What does it take to set goals that you can actually achieve – especially those big goals you set for yourself? Is there a magic way to make them happen?

It’s really not magic, it just takes hard work and effort. But there are things you can do to help you obtain them. Here are some basic tips for setting goals you can achieve – without making it overwhelming.

• Make Sure Your Goals Have Value: Achievable goals should be realistic, but they also need to have value. Ask yourself why it is important for you to achieve this goal? If your answer does not make sense or cannot pass the “So what?” test; then maybe that’s not a good goal for you right now.
• Be Specific: Generally, a goal is more likely to be achieved if it’s specific. For example, “I want to save money” isn’t as good of a goal as saying “I will have $500 in my savings account by the end of this month.” The latter seems much more specific and concrete than just simply wanting to save some money.
• Be Measurable: A measurable goal has an indicator that shows whether or not you’ve reached your desired outcome. This could mean measuring how many pounds you’re losing on a weight loss journey or counting up all the sales made at the end of a work day for a small business owner. No matter what type of person you are, there should always be room for measurable progress.
• Be Realistic: This is probably the most important part of setting achievable goals. If you set a goal that’s unrealistic, this will lead to disappointment and frustration once it hasn’t been achieved right away or at all. For example, wanting to earn a million dollars overnight isn’t very realistic because it takes time for wealth to build up. However, if someone sets a more realistic goal such as “I’ll make X amount through my blog by next month,” then they have a much greater chance of reaching their desired outcome.
• Be Time-Limited: If you haven’t noticed yet, many of these tips for setting achievable goals include time-limiting them. For instance, having a deadline to achieve your goal can push you that much further and harder than if there wasn’t any sort of limit in place at all. If something isn’t working or is taking too long then extend the deadlines as necessary until things start coming together again.
• Write Them Down: Yes, you might think that having your goals in your head is enough, but there are studies that show that people who write down their goals – and their plan to achieve them – are more likely to succeed. Take the time to write down your goals and your action steps.
• Maintain Motivation: With every goal, it’s still important to not lose motivation. Many people who set realistic and measurable goals end up losing their drive because they find things aren’t as easy as they thought. Know that there may be stumbling blocks in front of you, but you can get past them.
• Get Support.: Last but not least, having a support system in place is one of the best ways to keep yourself motivated and working towards your goals when you feel like giving up. Having people who can help push you back into action if necessary will make achieving your goals that much easier than if you tried doing it on your own.

If you’ve got big plans for 2022, the time to start setting those goals is now! Use these tips to set goals that you can achieve and make 2022 your most successful year yet.