Goal setting is the process that stimulates, inspires, and builds a clear vision.
“What do you want to achieve?” is a broad and open-ended question. It should evaluate what to achieve when to achieve and be backed by an intention to take action.
Being a lawyer, some of the goals could be the number of new clients to add value, increasing revenue to the legal firm, increasing the billable hours, and many more. The goal should motivate a person to take action. And to do that, one needs to bring clarity to the specifics of the objective.
We are presenting two goal-setting processes to bring clarity to your vision. Simon Sinek introduced, ‘start with why’ & Peter Drucker introduced SMART.
Below mentioned is a powerful way to set your goals:
Step 1- WHY
The why will set the intention to what you choose to achieve. List down three to five areas of life that are relevant to you.
For example:
Areas of life – Health, family, career, finances, leisure
Intentions: Health- Being energetic and lively. Full of strength and stamina throughout the day.
Write down intentions in each area of life of your choosing.
Step 2- HOW
Once the intentions are in place, prepare statements on how you choose to bring that into reality.
For example:
Areas of life – Health, family, career, finances, leisure
Intentions(Why): Health- Being energetic and lively. Full of strength and stamina throughout the day.
Statement(How): By reading good books to stimulate my mind, meditation for my emotions, and daily walking for my physical health.
Step 3- WHAT
It is where you make your goals even more specific that formulates a blueprint for creation. Follow the SMART formula:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Time-bound
For example:
Area of life: Health
Specific- Mental, emotional & physical well being
Measurable-Being calm and peaceful every day at work and home with a smile. Able to work 10 hours without loss of energy and inspiration. The ideal weight bound be 71 kgs.
Achievable- Current weight is 84 kg. Are 71 kilograms achievable for you? Walk 5 KM every day after office hours. Are 5 Kilometers possible for you?
Realistic- Check if 71 kilograms is realistic or choose an ideal weight that you feel is possible. If not 5 Kilometers, what is an ideal weight for you given the time and effort.
Time-Bound- Set a date to start and by when you intend to create. Without a date, any goal is just a wish list.
Action item:
Repeat the above process for all areas of your life which you have chosen. Make an effort to invest time in preparing the goals. It might take a couple of hours of focus but will be deeply satisfying to have your vision getting clearer. You will feel inspired to take action and make them a reality.