By Volunteer Writer | Posted: January 24, 2019

Life is filled with timetables and schedules. It’s all, of course, aimed at achieving certain goals so we can measure our success. Be it schoolchildren, entrepreneurs, or CEOs, irrespective of designation and age, everyone has goals in life.

So, what’s your goal? Lead a team, travel to your favorite destination, achieve a milestone in your career, ace an exam, study at a reputed university, pursue a hobby, or just simply get a yoga posture right? Whatever the goal, it requires some level of thought, planning, and execution. But the question is how to achieve goals. Let’s delve deeper into how you focus on your goals and achieve them.

Steps to achieve your goals

1. Learn the 3Rs of goals – Relevant, Realistic and Reasonable.

Relevant: Ensure that the goal you have set for yourself is going to be useful when you achieve it.

Realistic: Setting realistic goals is possible when you make a note of your SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats). Non-fulfilment of unrealistic goals will only demoralize you.

Reasonable: Let’s say your goal is to go to the moon in the next five years. Is there a spaceship that’s planned for the general public? Or are you planning to become an astronaut? If not, then don’t set yourself up for disappointment. Aim for something feasible and achievable.

2. Set smaller sub-goals.

Goals are long-term, with deadlines that are months or years away, prompting you to be lax and casual now. This will make you disorganized and unprepared when you need to show results. Setting smaller targets will help make the main goal seem more achievable. It’ll also give you a sense of direction and purpose, and strengthen your focus on your goal.

3. Cultivate common interest circles.

Be in the right environment. For example, if you want to run a marathon, it’ll help you to join running groups. These groups can share valuable experiences and tips. More importantly, they can pull you up when you’re unmotivated and disheartened. If you’re constantly around people who like sedentary pastimes, you’ll eventually lose your drive and focus.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “Self-effort and perseverance are key to achieving any goal in life. Additionally, you will need energy, skill, and providence (luck). Meditation can help you amplify these qualities towards your goal. Never get perturbed by the successes and failures of others. This lifetime is just like an act in a play and the show goes on forever.”

4. Reward yourself.

Every drop is required to make the ocean. Such is the significance of every drop. Appreciate the small successes, and reward yourself for them. These will help push you to your next target. If you’re too hard on yourself, you’ll find it difficult to pick yourself up from small failures. Moreover, it’ll prolong and hasten the downward spiral.

5. Minimize the distractions.

Each goal brings some lateral goals along with it. This can dilute your attention. Prioritize and focus on your main goal without getting side-tracked. Will you be able to find time for achieving many disparate goals? Your goal should be important enough for you to make time for it. Resist taking on unnecessary, additional responsibilities unrelated to your final objective.

6. Dream it, but more importantly, do it.

A goal begins as a dream. So, it’s important that you dream and envision. However, without a plan and some action, it will remain a dream. Remember that any goal worth achieving will involve some change in you. Also, your best companion through all this is hard work. It’ll teach you how to achieve your goals.

Ultimately, the effort required for achieving goals is a combination of energy and skill. You’ll have to discover and draw out your innate abilities. But, don’t forget, luck also plays a role.