Embrace Possibility Proper Goal Setting – How to Turn Dreams Into Reality – Part 1

Proper Goal Setting – How to Turn Dreams Into Reality – Part 1

We all have dreams.Proper Goal Setting

But why don't we pursue them?

Why do we go on doing what we don't like to do just because we're supposed to?

Why don't we do what we really want like travel the world, start our own business or write that book we've tried to find time for?

Is it because it's not realistic, practical or feasible?

The short answer is ...

... no.

The long answer is no, but we are frozen by doubt in our abilities and we fear the consequences of failing and being wrong.

If you are not convinced that you can achieve your dream, I recommend that you take 5 minutes to empower yourself forever and then continue reading.

If you are afraid of risk, then you should also read this short article on why it is risky to be stable.

When you are ready to turn your dreams into reality, read on.

Most people fail to achieve their dreams because of four reasons:

1. They don't believe they can (If you took those 5 minutes to empower yourself earlier, you should be ok.)

2. They set poor goals

3. They don't have a plan

4. They don't execute their plan

Reason 2 is the focus of this part. Reason 3 and 4 will be addressed in later parts of this series.

So how do you set proper goals?

Be Specific

Your goal must be clear and more importantly measurable. How will you know when you've reached your goal? Engage all your senses. What are you going to see when you've reached your goal? How will you feel? What will you hear? You should be able to vividly imagine yourself reaching this goal. When setting goals, it is more important to focus on WHAT you want and not HOW you are going to get it.

State in the Positive

If you've ever told yourself not to screw up but you ended up screwing up anyway, then you know why you should state your goals in the positive. Our subconscious has problems recognizing the word "don't" and that's why "Don't Panic!" is the same as "Panic!". Whether you believe in the subconscious or not, it is more beneficial to you to set a goal like "I want to make money in my investments" as opposed to "I don't want to lose money in my investments". For more on this topic, check out Why Telling Yourself to Stop Bad Habits Never Work.

Make It Relevant

Make sure your goal is aligned with your purpose and passion. When your goal is relevant it becomes easier to stick to your goals. An effective method I learned from Tony Robbins is to first understand WHY you want to achieve your goal and then associate reaching your goal with intense pleasure and not reaching your goal with intense pain. This towards and away from motivation really works wonders.

Set a Deadline

When you set a deadline, a dream becomes a goal. To effectively achieve your goal, it is important to break down your goal into smaller chunks where each chunk can be finished within one week. For example, if your dream was to visit Nepal within one year, your chunks would be to research flights and hotel in Nepal, calculate how much you need to save per month, apply for a visa, etc.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with one step."

- Lao Tzu

Make Sure Its Attainable

Any goal is achievable if given enough time. With that said, make sure that your goal is attainable within the time restriction that you've set. The goal should be a "reach". It should not be so easy where success is guaranteed without much work but it should also not be too difficult where you are overwhelmed and success is borderline impossible.

There is one more thing you need to do that is vital to achieving your goal ...

... and I am not referring to How to Always Achieve Your Goals (although it is worth reading if you haven't done so already)

The one thing you MUST do that will make all the difference is ...

Writing Your Goal Down

I wish I could show you statistics for goals achieved when comparing those who write their goals down and those that don't because I am sure it would be staggering.

Before you do anything else and if you haven't already, I strongly encourage you to set a proper goal right now. It'll take at 3-5 minutes.

Just follow these simple steps:

1. Think of one thing you really want to achieve within one year.

2. Make sure it is specific, stated in the positive and measurable. How will you know that you've achieved it? How will you measure it?

3. Write down WHY you want to achieve this goal and make sure you understand how it fits in your life's purpose. Clearly list the pleasure you'll receive from attaining your goal and the pain you'll get if you don't achieve it.

4. Set a reasonable deadline for achieving your goal.

5. WRITE DOWN your specific goal, why you're going for this goal in particular and when you expect to achieve it. Keep it where it is visible every day.

6. You now have a properly set goal. All you have to do is create an effective plan (Part 2) then successfully execute (Part 3).

To help you move one step closer to your dream, I will review your goal to make sure it is a proper goal. All you have to do is share your goal in the comments section.

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About the Author:

Robert is the founder of Embrace Possibility and author of The Dreams to Reality Fieldbook. He works with people to get to the next level in their professional and personal lives. If you're going through a tough time right now, check out Robert's article on How to Feel Better Right Away and if you're having trouble getting what you want out of life, check out How to Always Achieve Your Goals. More Posts - Website

24 Comments

  1. essebi April 23, 2012 at 11:10 am - Reply

    Great post.
    Can’t wait for part 2 and 3.

    My goal: I want to lose 30 kg by december, 31st.
    I want to do it to improve my health and to be more self-confident.

    • Robert Chen April 23, 2012 at 6:04 pm - Reply

      Hi essebi,

      Thanks for sharing your goal. It is specific and measurable. There is a deadline. Let’s drill deeper into the relevancy. What is important to you about being healthy and self-confident? You really want to be clear on why you want to do this so you will be able to stick to your plan when the going gets tough.

