Without a Map, You Will Get Lost

How to Set Clear Goals

Without goals, there would be no passion, purpose or drive. If your goals are too vague, your journey will be more difficult. If you fail to plan for your own goals, your life will most likely end having been determined by the needs and the goals of others.

Planning and Your Goals

The planning phase is the most important stage when it comes to achieving your goals. Without planning, the end goal may not even exist.

There are some simple goal setting strategies you can use to make your planning easier.

Consider the following tips for finding clarity in your goals:

1.  Decide what you want. Whether your goal is big or small, decide exactly what it is that you want. If you want money, how much? If you want to lose weight, how many pounds? If you want to become a rainmaker this year, how will you define success. Will it be by the number of contacts you make, the number of originations, the fees billed to your originations? Be clear on how describe your vision of success and make it quantifiable.

• Don't be afraid to take your time to figure out what you want. At some point you'll need to sift through your thoughts and take action, but make sure you're acting on what's most important to you!

2.  Consider Why you Want It. What is the reason you want to accomplish this goal? Go deep and think about how success will feel and what you will gain from it. Having an emotional connection to the outcome will pull you toward success when the going gets tough. Without an understanding about why you are doing something, your motivation will flag when things get hard.

3. Be specific. Be very detailed as you develop every part of your goal. Instead of a goal like, "I want to start running," consider a goal like "I want to finish a 10K race by next May." “Starting to run” is too vague. When will you run? Where? Will you join a running club or follow a training program? There are too many options and avenues to take, and if you can't focus on any one route to your goal, you are likely never to start. If you are like many lawyers, analysis paralysis is real. Keep it to a minimum and when you have picked a route, stick to it.

4.  Write it down. Write down your ideas and decisions. It doesn't matter if you use pencil and paper, a computer, or your cell phone. What's important is that you can keep track of a large amount of specific information instead of trying to remember everything. After all, goals only seem real when you see them clearly.

5.  Break down your goal into increments. If you have a lofty goal, it'll become manageable if you break it down into smaller pieces. Smaller pieces will make your goal seem less complex. It will seem much less daunting to achieve your goal if everything is set out for you as mini-goals, instead of just one huge feat. For example, if you follow a novice training program to run that 10K, you will likely start off by running a set amount of time with walking intervals. THAT doesn’t seem so hard for a new runner, right?

6.  Repeat the process. Once you've found a good system, repeat the process. Clarify your other goals and break them down as well. 

• For example, if you'd like to "spend more time with the family," which is too vague, make a list of specific family activities you'd like to do together, and then make more lists that detail how you can make those goals a reality. 

7.  Don't Wait For "Someday" 

Some of the reasons why people tend to keep their goals vague is that they're actually afraid of achieving them.

It’s much easier to put off your goals and do nothing than to take action to achieve them. But what good is a goal that merely resides on paper? 

Once you've decided on your clear goals, it's time to take swift action to make them a reality. Don't wait for someday. There's no time like the present ... so get moving! Momentum is your friend.