This evening I received some of the worst personal goal setting advice I think I’ve ever received.
Set your goals high, but not your expectations.
Say what?! I read that and did a double-take. I couldn’t believe it. Never before has Dove chocolate messages steered me wrong, but today was definitely a turning point.
Yeah, so I’m partially joking about actually following advice from a Dove chocolate message. Normally their message are uplifting or just plain silly, but this one was different.
Set a Goal and Expect to Achieve It!
Seriously, the whole point of personal goal setting is to actually map out a plan where everything you do brings you closer to that goal, right? If you do not expect to achieve, you haven’t set a goal – you’re dreaming.
Goals vs. Dreams
There’s a big difference between goals and dreams.
- Goals have action attached to them. They have a plan and even if they take a while to reach, you are working toward that goal.
- Dreams are something we do when we’re sleeping (i.e. not taking action).
5 Goal Setting Activities to Goal Achievement
Wake up! You can turn your dreams into goals, with these five simple goal setting activities:
- Decide what your ultimate goal is. Think of your goal as a target that you’re aiming for.
- Determine mini-goals that break down your ultimate goal into
manageable short-term actions. Write out your goal, including mini-goals, as this will help you stay on track until you hit the target. - Take action! You’ll never reach the finish line if you don’t start toward the goal.
- Find an accountability partner to keep you on track. This could be your spouse, a friend, business partner or a personal business coach.
- Plan your reward and your next goal! Finishing a goal, especially if it was one that took a long time to achieve, is a great accomplishment. Reward yourself in some way. Then set a new goal. Always be striving and aiming for something.
I highly recommend a personal business coach, or a Mastermind Group to help keep you accountable and to help you reach your goal.
Whatever you do – ignore the chocolate. 
To YOUR Success,
Traci Knoppe
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About Traci Knoppe
You wont believe it, but i actually had a piece of chocolate in my hand as i read your post title – uncanny! Not Dove chocolate mind you but still..
I dont think there’s anything wrong with having high expectactions. If you expect more of yourself then you’re more likely to go after things that might otherwise seem unattainable.
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Thanks for your comment Dillon.
I agree, we need to set a goal and expect to achieve it, then map out a plan to make it happen. We should expect goal-focused action to equal achievement.
it remind me of a movie, the protagonist say”my ma always tell me, life just like a box of chocolate, you’ll never know which one you gonna get”setting a goal is easy, the thing is how to accomplish it.
Its all about: “what do you want and what are you willing to give up for it?” Best quote ever.
“Take action” are keywords here. Unless you DO something, you’ll be relying on luck and we all know how well that works out.
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