Many of the most successful people, from that person you work with who always just seems to have things sorted, to the world’s CEOs of the top companies, appear to have the secret, don’t they? That Midas touch, where everything they do just works out. 

So what if one of the keys to their success was as simple as setting a goal? We’re not saying that Mark Zuckerberg got to where he is today simply by setting goals. Obviously to get to the top of anywhere takes hard work and commitment.

But setting goals gives us something to work towards and that can propel us forward to success. 

Here’s our top reasons why setting goals can help you reach your dreams. 

• Setting goals gives us a guide which helps us focus our efforts on that goal. Let’s imagine your goal is a fitness one – you’d love to be able to fit back into your old jeans within a few months. Without a focus, or a goal, you might not commit fully to the challenge and you might only get half way. But with those jeans in sight, you’ll give it your all. 
• Goals need to be realistic in order to be achievable. Otherwise you’ll be setting yourself up for disappointment. Realistic goals help us to keep the momentum going. Within the goal of fitting back into your jeans, you could set some mini goals, for example, working out 3 times a week for 1 month. Then when you hit that target, it gives you the impetus to work towards the next one. Progress is addictive, so make sure you keep measuring and recording! 
• Goals motivate us in the short term but long term, they give us a clear vision which can help to clear away the mind clouds that can sometimes get in the way. If we have a long term goal, it gives us something to work towards and could even help us avoid the distractions and temptations that tend to disrupt things otherwise. 
• Having a clearly defined set of goals, be that for our fitness, career, relationship and parenting journey or who we are as a person, sets in motion a pattern of behaviours. For example, if we have a goal of a certain amount of weight loss by a certain time, starting on that journey we’ll probably begin by making healthy food choices and exercising more. Without a weight loss goal, we might amble along, sometimes on a diet, sometimes not, sometimes exercising, sometimes not. With a goal, on the other hand, we’re more likely to stick to the healthier pattern of behaviour, making healthy choices. Then before we know it, it’s our everyday lifestyle and we’re well on our way to our target. And how good does that sound?!