Goal Setting
The Advantages of Behavior-Based Goals
When you think about the advantages of behavior-based goals, a few things come to mind immediately. You may be excited to get more done, or get promoted, or increase your leadership skills, or just lead a happier life in general. All of these things are possible with a little hard work and dedication, but setting the right goals makes it much easier.
Increased Productivity
Being a goal-oriented person means making the most of your time. When you start to act on behavior-based goals, you’ll naturally find yourself getting more done. In fact, one of the biggest reasons that people seek change in the first place is to increase their productivity. With a few simple changes, you can stop procrastinating and accomplish a lot more with a lot less stress.
Behavior-based goals like cutting down on procrastination, managing your time more effectively, and concentrating on the task at hand can all help to increase your productivity. Instead of making explicit goals like finishing a report in record time, focus more on staying positive and motivated. You’ll get more done and find yourself experiencing less stress while you do it. You may even end up enjoying the process.
Win Friends and Influence People
Other people are drawn to motivated, goal-oriented individuals; they just appear to be more naturally charismatic. Use behavior-based goals to make the people around you feel valued, and you’ll find yourself making friends and effortlessly leading others. Set out to be the sort of person you want to have around, and friends and coworkers will give you their respect and seek you out for advice.
Making Yourself Marketable
Employers love people who set goals and, more importantly, act on them. They routinely promote people who have a clear idea of what they want to accomplish. Behavior-based goals can make you more marketable and help you rise to the top of your profession. When you think about the sort of people who are leaders rather than followers, you’ll start to see that behavior-based goals are key.
In order to make yourself more marketable, set behavior-based goals that encourage positive interactions and improve your ability to manage stress. Tell yourself that every time you talk to a client or coworker, you’re being given an opportunity to prove yourself competent, valuable, and trustworthy. Before you know it, you’ll see yourself grow into the leader you’re capable of being.
Living Your Best Possible Life
One of the biggest advantages of behavior-based goals is increased personal satisfaction and self-worth. When you’re killing it at work or interacting in a positive way with friends and family, you’ll find yourself becoming happier and more self-assured without even trying. Use behavior-based goals to become a better listener, set aside time to relax, and connect with the ones you love. Your quality of life will improve practically overnight.
Goals Can Give You Purpose And Direction pt2
The next time you feel like you’re in a rut, try setting and pursuing some goals. They don’t have to be outlandish, and you want them to be obtainable. Keep working on them until you complete them. Create a journal to track your progress and get whatever help you can to motivate you. Once you see what is possible by setting goals, you will find you can accomplish just about anything.
You can’t stop the situation of getting into a rut, but you now have a way of getting out of it. You just have to figure out what you want to pursue and set up a plan to make it happen. Then, it’s simply a matter of following that plan.
And don’t give up on the plan; in fact having a well defined plan with pre-determined goals will ensure you have the best chance of success in your endeavours so go NOW and take some action!
Goals Can Give You Purpose And Direction pt1
It’s very common for people to get to a point in their lives when they ask why they are doing what they are doing. It could be the career choice they made and wanted a change, or it could be something personal that is simply not working out as they had hoped. This is referred to by many as being stuck in a rut. Without any changes, it can be difficult to get out of this rut. One way out of this rut is to set some goals. This may help you find a sense of purpose.
When you lay out a plan, you can take a bird’s eye view of your possible paths. This creates an energy within that helps you carry out your plan. It gives you something to look forward to which can give you a sense of purpose. Having that helps you motivate and keep on track.
During the period of reaching for your goals, you will have good days and bad days. The bad days may even make you feel like throwing in the towel and forgetting the whole thing. This is natural and you need to refer to your goals to help you keep going. Family and friends can help to encourage you as well. Reach out to them when you feel like you want to quit.
The good days will get you pumped and will show that you are getting close to your target. Meeting milestones for your goals will solidify this experience as it gives you something to check off when completing the task. The more you pursue your goals, the more you will have these feelings of accomplishment which help show you a sense of purpose.
Leaving Your Comfort Zone (continued)!
Another aspect of going outside of your comfort zone is the head rush that many people experience when it happens. For instance, if you have ever tried skydiving, you would know what this is about. The fear is definitely there, but the exhilaration is what brings people to do it over again. Of course, it won’t be right for everyone. But if you do get hooked, think about that the next time you are looking to try something new. If you don’t go for it, you won’t get that extraordinary feeling.
This doesn’t just work for risky sports. It can be for other experiences like taking on a new career or starting a new business. These activities may not give you the instant head rush as those risky sports. But they can give you a feeling of exhilaration that lasts for a longer term basis.
People will never push forward if they don’t try something that they are not comfortable with. This is why it’s called the comfort zone and is why it is used as a reference to breaking through. It may not work as you planned but you will learn something at any point of the journey. They will likely be experiences that you can tell your grandkids about which may leave them awestruck. There is nothing more powerful than that!
Leave Your Comfort Zone
Setting goals usually mean being placed outside of your comfort zone. This can scare the you-know-what out of the best of people. The truth is, people don’t like change. But change is the one true thing that people can depend on.
Setting goals are about making changes. It’s often about doing things you have never tried before. This puts people into the neighborhood of the unknown. But that which scares us can also be what gets us to take action. That’s where the power of getting outside of your comfort zone comes into play.
It’s important to know your capabilities and be aware of any weaknesses. For instance, if you have never tried competitive diving before, it would not be wise to dive off platforms right off the bat. Start small, and work up as you become more proficient in the smaller diving boards.
But you shouldn’t shy away from diving if it’s something you have always wanted to try. Find a qualified trainer and give it a shot. You won’t know if it’s right for you unless you make the effort.