7 things you should do if you want to achieve your goals

You may have surely heard this before that you have to have a goal if you want to achieve anything. Think of it like planning for a road trip. You have to decide on where you want to go and then start to plan for it. Without a thought out route plan, hotel reservations, and essential things that you will need along the way to keep you going, it may turn out to be not quite an enjoyable adventure that you had in mind, and worse still, it may just be a costly and frustrating journey to nowhere in particular.

The same principle applies to your life as well- be it your personal life, business aspirations, or career success, you need to define your goals, set your mind on it accordingly, and ‘pack for it’ to achieve something meaningful, and or any significant results.

Now while defining goals is an essential step, the ‘packing’ for it also means that you need to bring in some other changes and positive habits to help keep yourself on track to achieving your goals.

1. Set clear goals
2. Nurture relationships
3. Keep a positive attitude
4. Take care of your health
5. Be organised
6. Be passionate
7. Act more, don’t procrastinate

Setting clear goals will give you something to aim for. Imagine playing a game where you don’t know what the end is. A goal gives you a target. You can even set your goals for the short-term and for the long-term. Write the steps that you need to achieve in order to get closer to each of your short-term goals and then keep at it to eventually achieve your long-term goals. An important element of setting clear goals is also commitment. Once you have set a goal, commit to it. See it through to the end and complete it. You would  not only feel the euphoric sense of accomplishment but also the confidence to keep reaching for your goals.

Forging strong relationships is key to business and career success. You must have heard the saying that ‘your network is your net worth’. It’s a great mantra to live with. However, building a great, lasting relationship takes a bit of time and effort. You should make an effort to stay in touch on a regular basis with people in your network. Make a genuine connection and be open and helpful. If you stay out of touch for long, you will likely fall off the radar and then reaching out when you need some help may not be the best way to go about it. A consistent, genuine, and regular ‘keep in touch’ approach will help you grow a great circle of network for better success in your career or business.

A positive attitude is also crucial to success in your career or business environment. With a positive attitude and mindset, you can approach your work in a more constructive manner, and with a clear and focused head. When you work with a cheerful and positive demeanour, it reflects not only in your work, but in your interactions with your co-workers as well as your superiors. A grouchy, grumpy, or a negative mind set is not an ideal work setting for some meaningful work relations or for getting constructive results.

A positive frame of mind will also open your mind towards new learning opportunities and skill acquisition. Let’s put it this way- a happy mind is a more fertile place to learn and to grow.

Taking care of your health is equally important. After all, a healthy body together with a healthy mind can work wonders.  According to research, getting 8 hours of sleep every night is good for your health and can help you function better. Eating well, exercising, socialising, indulging in some ‘me time’- either yoga, meditation or chatting with close friends, a hobby or even a quality dose of some TV time- if it helps lift your mood is good. However, with TV don’t overdo it or binge watch!

Planning your work and organising helps you stay productive and you can get more work done. You can plan for your day, month, or even more ahead. Make a calendar of work, a to-do list, and then stick to the plan. It helps you become more efficient and you can even communicate the work better and delegate it more effectively as well. Planning and organising can even help you clear your mind and focus on the important tasks as you can prioritise your work as well.

Some successful people have been known to start their day very early as it helps them declutter their mind and plan their day effectively while some people keep a separate time every week to read, to ideate, and to plan for what they could do next to become more productive and efficient.

This keeps us going and helps us see our work to the end. We have to want to do our work to the best of our ability more than anything. Believe in yourself and your work, and be passionate about it.

If you are passionate then you can become more focused at your work. It will enhance productivity, creativity and innovation as well. Your passion for work will also shine through and it may well put a spotlight on you. Your colleagues and your superiors will know that you care deeply for your work and that you are diligent, and reliable.

Action is important. Unnecessarily putting off a task is bound to eat into your efficiency and then results. While it does not mean that you rush into things, however, procrastination may adversely affect what you set out to achieve. Once you have thought something through, made some informed choices and decisions, then acting on them is will help you get closer to your goals.

Working towards your goals is important, but so is having a strong work-life balance. A heathy attitude, a balanced schedule of work, together with a happy state of mind, can help you achieve the goals that you decide for yourself.