How to make things happen even when you don’t believe it’s possible

​The best thing about setting goals is they don’t require you to believe in them. There is no faith needed, you don’t have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. You just have to follow this process.

GOALS SEEM LIKE OLD HAT - BUT CAN THEY STILL BE USEFUL?

​Setting goals is not new advice, but it is still great advice, it might even be advice you’ve offered to others. It’s just sometimes we forget to follow this great advice ourselves, or we don’t follow a trusted process.

Try following the process below to set a goal for this week. It can be big or small, work related or not. But try it, right now. It won’t take much longer than just reading through the article.
​And then let me know how it went - email me, message me on Twitter @PosTeacherNet or on Facebook. I love hearing about other peoples goals. It gets me inspired to take action too!

Establish what you would like to achieve or change and why this is important to you. This is your motivator. ​

Let’s think in baby steps. For example, if your goal is to get a new job but you have not yet started looking, then a realistic goal for this week may be to update your CV, or fill out x amount of applications. Do not set unrealistic goals - you are unlikely to achieve them.

List all the things that need to happen for your goal to work. There may be several moving parts, or it might be quite straight forward. Either way list what you could do to achieve your goal - brainstorm - no one will hold you to it at this stage!

Now pick one or two of the best ideas from step 3 and state your goal in a short sentence in the most specific language you can. For example: “I will fill out 3 applications this week, two on Monday and one on Wednesday night.”

It is important to consider anything that might stop this goal from happening. For example: You might be tired when you get in from work, the phone may ring, the kids need help with something. Note these down and brainstorm how you will get round them to make sure you stick to your goal. This process is crucial, there is no point setting goals and assuming they will just happen, we have to make them work. Accounting for things that might derail us makes it more likely that we will stick to our goals.

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