Where do you want to be five years from now? Can you describe what you’d like your life to look like then? More importantly, do you have a plan in place that will get you there? As the saying goes, a goal without a plan is just a wish.
A good plan includes both the end goal (your clear vision), midterm goals (milestones), and the most immediate steps (what you need to do right now before you can do the next step).
Problems with this are usually twofold: you may not know what you want the future to look like, or if you do know it seems so different from the present that you have no idea how to get there.
If you don’t know what you want the future to look like, it can be helpful to start by thinking about what you like and dislike about the present, and what kind of things you enjoy in general. Once you have an idea of part or all of where you want to be, working backwards can help you get there.
For example, if you want to be a homeowner five years from now but aren’t sure how to go about it, you could start by thinking about the typical home-buying process.
Many people use a Realtor when they’re ready to buy a home, so probably you’d want to contact one of them. What’s the first thing a Realtor is likely to ask you? They’ll probably ask what price your price range is, and what features you want the house to have. So, what features do you want the house to have? And how much do houses like that typically cost? Do you have that much money? If not, will you qualify for a loan? What will you need to qualify for a loan? Probably a down payment and a good credit history. Things go on from there.
Write all your questions and answers down, and at the end you’ll have a path to your goal. It’ll just be written backwards.
If at any point during your examination of the process, you come across questions that you don’t know the answers to, those become your items to do “right now”. So you’ll start out with “own a house” as the clear vision, and you might have “call a Realtor” as your immediate action. If you find out that you need a $20,000 down payment, that could become a milestone and you could use the same type of process to figure out how you could save up the down payment.
Reaching goals is mostly a matter of dedication and taking one step after another. Figuring out which steps to take helps you turn your wish into a goal.
Posted in Goals on 02.17.10 with 2 comments.
Hey, Jackie
Well, I am no expert on this, but I beg to differ from you in this one. I don’t think there’s anything bad with wishing, and I am starting to believe that things are way easier that way, rather natural in its approach.
I come from the mindset in which everything needs to be planned and knowing the field is a MUST when setting and reaching your goals. However, little by little I’m changing that mindset towards a more open model.
I believe now that just by wishing, doors open. Make a step towards what you desire and the next step will become visible. I have the strong feeling that life must be easy.
Daniel, well, I don’t think there’s anything bad about wishing either, but if I actually want to have it happen I have to walk through the doors that open once I start thinking about things. To me that involves planning as well.