“Whatever your goal is you will never succeed unless you let go of your fears and fly.”- Sir Richard Branson

“Everyone needs something to aim for. You can call it a challenge, or you call it a goal. It is what makes human.”- Sir Richard Branson

What is your goal? What is that one thing that you can’t stop thinking about? If you haven’t figured it out, you can start now.

Why do you need a goal? Why is it important to have one? It is important to set realistic goals. Goals motivate us to get up in the morning. They keep us going. They keep us trying. They keep us grounded. If you do not have one or two, it is never too late to start. You can even start right now.

When you have a goal, it is easier to figure out where you are going, what you want for yourself, and how you are going to get it. When you have a realistic goal for yourself, it is easier to get from where you are now to where you want to be. Because it gives you direction. It shows you where to go, what to avoid, and what to focus on. If you want to be successful, you need one. If you really mean it, let us start right now!

It must be what you want to achieve for yourself

Do not set goals that other people want you to pursue. Even if you achieve them, you are not going to be happy with yourself. Why is that? Because you haven’t satisfied your soul. Do not do what you hate to do. Because you are going to give it up when the going gets really tough. Do not put your time into something you do not like. Do not put your time into something that doesn’t motivate you, that doesn’t make you happy. Look, if something is not making you happy, there is no point in doing it. Life is too short. So why waste it on something that is making your life miserable? Why?

It must be challenging

If you want your goal to make sense, it must be challenging but not impossible to achieve. If you set an impossible goal for yourself, when it gets really tough, you will give up. Do not make it too difficult for yoursself. Because if your goal is too difficult to reach, you won’t succeed. You will fail. If you do not want to fail, if you want to achieve your goal, make it attainable. Make it realistic. Make it your own goal. Because if your goal is not yours, you won’t succeed. You will fail. If you do not want to fail, you must make sure that it is what you really want for yourself.

It must mean something to you

If your goal doesn’t mean anythng to you, there is no point in pursuing it. For your goal to make sense to you, it must be special to you. It must be something that you really want to get for yourself. It must be something that keeps you going. If not, it doesn’t worth your time. According to Rick Hansen and Dr. Joan Laub, “A goal has personal meaning if it matters to you, if it has personal significance.” If what you are pursuing doesn’t mean anything to you, you must stop it. If not, you are just wasting your time. And even if you succeed, it won’t make you happy.

It must be specific

When it comes to achieving your goal, you must be specific about it. Do not be a generalist. It must be specific. When it comes to making your goal specific, Rick Hansen and Dr. Joan Laub write, “Making your goal specific and definable is important because it allows you to measure, monitor and evaluate your progress.” They are right. Because the only way to know whether you are making progress or not is to check what you are getting. If you are not getting the right results, then you are not making any progress. To fix that, you must ask yourself if this goal is really what you want for yourself.

You must commit yourself to your goal

This is why your goal has to mean something to you. Because you cannot commit fully to something that doesn’t mean anything to you. It is easier to set a goal than to commit to it. And it takes commitment to make things happen. When you commit to your goal, you will do whatever it takes to make it happen. When you commit to something really special to you, nothing can stop you from making it happen. Will you commit to making your dreams come true?