How to set your goals

29 August 2017

The great thing about goals to me is that they can be anything to satisfy an individual’s intent, they can be however many you wish to set, or it can even be just one goal that is important to you right now. And quite often, the goal that is the most appealing to the individual is what matters the most to them.

While I have spent time setting goals myself, I feel if you are unsure or stuck on what goals you wish to set, then the best question to ask yourself is: if you were to think of a single goal that is important to you now, what would that be?

I have been fortunate enough to have opportunities to travel to different conferences, workshops and seminars on goal setting – always a popular topic amongst those conferences. When I attended a national conference in Brisbane last year, I had one motivational speaker talk about an element to goal setting I felt was untapped and wasn’t discussed at past events, and that was the emotional and mental connection to a goal, when setting a goal.

My personal example of this was after I had got back from an overseas trip to Canada, at that point, I was near my 30th Birthday and at that time I had no idea of which goals I wanted to set. So, I wrote down the question, “which goal is the most important to me?”

I wrote down:  “to learn to drive”.

The emotion and connection to that goal was strangely liberating, scary but exciting. I knew then I had to try to go for it. As soon as I reached that decision, I never looked back. I then began a process to set myself the task to begin my driving adventure:

  • Start a practice Driver Knowledge Test online.
  • Talk to trusted friends and family.
  • Book a driver knowledge test.
  • Believe in what you are doing.
  • Trust your processes.

In doing this, I immediately felt empowered and hungry to succeed. To this day, this decision to set a goal to learn to drive has enabled me to have a license, own my own car and drive on my own for 2 years. I have never looked back.

A goal is a desired outcome that is unique to you. Whenever I talk to people who are stuck on what goals they wish to set, then I would recommend you ask yourself what goal is most important to you? By deciding what is important, your connection to your personal goal will already be there. By setting your goal, you set yourself a pathway to be purpose-driven and driven to succeed.

By Ben Brown.

About Ben

Ben has been a guest speaker on the topic of Leadership at a My Choice Matters Leadership Workshop at Mingara. It was a great privilege for him to share his personal experiences being involved in Rotaract, engaging in different fundraising activities, and sharing his personal leadership lessons to a group of participants. Ben’s proudest achievement without a doubt is attaining his provisional driver’s license and is currently one year on his green p’s. He is looking forward to going for his full license next year!

His next exciting set of goals are to retain employment, to take part in the September 10,000 step walk for 28 days fundraising for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance and for the NSW Cancer Council at Relay for Life. Ben has mild Cerebral Palsy, his favourite saying is Cerebral Palsy may slow me down but it doesn’t stop me from living life to the max!”

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