You will be stagnant in life without goals. Goals will take you forward in life. Goals are indeed the oxygen to your dreams. Goals are the first steps to every journey you choose and the last journey you make. Understanding the importance of goal setting is essential in life. Without a goal, you can't score. Knowing what you are doing gives you peace. The purpose of life is a life of purpose. You need to define your end goal to get somewhere.
In Scrum software development, each team has their definition of done. That is their goal. They set out their goal before they start the development life cycle. Once done is achieved, it means they have reached their goal. Setting out their goal is planning. Without a goal, there is no plan. The team has a clear picture of what they intended to achieve and once achieved; it is done. The work is complete at that stage. They have fulfilled their part. If you don't plan to succeed, you have planned to fail.
When you define your goal, everything becomes clear. Your life will have no destination if you don't have a purpose. You must find the right direction in life. What do you look ahead to in life? Living without is dangerous. What are you living for in life? What is keeping you awake in the night? What are you hungry and tasty in that gives you the energy to survive any challenge in life? You create your way to find the right direction. It doesn't come on a platter of gold. You decide to act. You are determined to try and to do something, no matter how small. It is time-wasting to think of acting without acting. You're going to stop thinking about acting, and instead, start acting. Your purpose in life is to find and do the things that make you have peace of mind, smile, laugh, and forget time.
Living "on purpose" means you live intentionally. Napoleon Hill once said, "There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it." To get what you want, you must choose one direction and move towards it, continually improving over a prolonged period. Maximum speed and output require a specific framework. Lots of people have been able to make genuine changes in their lives and managed to attain challenging goals. They are not more reliable, not more intelligent, or fearless than you. The only difference they chose to act in the direction of their dreams.
What is your 'why'? Once you find your 'why', you will be more careful and selective about your daily actions. Indeed, only when you know your 'why' you will be capable of finding the courage to take risks needed to get onward, stay motivated when the chips are down, and move your life onto an entirely new, more challenging, and more rewarding course.
Clarity of purpose confronts you to do better and commit to actions that get you closer to the one thing you want in life. With clarity, you can draw together resources, ideas, and people for a common cause. Without clarity, there is wasted effort and even chaos.
Goal setting is not a gift; it is a skill you can acquire. Goal setting is a determined and explicit process that starts with identifying a new objective, skill, or project you want to achieve. Then, you plan for accomplishing it, and you work to complete it. Goal setting enables you to take control of your life's or your work's direction. Goals provide you with the focus to achieving your burning desire in life. The decisions you make and actions you take will bring you closer to achieving those goals.
Setting goals keep you pushing, moving, and it increases your happiness, and significantly benefits you and all associated with you, including your organisation. When you set goals, you create an image or the vision of what you want to accomplish. Once you can see, it becomes easy to begin to push yourself to get the best results possible. A goal-setting process forces you to think about the journey.
You must take a closer look at what you are trying to achieve before you start setting your goals. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is this goal something I genuinely want?
- Is it important enough to pour hours of my precious time and effort into it?
If you're not willing to put in the time, it may not be worth pursuing. You need to create goals that are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Realistic
- Time-bound
The essential part of SMART goal setting is to make your goal specific, so you can track your progress and know whether you met the goal. The more specific you can be with your goal, the higher the chance you'll complete it. When you write your goals down, they become real and tangible instead of a vague idea that resides only in your mind. Start writing down your goals. Use a positive tone when writing your goal to stay excited and motivated about completing them.
Next, create an action plan. The overall goal you want to achieve must be included in your action plan. List the steps you need to get there. Don't forget to add a timeline for when you will start and finish your goal in your action plan. Plans include Cost, Scope, and Time. Your goal is a project and should be treated as such. You're not taking anything for granted. You are the Project Manager. As part of your action plan, you must include a timeline for when you will start and finish. Once you've set those dates, endeavour to stick to them as closely as feasible. A timeline creates a sense of urgency, and the urgency doesn't stress you, but instead, it motivates you to stay on schedule to accomplish your goal. After planning everything out, it's time to act.
Goals determine your direction. Systems decide your progress. You can accomplish anything if you set goals.
"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes." —Andrew Carnegie
"All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible." —Orison Swett Marden
"The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score." —Bill Copeland
