Setting and Achieving Goals, Planning, Success
Goal Setting Tools for a Personal Development Plan
Aug 30, 2009
Setting and achieving goals plays an important role in a successful personal development plan. Inherent in the plan is identification and planning of goals and objectives for personal growth.
The goals setter will benefit by including time for learning to identify goals success factors and how to use goal setting tools.
Readers following the example personal development program will use this article during week ten. A complete summary of each week's suggested topics and material can be found in A Sample Personal Development Plan.
Goals Success
Goals success can be improved by adhering to four goals success factors. These are:
- The goal setter must own the goal.
- Goals must offer definite benefits to the goal setter.
- Goals and objectives must be energizing.
- The goal setter must be able to visualize goals achievement.
Achieve Goals with the Four Success Factors
Setting and achieving successful goals requires commitment sufficient to persevere in the goal setting process. Though some goals and objectives come easily, it's safe to say that most personal development goals will be achieved only after overcoming various habits, fears, and self-limiting beliefs. The energy to address and overcome these obstacles will be insufficient without full commitment.
In addition to owning the goal, the successful goal setter will clearly identify the direct benefits of accomplishing the goals and objectives. This is most easily accomplished when the goal setter originates the goal as part of her personal growth planning. Often, however, a goal or goals are suggested by another person – a spouse, employer, or friend. In this case, it's critical to goals success to be able to take ownership (first success factor) and identify direct benefits.
Since many goals and objectives are difficult to achieve, it's important that the process of goal achievement in itself is energizing. Owning the goal as well as seeing direct benefits contribute energy to the goal setter, but the process of goal achievement itself must also contribute energy sufficient to sustain interest and commitment. A good test is whether simply thinking of the goals and objectives of the personal development plan are energizing. If not, success is questionable.
The final success factor — the ability to visualize goal achievement — builds on clear benefits, but also requires confidence in goals success. If goal achievement cannot easily and clearly be visualized then the goal is either too difficult to seem reasonable or goal ownership or benefits are insufficient.
Additional information on these goals success factors can be found in Success Factors Reaching Personal Growth Goals.
Goal Setting Tools
- SMART – The leading goals setting tool carries the acronym SMART, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-based. SMART is widely utilized and recognized in goal setting literature. SMART's limitation might be that it relies entirely on left-brain, rational activities, ignoring the power of right-brain functions.
- SAFE – A newer and lesser known goal and objective setting tool follows the acronym SAFE, which stands for See, Accept, Feel, and Express the end result. SAFE combines right and left brain functionality, offering more potential goal achievement power to the goal setter.
More information on these goal setting tools as well as additional factors affecting goal setting success can be found in A Summary of Goal Setting Activities.
Goal Setting Worksheet and Software
This handy and free goal setting worksheet is available for download. Print and fill it out to identify and track goals planning and progress.
Lifetick offers a limited feature — but still useful — version of its premium, web-based goal setting software. Use it to track up to four goals, with email reminders of due dates to keep you on track, a journal of activity, and more.
Setting and Achieving Goals
Setting and achieving goals is an important activity in a personal development plan. Use these goal setting tools and success factors to enhance personal growth.
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