Anyone without goals will most likely never achieve much in their lives since they don’t know what they should be doing anyway. As a famous idea portrayed in the book “Alice in Wonderland” If you don’t know where you are going, why does it matter which way you go? Because of this, setting goals can make you successful. In this article, we’ll explain how goals are meant to be used to further your career in the long run.
How Setting Goals Can Make You Successful
You know you want to be successful, but just like a whale without a sense of direction, you’ll only be floundering in the waters. Therefore, goals will point you on the right path — but they have to be carefully set or you’ll end up going the wrong way.
Here are four types of goals. Each of them contributes to your career in different ways.
- Short-term goals
- Long-term goals
- Personal goals
- Professional goals
The Value of Short-Term Goals
Short-term goals are much easier to achieve and reach since you’re likely to get them done within weeks, months, or the year. An example is getting up earlier in the morning for a short walk. Eventually, you can increase your walking time as your body can handle it.
Goals like this are used as stepping stones to reach long-term goals. They add up and eventually you can look back and see how achieving small goals one at a time allowed you to go far. Oftentimes they can be personal or even professional.
What About Long-Term Goals?
Long-term goals will take a lot more time to meet. Typically, you’ll only reach there after a few years, sometimes closer to a decade. An example is to get a certain position in the company or a job in a career you enjoy.
These goals are wonderful for the future, but they always seem far off. That’s why you should combine them with some shorter-term goals along the way to make the process smoother. Never lose sight of your long-term goal, but your short-term goals will be the stepping stones you need.
Focusing on Personal Goals
Personal goals may not be directly related to your career, but you should still have a few. Having a hobby you can spend time working on will help you achieve a healthy balance between work and life. Outside of work, you can set a goal such as learning Chinese calligraphy on the weekends and practicing on some weeknights.
A healthy work-life balance will let you stay energetic and prevent burnout from your job. Being able to keep your mind out of the workplace will let you reset. The next day, you’ll find yourself ready to work again.
Don’t Overlook Professional Goals
Our final category here is the professional goal. These goals are directly related to your career, such as additional training and accepting special assignments. These will affect your standing with your employer.
If your company is offering employees some optional activities that clearly benefit them in the long run, you can take them. These will help prove your willingness to learn and might even lead to a raise, bonus, or promotion.
Keep in mind that your professional goals should be reasonable. Don’t take efforts that you know you can’t handle. Keep both the immediate situation and long-term ambitions in mind.
Rules for Setting Goals
Goals should always motivate you. If your goals are boring and you can’t work on them willingly, it’s time to reconsider. Motivation is why you’re setting your goals down in the first place.
If you can’t invest your energy into these goals, you’ll end up wasting your time and abandoning them. All the effort will be for nothing. Because of this, consider setting interesting goals you know you want to reach.
Your goals should be specific and concise. You should be able to tell others what you want to do in a few words. If you’re not sure what your goal is, sit down and give it some thought.
It also helps to write your goals down on paper. You can paste a sticky note somewhere you can see every day to remind yourself. Be sure to use positive language, not negative words.
An example is “I will increase my output by 10% this quarter”. Write down anything you know you want to work towards.
Having measurable goals is also critical for success. If your goal is concise but not measurable, you won’t know if you’ve made it or not.
Most importantly, commit yourself to your goals. Plan everything out!
Working Toward Your Goals
Setting goals can make you successful, and these are the best ways to do it. What do you think about our methods? If you want to learn more about background checks, please visit our website today.
