How I Set and Achieve Personal Goals

[currensy]

Someone showed me this earlier, I thought it was cool.

Everyone wants to take control their life. Everyone wants to be successful, and every person has a unique definition of what that success is. We cannot control every circumstance, or every other person in the world, but we can control ourselves. In fact, that is the only thing that we do have control over.

There is no magic formula that will enable you to get rich quick, master a skill, or make people notice you. You will always have to do the work. You will always have to build the foundation and build layers on top of it. Luck is a factor, but you have to be prepared beforehand when that opportunity present itself.

I have found it is more important to be happy with how you live day-to-day than anything else. The journey is the part that determines who you are, because the journey never stops.

Below is a system I have been using for about five years now. It’s one that I put together from many books I’e read and my own personal philosophy. I’ve honed it down to these bullet points, which I will explain afterwards.

Words are powerful
Think about what you want and why
Write it down
Be specific as possible
Believe it
Surround yourself with people who also believe
Do the work
Reassess regularly

Words Are Powerful

Whatever you think, you will speak. Whatever you speak, you are asking the Universe to do to you. Have you ever wondered why every creation story involves the deity speaking the world into existence? It’s because our words have power. Use your words to create your future, and not destroy it. By this I mean, do not be negative about your circumstances or your plans. Speak of your plans as something that can, and will eventually exist. Stay grounded in reality, but safeguard your own thoughts and words so that you do not sabotage yourself with negativity.
Think About What You Want, and Why?

If your goal is to earn a million dollars, there has to be a reason for it. The better the reason, the more complete your image of this goal will be, and the more likely it is that Fate will listen to reason. Think of all the people who amassed fortune and blew it all (MC Hammer, Kenneth Lay, etc.). Their reason for achieving the dream was not well-defined, or built on shaky ground, and when they fulfilled their goal, there was no reason behind it. Avarice and greed are not a good enough reason for achieving your goal. Personal pride or revenge are not much better. Spending more time with your family, being able to give back to the community or charity, or even living a lifestyle that you want to are reasons that the Universe seems to listen to. Choosing a strong reason is important, because the path to your goal will not always be easy, and you need something worth fighting for.
Write It Down

Remember when I said words are powerful? Writing your goals down makes everything concrete. It shows you’re serious, and that you’re going to keep track of what happens. Make sure to include a time-frame of when these goals are supposed to happen. I recommend a 1 year plan, and you may include longer and shorter timeframes as well (6 months, 3 years, 5 years are good milestones to include). I like a one year plan, because it gives a time limit, and it gives you enough time to act on your goals, and for outside factors to come into play.
Be Specific As Possible

I can’t stress this enough: the more specific you get, the more likely you are to reach your goal. Numbers are good, specific circumstances are good. It gives you something well-defined to aim at. If we are the creators of our own destiny, then the better we can define it, the more likely it is to come about. Your mind likes a detailed story better than it does a very vague one.
Believe It

You have to believe your goals are going to happen. No one else can do this part for you. If you don’t have faith that you’re moving closer to your goals every single day, you are going to become disheartened and give up.

If you do believe in yourself and your goals, eventually other people will too. This is key, because we all need other people on our side.
Surround Yourself With Other People Who Believe

Successful people talk about this one a lot. Just like it’s important to keep your own negativity at bay, you also need to surround yourself with people who believe in and support your efforts. Words are powerful; other people’s negativity can affect you, and doubt can seep in. You need people who believe in the path you are building in your corner, for those times when you feel low and close to defeat. They will help you stay focused, and be your biggest allies on this difficult road.
Do The Work

This one is easy. Most of the time, this is the part we are most passionate about. You have to put in the work at perfecting your craft, science, or endeavor to reach the goal. Show up every day and give it your all. Learn as much as you can, and put it into practice. There is no shortcut to this step. Some people have a natural aptitude for your path, but they had to do the work too. Don’t long for someone else’s path; embrace the path you have for yourself and make the absolute most out of it.
Reassess Regularly

Come back periodically and chart how you are progressing on your goal timelines. I just recently checked my 2013 goal sheet–I am definitely surprised at how many of these goals I’ve reached. This means I can be more ambitious for my 2014 goal sheet and feel pretty confident that I can reach those new goals. Believing you can reach the goals you write down is pretty important. You have to buy in all the way.

Another thing I am noticing is that my goals at the beginning of last year were coming from a different mentality than I am at now. Last year, I was more concerned with broad career goals. I didn’t understand where I wanted to fit in as well as I do now. This year, I can write more specific goals, focused on this better understanding of how I fit in currently, and what I want my role to be in the future. Some of my goals from last year won’t be as high of a priority this coming year. This is also something I can adjust, as my life continues to evolve.
Conclusion

I hope this articles offers some new ideas for you on how to set your personal goals and achieve them.

http://www.johnjlocke.com/2013/set-and-achieve-personal-goals/

 

[Humbled]

Great thread. +rep.

Going to apply some of these methods to the goals I have written down already.

PS: anyone want to buy a modded xbox360 with 50+ games?

 

[currensy]

Boy put that **** in yo sig.

 

[knowledgebones72]

Repped

I've been scared to make a post in the 365 days from now" thread, but I damn near have no choice now

 

[htg designs]

This sounds like the Law of Attraction. I have found that this works. Focusing on something, speaking life into it, staying positive/ (and away from negative ppl), and seing it through (with your mind), expecting it to happen, will yield the desired results.

 

[koudie from brooklyn]

Awesome thread.. i couldn't have said it better myself.

jotting down ideas always seems to help.. as you said it sort of makes it concrete, more official. Also serves as a constant reminder of the path we're heading nd what needs to be done in order to reach a specific goal.

