When was the last time you sat down and asked yourself – what do I want? What I really want? Such a simple and yet loaded question. The answers reveal so much about your values, your motivation, and your life story. These answers can shape your life and show you where you want to go and how to get there.
If life is a journey, then goals are your guides. Understanding the motivations is key to set meaningful and fulfilling goals. it might be providing for your family, travelling to every country in the world or retiring comfortably; your goals act as the GPS directing your decisions. If there’s no clear destination in mind, how can you budget, save and know it’s enough for what you need?
Setting goals and taking action are what’s going to set you apart from the rest. Here are some key ingredients to help turning goals into reality:
1. Make them SMART goals
Break your goals to different timeframes to make them more manageable. Your long-term goals are the final destination points, medium-term goals are landmarks you see along the way and the short-term goals are the pit stops you need to stretch your legs and re-fuel.
By making your goals Smart, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound, you spend focused time in making plans to achieve them.
2. Get moving
Goals without action are just dreams. You have your roadmap for the trip, but you need to turn the car on and step on the accelerator. Every kilometre you drive is another step forward!
3. Keep your eye on the prize
Write down your goals – create a vision board, make them into a poster… do whatever works for you and keep them close. It will help you to stay focused and remind yourself why you’re doing it and keep on pushing forward.
4. Celebrate the wins
Take a moment to celebrate all of your wins – big and small. Acknowledge your accomplishments and pat yourself on the back. You deserve it. You have worked hard and pushed through challenges to achieve these milestones. But within reason! You may not want to go for a fancy dinner out if the goal you achieved was to save $500 for a holiday.
5. Embrace the detours
If you get lost or take detours along the way, it’s OK. Life is never perfect and we get a few surprises despite our best intentions. Take your time to work through the changes and get back on track.
So there you have it. Goals are so important to help you with your financial future. They are going to keep you accountable, keep you motivated and key to a successful journey. Get your map, turn the car on and enjoy the ride!