Because positive life changes generally do not happen by accident, effective goal-setting is critical to success. Goals that are too easy will fail to motivate you, while goals that are too difficult will leave you discouraged. Goal-setting in the modern world is difficult because nature hardwired human brains for survival, not happiness--but gave us the intelligence and flexibility of behavior necessary to override this programming.
Brain Chemistry
Dr. David Rock, founder of the NeuroLeadership Institute, notes that the human brain is inherently risk-averse--it seeks safety first, and only then will it seek opportunity. This makes sense if the goal is simple survival, but can be a great impediment to proper goal-setting if you want more out of life than what your brain is willing to settle for. Humans are also lousy at predicting what will make them happy, and bad at regulating emotions. On the bright side, what the brain pays attention to can be altered by the goals that we set.
Goal-Setting Theory
Edwin Locke, professor emeritus at the University of Maryland School of Business, created a goal-setting system that can be used by both individuals and organizations. According to Locke, the most effective goals are specific and challenging. Vague goals leave you wondering whether or not you have achieved them, while easy goals fail to gratify you with a sense of accomplishment.
SMART Goals
Annette Richmond, founder and editor of career-intelligence.com, outlines five goal-setting principles that expand on Locke's principles of specificity and challenge. Effective goals should be SMART--specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-framed. You should write down your goals and frequently refer to them to monitor your progress.
Procrastination
Goals should be broken down into mini-goals that can be achieved with great frequency--weekly workout benchmarks, for example--to provide you with the opportunity to enjoy constant positive feedback. Without this constant encouragement, you are likely to procrastinate. Timothy Pychyl, associate professor of psychology at Carleton University, notes that procrastination is not only an obstacle to performance--it is an obstacle to happiness as well. To retain a strong sense of well-being, you need to be constantly progressing toward goals. In a very real sense, the journey is even more important than the destination.
Warning
Be careful to ensure that you are not setting someone else's goals for yourself. Your goals should reflect what you really want, not what you believe you should want or what someone else tells you that you want. Otherwise, even the most skillfully framed goals will fail to inspire you--after all, there is no point in mustering your internal resources to go to a place where you don't want to be. Psychologist Judith Sills, author of "The Comfort Trap," advises people to create an internal vision that excites them. If the idea of meeting your goals makes your heart beat faster, you're on the right track.
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