The Easy Way to Accomplish Personal Development Goals

Everyone has goals, and we all need them to achieve something in our lives. Goals are like carrots pulling us forward when things get a little rough out there. They give us answers to resistance and challenges big and small that we face daily. And personal development goals are the most critical of all.

The easy part is setting personal development goals. The really hard part is achieving them. One of the reasons that many people fail to reach their personal development goals is that too often they set fuzzy images instead of clear goals. Some people also set too many goals all at once, or they set target dates that are too far in the future.

The best way to set your personal development goals is to clearly state what you want to achieve. For example, it is great if you want to lose weight, but you have to choose a clear target at the beginning. Pick how much weight you want to lose, and write down your goal. Choose an exact number of kilos or pounds, and make it an achievable goal, not a fantasy. Don't set yourself up for failure. Say you want to lose ten pounds. Write that down, and create a simple exercise and dieting plan that will propel you down the path to that goal.

Secondly, meet your new challenge clearly by setting parameters. You have determined that you wish to lose ten pounds. You've got a diet and exercise plan in place. Now, set a time limit for yourself. For example, if you wish to lose those pounds in two months, that means a month should see you lose five pounds. That seems manageable, right? So with your clear target, and a realistic time frame, you will be able to focus well on your path to achieve your goal.

You have accomplished the first step! You established personal development goals, and you are on your way to achieving them.

Don't set your personal development goals too high or too far out of reach. If you set unattainable goals and you're not successful, you'll feel like a failure. This feeling can have a negative affect on your self-esteem, and on your life in general. Don't go there.

And when you work hard and reach your goal, don't forget to give yourself a reward! A reward makes your focus and commitment worth something else besides the great accomplishment itself. You don't have to spend a bunch of money or eat a giant cheesecake that will start you gaining weight again, for example. Why not take a rewarding walk in a park, have a glass of good wine, or take yourself out to a matinee movie? Reward yourself for sticking to your plan and meeting your goal.

After you have attained your first personal development goal, choose another one. It feels good, right? So it will feel good the next time, too. Use achievable targets and time frames, and set clear goals. You may find that just accomplishing small goals, one after the other, over several years, has led you to a point in your life a few years from now that would have been unrecognizable to you in your past life. One step at a time can take you almost anywhere you want in life.

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Wyatt Pottoe is a columnist for several popular online magazines, on home equity and family video themes.
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