Does your long trek into the unknown feel like it will never end? Do you wonder how to improve your grades in school or pass that tough exam?
Don't worry! It's not easy getting from where you are now to where you want to be, but it is possible with some hard work and perseverance. Here's a guide of three steps that can help you achieve anything in life—whether it’s an important goal for school or a personal dream.
Step #1: Identify What You Want
To achieve anything in life, you must first identify your goal. Setting a goal is the first step in achieving what you want. A goal is a future result that you desire and typically want to achieve within one year (though it can be longer). Goals are different from wishes or desires because goals usually require some type of action to be achieved.
For example, a wish might be “I wish I could buy a new car” while the goal would be “I will save $1,000 each month until I have enough money saved to buy my dream car.”
Identifying your goal is important because it helps keep you motivated or “on track” when things start to get tough. It also helps you know what to do when you run into obstacles, which happens more often than you may think.
Step #2: Make a Plan to Reach Your Goal
Achieving your goal is not as simple as saying, “I want [insert goal here]!” To achieve any goal, you must first make a plan with specific actions that will lead to reaching the end result eventually. Without a plan, success will be hard to achieve and depends completely on chance and luck—which are both unreliable.
When you get stuck in something, it is easy to think that the only way to get through it is to “wing it” or just wait until things get better. However, when you have a plan for achieving the goal, you will know exactly what you need to do at every step along the way. It will also help you stay motivated when things get hard and keep you on track even after obstacles appear.
Step #3: Take Steps Toward Your Goal
Achieving your goal involves taking steps one at a time toward your final result—the end result that you set out for in the first place.
Step 1. Write Down Your Goals: You can start by writing down your goals in the first step. These are the things you want to achieve—or have already achieved. Once you have a list, you can then set goals for another year or a couple of years into the future (like identifying your goal and creating a plan). You will be more motivated to reach your goals as we go along, and it will keep you on track because it will keep you from quitting when things get hard.
Step 2. Set Goals: Now that you have your goals written down and put into action, set some short-term goals to help you get closer to achieving your long-term goals. Setting goals for yourself is essential to achieving your big, long-term dreams.
Step 3. Create a Plan: Now you need to create a plan of action and list out the steps you should take in order to achieve the goal. List out your specific actions and put them into an order that will help you achieve your goal taking one step at a time. It may not seem like it makes sense now, but it will all come together in time as we go along.
Step 4. Take Action: The final step in achieving your goal is to take action and put your plan into motion. Using the steps listed in your plan, take it one step at a time until you reach the end result.
This process may seem slow at first, but keep working toward your goal. Soon, you'll find that you are getting closer and closer to achieving it. As time goes on, you will be able to break up your big goal into smaller ones—and that will bring it much closer to being a reality!
Keep following these steps until you reach the finish line! Remember that if things get hard or if you don't see results fast enough, you can always change up your plan or try something new. You don't have to see the whole staircase before you step onto the first stair.
Next time you want to achieve a goal, follow these three steps to help you along the way!