01/05/2018
How to Achieve Something in Life
To achieve something in life, you will need to identify important life goals, create a plan of action, and possibly even consider questions of personal identity. Goal achievement involves clarity of purpose, persistent determination, and a reward system that keeps you on your intended path. Most importantly, it requires a goal that keeps you inspired
Clarify your life goals. You may be passionate about obtaining an advanced degree, starting a family, creating a successful business or writing a book. Begin visualizing these goals and talk to competent people about how you might achieve your aspirations. Ask yourself what really makes you happy and try to follow your happiness.
Recognize your strengths. It is a bad idea to follow a life trajectory just because someone tells you to. However, other people will be able to recognize your strengths in an unbiased way that you often cannot. Listen to what they say about your strengths and weaknesses. Try to tailor your goals to your strengths
For example, if you are good at drawing, consider careers in visual design. If you are good at writing, think about how you can leverage that in your own career. That doesn't necessarily mean that you should commit yourself to being a novelist or an artist, which can be difficult careers. But you should consider other careers that utilize these skills, like advertising, architecture, interior design, or law.
Identify obstacles that may interfere with your goal. For example, you might have an innovative business concept, but not enough capital to get it off the ground. It is impractical to get into sports or some professional careers past a certain age. Talk to people who have followed the route you are entertaining to determine if it is viable option for you.
Talk to someone who is successful. To get a sense for what you will need to do to accomplish your goal, you should talk to someone who has already accomplished it. Ask her what steps she had to take to reach her goals. Try to get a sense for the “price” she paid, in terms of how many hours she committed daily to work. Build a plan to follow in her footsteps.
Part of this will consist of setting up a daily schedule. If she committed 3 hours a day to work, ask how can you do the same. Will you need to cut out Television from your schedule or severely limit it to a certain amount of time per day? You will only know if you do the math.
Create a goal achievement action plan. Your goals will be more actionable if you create a plan to realize them. Create a timeline for each goal and identify the steps necessary to realizing each of them. Put it in writing and be as specific as possible about dates, small steps, and verifiable benchmarks for success
Stay motivated. Once you have an action plan, you should reward yourself every time that you meet a goal. If it a small goal, go out for a dinner or a drink, perhaps take some extra time off. If it is a big goal, Take a long vacation. Rewarding yourself will keep you motivated, though you need to make sure that you have set clear benchmarks, like a specific percent increase in sales or a certain grade on the LSAT. Otherwise, you might not force yourself to a very high standard.[5]
Reflect on your personal needs. In addition to the physical needs of staying fed, sheltered and healthy, consider your mental, emotional and spiritual needs as you work to achieve something in life. The need to feel respected, mentally stimulated, challenged and loved are important factors for sustaining motivation. Remain constantly aware of the outcomes of your work.
Verify that your goals foster your motivation. For example, the chances of building a loving family are much greater if you choose a life partner who makes you feel loved and respected, and encourages you to pursue your life goals
Assess your progress. Constantly assess whether you are meeting your goals. If not, determine whether or not you have committed yourself sufficiently, and, if not, make more time in your schedule to meet these goals. If you are working hard to no effect, consider whether a different strategy would work better, or if you need to think about a new goal.
