If you want something meaningful to you, then yes, goal setting is crucial.
When you set goals – it’s got to be something that YOU want to do – otherwise you’re not going to have the drive to do the things necessary to achieve it.
A lot of people will tell you – you MUST set goals – you’ll never achieve anything if you don’t have goals – go and set yourself some goals… and the majority of the time we do…. we want to buy a house, we would like an overseas holiday, we have a dream car.
But there is a very important aspect to setting goals that a lot of people DON’T tell you about, and that’s HOW to set goals and to figure out WHY those goals are important to you.
HOW to set goals
The practical approach is to map out a timeline of events that will lead you to your overall goal.
These are the steps along the way that lead you in the direction of where you want to end up.
Start with two ends of the scale. One is where you are now, the other is where you want to be at the end of your journey.
Now, mark your next move. What is the first thing you can do to start the ball rolling?
What comes next?
Then what?
Then what?
Follow this pattern until you have achieved everything you had hoped for.
Now, learning HOW to set goals is easy…
There’s an even MORE important part about goal setting that a lot more people don’t tell you about – and that’s WHY you set goals.
WHY are your goals important to you?
It’s knowing the reasons WHY you have set your goals that is going to be the biggest factor in achieving all that want out of life.
The question of WHY is different for every single goal for every single person.
The reason WHY comes from how the achievement of that goal will make you feel.
For example
Your goal is to buy a house…
Keep asking yourself WHY…
Why do I want to buy a house?
Answer: I don’t want to keep paying rent and paying someone else’s mortgage off
Why is that important?
Answer: I want to have the feeling of security of owning my own home.
Why is that important?
Answer: I want a stable environment for my family.
Why is that important?
Answer: I want my family to feel warm and secure.
Why is that important?
Because that will make me feel good.
When setting goals – always ask yourself the question WHY – and don’t stop asking the question WHY until you come to the real answer – because it makes you feel good.
For help setting some financial goals that could help your other goals in life, come in and have a chat with Tim Oliver, a financial advisor who understands that the course life can take us on, may not be the one we want to set for ourselves. Contact Tim on 02102956499.
Tim Oliver is an Authorised Financial Adviser and director of First Mortgages NZ Ltd and Oliver Financial Planning Ltd. The information provided in this article is not intended to constitute advice to any person.