Keeping Goal Setting Flexible In A Changing Society

Goal setting is the key to success in any endeavor. Anyone who's successful in any endeavor sets goals. This statement is probably more accurate than any time in the history of our society. People are demanding more of themselves and striving for greater personal and professional achievements.

The number of people looking for some form of advanced education has sky rocketed over the last thirty years. This is also true of people starting and succeeding with new businesses. The information age has brought with it an explosion of opportunities for both personal and professional development.

This has all been made possible through the power of goal setting. All the same, this is also a time of change. Things change more rapidly now that ever before. New technologies and ideas appear to emerge nearly overnight. We have come to expect change. What does this rapid change mean for our goals? Does our goal setting permit effective change? Good questions.

We've always been told that our goal setting must be comprised of goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and believable to us. Our goals must be quantifiable and not vague ideas. They also must be tied to a completion date. Last, to be really effective, our goals must be written down. Writing down our goals gives them a psychological concrete certainty.

However, when set about in this way, does our goal setting set us up for disappointment? In other words, if we don't achieve our goals by the date we set, does it imply we have failed? We must conclude that this assertion is not true when we analyze our goal setting technique.

Change occurs and it happens all the time. Our goals must be elastic enough to provide for this change when it occurs. Goal setting has undergone a reexamination in the last few years. Goals use to be considered written in stone. This model is no longer effective. A more effective approach is to regard goals as points along a line and not endpoints in and of themselves.

For instance, the goal of having a successful business is made up of a quantity of smaller goals along a continuum. Straight lines do not exist except in mathematics. It's a given that the route to the accomplishment of our goals will run across detours and switchbacks. Our goal setting must stay flexible enough to accommodate these changes while keeping our eye on the horizon.

In your goal setting, make your goal planning a living document that's receptive to change and adjustment. Goals that take longer than a few months to realize are surely going to undergo change. Re-evaluate your goals at least once a month. Decide if you're still on the right path, or are adjustments called for?

Last, and possibly the most important, is to not provide the flexibility to adjust that your goals need cause you to throw in the towel. Continue your focus on the place on the horizon that you've decided is your goal. Effective, flexible goal setting will aid your success in this changing world.