Connect with us

Life

Here Are 7 of the Best Times to Set Goals for Yourself

Published

on

the best time to set goals
Image Credit: Twenty20.com

When is the best time to set goals? We all know goal setting is important and that it helps us achieve bigger and better things, but when should we be setting goals? Revisiting and assessing goals is something you should be doing regularly. Many people who write out their goals revisit that list weekly. Others create vision boards with visual reminders of what they are working towards. Some people even write their goals out every day.

However, when do you need to take the time out to completely reassess your goals and go through the entire goal setting process again? Or, if you don’t have any goals set for yourself yet, what could trigger you to start setting yourself goals?

Check out 7 of the best times to set goals for yourself:

1. When You Want New Results

As Newton said in his first law of motion, an object in motion stays in motion, or as the non-physicists would say, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. If you realise areas of your life can be improved, this is a good indication you need to set some goals. Do you dread your commute to work? Do you wake up next to your partner without that same level of emotion?

If you look in the mirror and don’t like the person looking back, you need to set goals. You may not need to quit your job or your relationship to experience new results, but you likely need to shift your attitudes and behaviours to get better results. Write out your goals, assess where you want to go, and decide whether your current situation is supporting that.

2. When Something Unexpected Happens

Everything is perfect but suddenly, the phone rings, you get the news, and you realise immediately life isn’t going to be the same. Whether these surprises are good or bad, what is important is that we assess where we go from this point and plan accordingly.

How many times have you heard about lottery winners that lose it all and end up worse off than before? How about the person that says losing their job was the best thing that ever happened to them? If something unexpected happens, use that to your advantage and incorporate it into your journey. After all, no one said the path to success was a straight line.

“Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you.” — George Whitefield

3. When You Hit Rock Bottom

Sometimes, we end up in a place we don’t want to be. As Einstein said “we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them” and so to get off of rock bottom, something needs to change. Those people who are able to escape often have to make big changes in their life to make this possible. Although we never want to reach rock bottom, sometimes this is exactly the momentum shift we need to really start making good things happen in our lives.

4. At School or University

When you ask kids what they want to be when they grow up, you get some pretty inspiring answers. However, as they spend longer in school, that response often gives way to shorter-term goals of passing the test next week. Somewhere between dreaming of being an astronaut and passing their final exam, the big-picture goal disappears. By regularly setting goals throughout the education process, and by creating action plans to help achieve those goals that run alongside their education, not instead of, we can nurture those dreams, rather than extinguish them.

5. After A Big Setback

Even if the momentum is all going your way, sometimes suddenly the light turns red. Although we all hope nothing bad will ever happen to us, eventually we will experience a setback. For many people, this is enough to make them throw in the towel. However, setting goals has a positive influence on your persistence and ability to deal with adversity. You will have to change your plan, no doubt, but you don’t have to let this setback stop you from reaching your goals. It is not about the cards you are dealt, it is about how you play the hand.

6. After A Big Win

Once the confetti has settled, the hangover has faded and the congratulations messages stop coming in, what next? Often, when we reach a goal, we have put so much focus and effort on getting to that point, we haven’t looked beyond it. After big wins, take a moment to reflect and decide on your next challenge. You have shown it can be done, so now turn your attention to your next goal. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy the success, but this is not your destination, rather one significant stepping stone on your ultimate journey to success.

“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” — Sam Levenson

7. New Year’s Resolutions

Finally, we can use the new year as a signal we should re-evaluate the direction our life is heading. Although setting goals on New Year’s Day rarely works on its own, reflecting on the previous year’s results and experiences can provide some good context for areas of life to be developed. Using an exercise such as the Wheel of Life helps you decide which areas you need to develop.

If in the previous year you fell short in some areas, those should be the focus of your resolutions. If you are going to set goals, set ones that are meaningful and work on those, rather than just joining the gym and blasting it for a week. If all the treadmills are busy in January, there must be space elsewhere to work on your other goals.

So there you have it, the 7 best times to be setting goals. Ultimately,the more often you set goals, the more your attention will be focused on the things that are important to you, the more energy you will have to pursue these goals, and the more persistence you will develop in the face of adversity. If in doubt, set goals more often rather than less often, and assess your progress regularly.

What are some of your goals? Comment below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

I am Dan Storey from UK .I have worked in and around the world of Motivational seminars for many years, starting as a volunteer and affiliate before heading up one of the UK’s biggest personal development seminar companies. I have been training NLP to business and sales people for over 10 years and the author of next level persuasion. I am currently Working towards MSC in Behavioural Psychology and constantly trying to figure out why we do what we do.

Advertisement
3 Comments

3 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Life

How to Solve Problems More Naturally

Treat every problem as a prospect and every lesson as a path toward your success

Published

on

Many conflicts arise when people react rather than act toward a situation. Most problems could be resolved if people endeavored to do so with a positive attitude. Here, an act is accompanied by a positive attitude while react comes with a negative one. You can easily judge a person by the way he approaches a conflict.  (more…)

Continue Reading

Life

Trouble Staying in the Moment? Try This Mindfulness Practice

Present-moment awareness puts us in an elevated state that lets us experience an expansiveness

Published

on

Image Credit: Unsplash

When I began practicing Mindfulness, I immediately experienced the gift of being much more present in my life. It was as if my senses became attuned and I had a more heightened awareness of myself, others, and my environment.  (more…)

Continue Reading

Life

3 Simple Steps to Living Your Best Life Right Now

If our desire is to fill that success-sized hole in our lives, then we must evolve, and we must change. 

Published

on

Image Credit: Midjourney

The weather was outstanding in the Northeast last week, and I decided to take full advantage by going to the beach.  (more…)

Continue Reading

Life

7 Habits That Helped My Daily Productivity

Embrace these habits to optimize your workflow and foster personal and professional growth

Published

on

Image Credit: Midjourney

As an entrepreneur who works from home, I used to sometimes struggle with motivation and productivity. After doing a bit of research and spending some time testing out different strategies, I have compiled a list of habits that really help me with my productivity.  (more…)

Continue Reading

Trending