set me up for the future. 

Imagine a football game without an end zone or a basketball game without baskets; would these games be any fun to watch? How many of us would tune into the Superbowl just to watch 20 or so men running around in circles just throwing a ball back and forth? Goals are kind of like the end zone in football or basket in basketball; they are the things that we are shooting for and things that we wish to accomplish. Without knowing what you are shooting for, you lose track of the bigger picture. That is why it is important to not only set goals but to also make sure that these goals are in front of you at all times. 

You will have many different types of goals: long term, checkpoint, monthly, weekly and daily. Long term is what your overall goal or achievement will be. Inside this goal, you will have all of the other goals that will help you stay on track for the long term goal. Daily and weekly goals will allow you to see success right away and will make you feel better about the long journey that is ahead of you. Monthly goals will allow you to track your progress towards the end result and will help you stay on track. 

So how do we go about setting goals? I think the best way to do so is to start backward. What I mean by that is, start with your long term goal and then work backwards to set up your smaller goals. For example, your long term goal may be to lose 60 lbs in one years time. Then, you can work backward and set up checkpoints for every couple of months. You could say that every month you want to lose 5 lbs. Your weekly and daily goals will help you accomplish this monthly goal. You could set a goal of exercising 30 minutes a day and 5 times a week. These small goals will also allow you to set up small victories for yourself. For example, for hitting your weekly exercise goal you can reward yourself with a movie night or whatever it is that you choose. This way you can remain motivated and the journey does not feel like a chore. 

Besides setting the goals, there are two more important steps. One, make sure to put these goals on paper. This will allow you to read your goals and internalize them. Simply thinking about will not work because out of sight equals out of mind. Two, you have to follow up these goals with consistent actions. You can’t make a goal of losing weight and then never exercise. The written goals are there to remind you to put action into your goals and work towards them. Without action, these goals are simply a decoration on your wall or in your wallet. 

Goal setting is one of the most important things one can learn in their lives and fortunately it is also one of the easiest. If a fourteen-year-old kid can learn this skill and effectively implement it, it should be a cakewalk for all of you. Go out, write your goals and kick some butt!!