WHY ARE GOALS IMPORTANT?

21 Keys to the Importance of Goal Setting



1. Goals create a road map for success.
2. Goals are the targets toward which you point your life.
3. Goals give you a starting point and a destination to reach.
4. Written goals help you to see where you are going, what changes you need to make and if you are progressing towards your prize.
5. To achieve your life goals, you must make sacrifices, stay committed, overcome challenges and work your plans.
6. You will find as you set goals that are focused on God’s vision the more you will grow and accomplish.
7. Goals help you focus your attention on your purpose and make it your dominant aspiration.
8. When you have a definite target it positions you for real success.
9. A specific goal does not take you around in circles; it puts you on a direct course of action.
10. Goal achievement requires a committed, concentrated and consistent work ethic to make your dreams a reality.
11. The process of writing your goals helps you clarify what you desire to do, understand the importance of pursuing them and commit yourself to making them happen
12. Goals have value only if they help you develop and improve yourself or others potential.
13. When you measure your goals progress, you stay on track, you see your target dates and experience the excitement of achievement that will propel you to reach your goals.
14. The secret to achieving your goals is to get started.
15. When you set actionable goals make sure they are in agreement with your overall vision.
16. A goal worth pursuing is not something that anyone can easily talk you out of achieving.
17. Defining your goals in writing impresses them upon your heart and mind.
18. Goals are reached one step at a time. 
19. When you commit yourself to your vision and express it in achievable goals, you provide yourself with the motivation of where you are going and how you anticipate getting there.
20. Goals help you to determine priorities and direct you to focus on what is important.
21. Setting goals in the seven areas of life (spiritual, physical, financial, relational, social, professional and mental) empowers you to live your vision with power.

 

 

5 Reasons Why Goal Setting Is Important:

"Begin with the end in mind." - Stephen Covey

1. Goals Give You Focus

Imagine having to shoot an arrow without being given a target. Where would you aim? And say you did aim at some random thing (out of sheer perplexity). Why would you aim there? And what would the purpose be? Get the idea… This is a literal example of what life is like without a goal or target in mind. It’s pointless and waste of energy and effort. 
You can have all the potential in the world but without focus your abilities and talent are useless. Just like how sunlight can't burn through anything without a magnifying glass focusing it, you can't achieve anything unless a goal is focusing your effort. Because at the end of the day goals are what give you direction in life. By setting goals for yourself you give yourself a target to shoot for. This sense of direction is what allows your mind to focus on a target and rather than waste energy shooting aimlessly, allows you to hit your target and reach your goal.

If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. -Zig Ziglar

2. Goals Allow You To Measure Progress

By setting goals for yourself you are able to measure your progress because you always have a fixed endpoint or benchmark to compare with.
Take this scenario for example:
David makes a goal to write a book with a minimum of 300 pages. He starts writing everyday and works really hard but along the way he loses track of how many more pages he has written and how many more he needs to write. So rather than panicking David simply counts the number of pages he has already written and he instantly determines his progress and knows how much further he needs to go.

3. Goals Keep You Locked In And Undistracted

By setting goals you give yourself mental boundaries. When you have a certain end point in mind you automatically stay away from certain distractions and stay focused towards the goal. This process happens automatically and subtly but according to research does happen.
To get a better idea, imagine this. Your best friend is moving to Switzerland and his flight takes off at 9:00 PM. You leave right after work at 8:30 PM to see him off and you know it's a 20 minute walk to get to the airport. So you make it a goal to reach the airport in 15 minutes by jogging so that you can have more time to say your goodbyes. Would you get distracted by "anything" along the way? Would you stop for a break or a snack? Would you stop by your house before going to the airport? I bet you answered no for each question and at the end of the day this is what a goal gives you. FOCUS.  No matter who you meet along the way or what you see (assuming nothing is out of the ordinary) your goal allows you to stay locked in. You subconsciously keep away from distractions and your focus remains only on the goal. And by the way if you didn't know yet this is how you become successful, you set a goal, you lock it in and then give it your 100%.

One half of knowing what you want, is knowing what you must give up before you get it. – Sidney Howard

4. Goals Help You Overcome Procrastination

When you set a goal for yourself you make yourself accountable to finish the task. This is in complete contrast with when you do things based of a whim and it doesn't matter whether you complete them or not. Goals tend to stick in your mind and if not completed they give you a "Shoot! I was supposed to do do _____ today!" reminder. These reminders in the back of your head help you to overcome procrastination and laziness.
(*But keep in mind that long-term goals actually promote procrastination. Most people aren’t good with deadliness 3 month away. So whenever you’re given a long term goal, break it down into a several short term goals so you can complete a chunk of the larger long term goal every week or even every day.)

5. Goals Give You Motivation

The root of all the motivation or inspiration you have ever felt in your entire life are goals. Goal setting provides you the foundation for your drive. By making a goal you give yourself a concrete endpoint to aim for and get excited about. It gives you something to focus on and put 100% of your effort into and this focus is what develops motivation.

Source: Code of Living