Good job op .. def repped

- stay freshhh

 

[Gill Baka Esq. LLC.]

Very nice list indeed. The same points have been said multiple times here and there on NT but it's compiled in a nice consice way.

This applies to me in a very direct way. A year + ago I was dreading taking the next step in my career path by heading to grad school because I define myself as a high-achieving slacker. I was never a person that liked school but I knew it's what I needed to do to get me where I needed to be. I made smaller specific goals to ease my way into getting up off my *** and a year later I'm about to go off on two very cool externships with experts in the field.

I also highly recommend young guys read self-improvement books and biographies of great men.

On my list:
Zen in the Martial Arts
Manvotionals
The Charisma Myth
How to win friends and influence people
People Skills
How to stop worrying and start living
Step out on Nothing
The simple faith of mr. rogers

 

[ken piffy jr]

PS: anyone want to buy a modded xbox360 with 50+ games?

brotha you would make a fellow nt'er the happiest man in the world if you gave it to me

 

[currensy]

Very nice list indeed. The same points have been said multiple times here and there on NT but it's compiled in a nice consice way.

This applies to me in a very direct way. A year + ago I was dreading taking the next step in my career path by heading to grad school because I define myself as a high-achieving slacker. I was never a person that liked school but I knew it's what I needed to do to get me where I needed to be. I made smaller specific goals to ease my way into getting up off my *** and a year later I'm about to go off on two very cool externships with experts in the field.

I also highly recommend young guys read self-improvement books and biographies of great men.

On my list:
Zen in the Martial Arts
Manvotionals
The Charisma Myth
How to win friends and influence people
People Skills
How to stop worrying and start living
Step out on Nothing
The simple faith of mr. rogers

I'll be sure to check these out, trying to up reading more often instead of BS'n all the time lol.

 

[6 Rings G.O.A.T.]

I'll read later..

 

[buggz05]

2014's goals were due for a reassessment anyway. I looked at the goals I set for myself about a year ago to this week, and it helped me realize that I am a lot closer to the end goals than I thought I would be. 2013 was a productive year as far as goals went, but 2013 also drove me to the brink of insanity getting after them so hard. And I think the real reason that it was so hard was because of the negative mindset I have had for a long time. Within the last month I have been re-discovering all of these philosophical techniques that I once thought I had mastered in my teens. Sometimes you get cocky and think you are invincible. Gotta have balance.

But, w/e yo. Do work.

 

[mivish06]

I really think surrounding yourself with the right group is one of the most important ways to keep yourself motivated/away from distractions.

You need passion and the dream of a future you've always imagined to keep you going too.

 

[6 Rings G.O.A.T.]

I really think surrounding yourself with the right group is one of the most important ways to keep yourself motivated/away from distractions.

You need passion and the dream of a future you've always imagined to keep you going too.

Totally agree..

 

[Deleted member 37467]

I hate how it's 2013 and people still need to be told things like this.

Good thread nonetheless.

 

[am1x90xnike]

It's hard to live your dreams, hell it's hard to have a dream. You gotta be a strong person to navigate through the bs. My mantra
'just keep swimming' I can't tell how many days I wake up and want to just throw up my hands like '**** it'

 

[mivish06]

Listening to this got me through a lot of those tough times when I was just overwhelmed with the pace of life and all the drama that came with it, but I always had hope for a brighter future...that kept me going

 

[currensy]

I hate how it's 2013 and people still need to be told things like this.

Good thread nonetheless.

Shoot man, some people don't find things like this til it's too late or have heard them and sometimes you might need a reminder. speaking for myself but things get fuzzy after awhile for me so this was a good reminder.

Oh yeah, when man ot he moon came out I played that album so much you don't even know.

 

[Deleted member 37467]

You're either an inspired person or you're not.

It's pretty rare that someone will read this, or watch some random motivational video on YouTube and something inside of them truly changes.

These things are cool, but they only serve as temporary motivation.

Just get off your *** and get whatever it is that you want, it's really that simple.

If you need to read something like this in order to realize that you can get anything and everything that you want out of life, then I don't know what to tell you.

 

[wisepharoah]

HYPER you're really devaluing other peoples experiences and perspectives with your statements. It isn't that black and white for some people and you can't say whether or not something changes someone or not. It's incredibly arrogant for you to think so certainly that your way is the only way. Also success for some people isn't as simple as just going out and just getting what you want. It's a privilege to even be able to chase a dream let alone realize one.

 

[currensy]

I understand nothing comes without hard work/getting off my ****, it's just good to have a reminder every now and then is all I'm tryna say my man. Like, sometimes you might get a little unmotivated since the things you're doing to work towards a goal aren't working out as best as you planned but that little bit of motivation may spark something that says to keep going.

 

[Deleted member 37467]

HYPER you're really devaluing other peoples experiences and perspectives with your statements. It isn't that black and white for some people and you can't say whether or not something changes someone or not. It's incredibly arrogant for you to think so certainly that your way is the only way. Also success for some people isn't as simple as just going out and just getting what you want. It's a privilege to even be able to chase a dream let alone realize one.

My way isn't the only way, and I've never said that.

Like I said, these things are cool, but they only serve as temporary motivation.

I'm sure we've all listened to Lose Yourself and felt like we could take on Mike Tyson in his prime, but that energy eventually wears off and we then realize that we would get ******g destroyed.

Instead of reading or watching on the internet, just do and figure it out.

Being successful isn't as complex as some people make it out to be.

 

[durantula]

Didnt like the article that much, agreeing more with what hyper is saying... *kanye shrug*