      I will finished part 2 this week so you can begin planning to achieve your goal. Keep us updated on your progress and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

  2. […] first part of this 3-part series on turning your dreams into reality showed you how to properly set goals. If you don’t have a goal or remember how to set one, I would recommend reviewing How to […]

  3. […] first part of this 3-part series on turning your dreams into reality showed you how to properly set goals. If you don’t have a goal or remember how to set one, I would recommend reviewing How to […]

  4. […] positive emotions and do something productive towards achieving your outcome. I would start with setting a proper goal to find the perfect […]

  5. Trio of Ice Boltz Commit to Golden Hawks — Goal Setting Club May 5, 2012 at 9:26 am - Reply

    […] People don't achieve their dreams because of unclear goals. Read more to learn how to set proper goals to turn your dreams into reality.www.embracepossibility.com/blog/proper-goal-setting/ […]

  6. […] you haven’t read Part 1 – Setting Proper Goals or Part 2 – Creating an Effective Plan or both, I recommend that you read them before moving […]

  7. […] embracepossibility.com […]

  8. Marsha Foster November 15, 2012 at 9:59 pm - Reply

    I am sharing my goal for your review:
    My goal is to complete my ACCA level 2 in 1 year
    I would like to achieve this goal as it would allow me the opportunity of changing my job and earning more
    If this is not achieved I will have to remain in my current job, earning the same salary
    To achieve this I will have to start classes in January 2013
    and spend more time studying the material
    Please see if I am on the right track to achieving my goal

    • Robert Chen November 16, 2012 at 5:38 pm - Reply

      Hi Marsha,

      Thanks for sharing your goal. It’s specific and measurable and I see that you’ve made it relevant. When do you expect to achieve this goal by? When is the exam date?

      With your clear goal, move on to step 2 about planning.

      Good luck Marsha and keep us updated!

  9. Alicia January 21, 2013 at 3:18 am - Reply

    My goal is to practice singing and playing music daily in order to put my music and cover songs online for others to hear me and/or watch me on video.

  10. Alicia January 21, 2013 at 3:30 am - Reply

    My goal is to practice singing and playing music daily in order to put my music and cover songs online for others to hear and/or watch me on video by 11/1/13. I forgot to put my deadline when I responded earlier tonight. music is my passion. I love it, and always wanted to do it as an occupation but I lived in fear of not being good enough, but I know now I am.

    • Robert Chen January 22, 2013 at 11:45 pm - Reply

      Hi Alicia,

      Thank you for sharing your goal. Now that you have your deadline, break down your goals into monthly milestones then weekly tasks. What will you want to have accomplished by Mar 1, 2013? How about May 1, 2013? What do you need to do each week to achieve that?

      Also, it might help to visualize what it will look like on Nov. 1, 2013 when you have achieved your goal. Who is around you? What will you see and hear? How would you feel?

      Best of luck to you Alicia!

  11. dikshit arora April 27, 2014 at 11:11 am - Reply

    i want to become a web designer as i love editing and have knowledge about internet and photo editing i had created many photos and shared it on my facebook account

    • Robert Chen May 18, 2014 at 2:50 am - Reply

      Thanks for sharing – where do you want to go next?

  12. […] “can’t” from your vocabulary today and get ready to make some real progress in your goals and in your life by turning your dreams into […]

  13. Nancy Jones October 25, 2016 at 9:13 am - Reply

    Nice blog and very informative infographic. The goal of life completely depends on what you want in your life but whatever the path is the ultimate goal of life is to be happy and satisfied. Read more about life @ http://www.meaningoflife.life/

  14. Neeraj Gupta October 24, 2017 at 3:00 am - Reply

    I want to start a website where people who need help and who want to help may meet with each other. I want to spread kindness of good people towards those who need help and increase happiness in the world.for this i want that needy should share their stories on this website and helper may contact him/ her to help. The person who want to help someone may also give his contact information and needy may contact him/ her. This help may be monetary and non monetary both. I thought about it many times but could not execute till now. Please guide me on the issue

    • Robert Chen October 31, 2017 at 7:23 pm - Reply

      Neeraj – thank you for sharing your dreams. I think the first step is to start a website using wordpress, tumblr or other free sites.

  15. stablx March 23, 2018 at 9:08 am - Reply

    Writing goals and working over it doesn’t work for my team, it becomes overwhelming for me after watching all the task. I consider doing one by one and then listing as they finish but some of the task still go in pending, Robert do you have any suggestion for me and my team to take it down!

    • Robert Chen March 30, 2018 at 10:38 am - Reply

      Hi Stablx,

      One thing I do is to add the following pieces of information to the goal:
      – Why am I doing this task and how does it fit in with a bigger goal?
      – How much time should this task take?

      Then it’s just about getting started. If you find that you keep having tasks piling up, it might be because you’re taking on too much.

      Hope this helps,
      Robert

  16. Samson February 17, 2022 at 12:30 pm - Reply

    Nice one. I really enjoy your articles. Your words and your articles are very useful and helpful. God bless you and increase your understanding more.

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