A meaningful life is the one with an improved quality. It is a life built on making good choices; and continuously setting and achieving personal goals to back such choices. The kind of goals you set and achieve continually will dictate in which direction your life will go. In this time and age, Nigeria definitely needs more people with a positive goal-setting mindset to solve the country’s many challenges.
In other words, a life of success is built on setting and achieving personal goals that improve the quality of your life. Without good choices and clear goals, a person’s life can go in any unplanned direction – which may end up quite empty (or even disastrous). Additionally, goals can force you to think deep and seek solutions; they teach you to be more creative. Please read along, as we explore some useful tips you can use in setting and achieving personal goals in Nigeria.
Many Humans Fail to Set Goals – Here’s Why
It is quite obvious that a lot of people do not set goals. For that reason, we have many persons in Nigeria (and the human society at large) who live banal, poor-quality lives. It is one of the critical reasons why there are many poor people in Nigeria and the rest of Africa. A lot of people refuse to be concerned about their present state; and so do not plan towards a better future.
Many people fail to set personal goals (or professional and/or business goals for that matter) for three reasons:
Many People See Goal-setting as Unimportant
They do not see the importance of setting goals. It is a bad mentality to expect someone else to meet all your needs. Nigeria’s extended family system has become so abused in this respect. A particular member of the family (especially first-borns or rich relatives) is often over-burdened by the demands of others. It often continues until he/she can no longer bear it. But while that family member is still available, the other family members do little to plan and work on their own lives.
Yet again is the widespread belief that God Almighty will ‘do it’ for you, without planning towards solving your problem. As you call on God for help, you should work towards the solution as well. Remember the statement, ‘work and pray’.
Setting and Achieving Goals Is a Skill
Goal setting is actually a skill you need to learn. It requires training, and your dedication to make things work. Setting and achieving of personal goals is not for the lazy-minded.
The Fear of Failure
You would be surprised that failure is a natural occurrence, and a necessary aspect of life-long learning. Nothing and nobody is designed to be perfect or infallible. When you fall seven times, get up again and continue. A lot people have abandoned goal-setting because they failed to achieve certain goals in the past. The disappointment (and possible ridicule by others) can be painful.
However, you should realize that those who ridicule you are also facing their own challenges. No one actually has the moral right to look down on others who failed. No single human being is failure-proof. And most of life’s learning comes from failure, recovery, and trying again. Every successful person, business or venture out there has a backstory of failures and losses, with which they built their present fortunes. So you must not give up on setting and achieving personal goals. Learn, heal, and continue.
Useful Tips for Setting and Achieving Your Personal Goals
Here are a few tips that can guide you in setting and achieving your personal goals in Nigeria (and elsewhere):
Choose SMART Goals
Being by thinking through what you want to achieve, and WHETHER YOU TRULY NEED THE END-GOAL. Your goal(s) should be things you strongly desire or need. Again, be ready to commit the needed time, energy and resources towards achieving that goal.
Secondly, your goals must not be vague – they should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound). This will ensure that you can actually achieve or complete that goal.
Create an Action Plan Towards Achieving Your Personal Goal(s)
Next, ensure you break down your goals into smaller and easier steps. Each of these smaller steps should be tailored towards the ultimate goal.
As you conquer each smaller step, remember to congratulate yourself for the small victory. You can also reward yourself with a small gift, or something to boost your morale. Then proceed to the next stage. If any step does not work out, then think through it and be creative. You can change the steps in your plan to make the ultimate goal more achievable. But DO NOT ABANDON THE PLAN.
Create A Schedule /Time-Table
Allocate a period of time during which you want to achieve each step. It could be hours, days, a week, or an appropriate length of time you can determine. Then put them all together into a schedule or time-table.
Creating a schedule helps you to monitor your own progress as you proceed towards the end of a goal. You can easily check each step to see if you are still on track, and if the outcome is right. You will also find out if you are meeting or missing the deadline for that step. This will help you to make adjustments, and improve on the plan. It will also help you to stay focused and disciplined.
Clearly Visualize Your Goals
It is important to develop the ‘Can-do’ attitude while striving to achieve any goal. Whether you fail or succeed at any stage, learn to clearly visualize yourself attaining that goal. Enjoy the feeling and reward that comes with it in your mind. Think about the overall benefits you (and others around you) will derive from achieving that goal. Let that mental picture remain with you and be your driving force.
Speak and Think Positive
Again, speak and think positive about your goal, no matter what obstacle may come up. Make it a continuous practice, and push out whatever doubts may come to challenge you. Refuse to allow any obstacle to change your positive language. It would definitely require practice, but it is necessary. The more you sow positive thoughts and words into your life and personal goals, the more real they become.
Challenges Will Likely Come – Work Through Them
Life can be a puzzle that requires solutions and strategies to make it work better. The same is true of your personal goals. Have it in mind that certain challenges may potentially come up to interfere with your goals, which is not strange. However, you should learn to strategize and plan ahead.
Visualize potential challenges. Then think out and get strategies ready to deal with them (without abandoning the plan). You may need to change or extend deadlines. You may even need to repeat or change certain aspects of your original plan. But put strategies in place to deal with possible situations that come up as obstacles. Such ready, off-grid strategies can reduce stress, and help you to stay in control.
Do a Personal Audit – Monitor Your Own Progress
The best way to know if you are achieving your personal goals is to periodically check your own progress. Doing so will keep you motivated, as you achieve each step. It will also help you to identify which aspects of your plan need improvement.
You might track to your own progress on a daily, weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly basis. To do so, you will need to keep daily and periodic records. Write down your accomplishments and challenges in a sort of diary or journal, with dates. Remember to also store other forms of records – such as photographs, videos, or possibly voice recordings. And from time to time, study your records to evaluate the entire journey – and improve on it.
