Posts Tagged ‘personal budget’

What inspires you? What makes you want to change your life?

Is it the people around you? A historical figure? A story you saw in a book or film? There are so many inspiring stories about achieving goals, especially in films. You know the ones: the dancer who auditions for the role of a lifetime, the underdog sport team winning the final against all odds, the discriminated outsider who rises up to become a social hero *cue dramatic orchestral music*. These films are inspiring and teach us, you can do anything! If you just believe and follow your heart (oh, and work your ass off).

However, despite all this inspirational material, only 20% of the population set goals and of those people a whopping 70% fail to achieve the goals they have set for themselves. Why is that? There are a number of reasons why this happens, such as not committing to the goal, not wanting to change, not understanding the goal setting process or setting too many goals. Well no more! We are here to help you set goals you can achieve. Booyah!

Why set goals?

Goals give you something to work toward, they give purpose and ultimately make life more interesting and challenging. People who set goals have higher self-esteem, confidence, and control in their lives. Goals come in all shapes and sizes, whether it is buying a house, winning a race, getting promoted, losing weight, or learning something new. No matter the size of the challenge, achieving goals is always rewarding. The feeling of success when achieving your goals is like no other. Not only does it better your current situation, but also boosts your moral, confidence, and self-esteem. What reasons do you have for setting goals of your own? What types of goals do you have, and which do you struggle most with?

When to set a goal?

Setting goals will help to achieve something that does not come easily. Learning a language, running a marathon, moving to Japan are huge investments, not only in money but in time, effort, commitment and planning. Setting milestones in order to achieve these goals will help to make the situation less stressful as it breaks up the massive goal into tiny little goals that seem easier to achieve step by step.

If you find yourself asking someone for advice on something, realize that you have the perfect opportunity to set a goal.  Goals are best for situations that require guidance. Consider setting goals with a partner as working together makes achieving goals much easier.  For example many people prefer to reach their fitness goals with a friend for motivational reasons.

How to set a goal

When setting a goal you need to have a clear idea of what you want and why you want it. Your goal needs to have purpose, as this will make it a high priority in your life, and therefore more likely to be achieved. Try using the SMART model: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, and Timely goals. Take a look at the SMART model below and answer the following questions in terms of your goal:

Specific:

• 1) What are you going to do? (What is it that you want to achieve? Visualize your goal, and your success!)

• 2) Why is it important to you? (Define compelling reasons for achieving your goal. Why do you want to achieve it?)

• 3) Define the benefits you expect to gain from achieving your goal. (How will you feel if you achieve your goal?)

• 4) Consider the consequences of not achieving your goal. (What will happen if you don’t achieve it? How will you feel?)

• 5) How are you going to do it? (What steps do you need to take in order to achieve your goal?)

Measurable:

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Choose a goal with measurable progress so you can see the change as it occurs. Set measurable tasks or milestones towards your goal, so that by achieving each step you will feel like you are moving forward. Also, be sure to plan for the obstacles you may come across. Obstacles are unavoidable, and when you plan for solutions to them you are more likely to overcome them.

Attainable:

• Goals that are out of your reach won’t motivate you, your goal should stretch you slightly.

• Don’t do it alone, ask for help! Share your goal with friends/family (they will keep you motivated).

Reasonable:

• Set goals that you can attain with some effort. Set the bar high enough for satisfying achievement.

Timely:

• Set deadlines to motivate you and make sure you are actively working towards your goal. Be sure that your deadlines are attainable and reasonable.

So go on goal setters, start completing your goals with confidence using these tips! If you have more tips for setting goals we would love to hear from you, so just comment below. Stay motivated and good luck!

“Your goal should be out of reach, but not out of Sight.” – Anita DeFrantz

Make setting goals easy in heaps!

By now you may have seen that heaps! has some sexy new goal templates. These are fantastic for setting financial goals as they are full of tasks and milestones to break up the process for you. Whether you are saving to buy a house or planning a trip to Bali, putting it as a goal in heaps! takes (most) of the work away for you. You can see your progress and heaps! will keep you on track so that you can achieve that goal faster. You can also customise templates by adding notes and tasks or by creating your own. Whatever the goal, set in heaps! and get there faster! Whoo!