How to Set Powerfully Motivating and Life-Changing Goals

The importance of goal-setting as it pertains to personal growth must not be underestimated. It is quite possibly your most valuable tool in your quest for creating your ideal life. Goals not only spark the necessary motivation for change, they provide a positive vision for the future, giving you a sense of direction and purpose. The hitch is, proper goal-setting isn't necessarily something they taught in school. Most people haven't got the faintest clue on where to start, and therefore the goal-setting gets put off for another day, perhaps indefinitely.

So how does one set a powerfully motivating and life-changing goal?

Characteristics of Strong Goals:

1. Focus-Driven
2. Passion Evoking
3. Relevant
4. Measurable
5. Attainable (Believable)

When setting a personal goal, it is important to make sure the goal is specific and has a clear focus. If your goal is to make more money, simply stating, “I want to make more money,” may not have quite as much effect as, “I want to increase my monthly income by $1,000.” Wording is key.

Your goal should be something that gets you excited when you think about it. You need to be on fire for what it is that you're wanting. If when you think about your goal, you start to feel down on yourself or you lack emotion for the goal, then it's time to go back to the drawing board and either rethink whether the goal is really in line with your higher purpose, or rewrite the goal to inspire more emotion within you.

The goal needs to be relevant to what you want to achieve as a part of your lifetime wants. If you don't know what your lifetime wants are – better get cracking. A good way to find out what your lifetime goals are is to figure out what your core values are. Your values are what drive you to do the things you do, and once you've got a list of your values, your lifetime goals will become clear.

A measurable goal is one that, when you achieve it, will be noticeable to you. A measurable goal for a person who makes only $8,000 a year might be to make $20,000 in a year. A measurable goal for a small business owner with only one shop might be to expand the business to another location, and so on and so forth. The important thing is that you set your goal to be at least slightly out of your comfort zone, so that you have this bright and shiny beacon to strive for.

Your goal should be attainable. That is to say, it should be believable and seem possible to you. If you're that person making $8,000 in a year, and you've set a goal to make $60,000 in a year, but feel doubtful or insecure about how achievable the goal is for you, then perhaps a smaller goal should be set to instill the confidence you need to get on track. It's all about getting the ball rolling. The initial friction is the most difficult to overcome.