Goal setting is an integral part of human life, we all have things we want to accomplish and the key to success is goal setting. Without a goal in life, you lack focus and direction. 

Goal setting not only accord you the opportunity to take control of your life’s direction; it also provides you with a benchmark for determining whether or not you would succeed in the goal. Mean you know if the goal you are setting is realistic or not. 

To achieve your goals, you need to know how to set them. You need to carefully consider what you want to achieve, how you intend to achieve it, and why. 

When the goal you have set out to accomplish is realistic and achievable you are more likely to attain them. And with each step you take, you will feel a sense of achievement that pushes you to do more and dream big. 

So when I say realistic goal this is what I mean. 

A realistic goal is attainable given your current mindset, timeframe, morale, skills, and abilities. Realistic goals help you identify not just what you want, but what you can achieve and how you can do it.

It is very essential that you set realistic goals. The reason is that when you examine your goals properly to ensure each goal is realistically achievable, you increase your chances of success. 

What this does is maximize your time and resources, and helps keep you motivated. This also helps boost your self-esteem and confidence level.

Here are six pointers for setting realistic goals

1. Write your goals down

Writing down your goals is a simple but most crucial step to achieving your goals. Writing your goals helps you evaluate your expectations and gives you clearer clarification once you do that. If the goal you have written down doesn’t match the goal you have imagined for yourself, regroup and try again. 

2. Be specific about your goals 

Goals should never be controversial. Rather set clearly defined expectations using a framework, for example, I want to achieve X by Y and this is how I intend to do so. 

Once you can clarify your vision and what success looks like, it’s easy for you to begin to map out the path for the goal. When your goals are uncertain the results will be uncertain, and undeveloped goals will lead to undeveloped dreams.

3. Set Smart Goals 

Apply the rule of smart goals when setting goals. The fact is that for goals to be powerful, they should be designed to be smart. Smart goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. 

Specific: your goal must be clear and well interpreted 

Measurable: your goals should include precise data so you can measure the degree of your success.

Attainable: make sure it is possible to achieve the goals you’ve set. If not you will only demoralize yourself and lose confidence.

Relevant: your goal should be relevant to the direction you want your life and career to go.

Time-Bound: set goals with deadlines. And aim to meet up with those deadlines.

You can use a To-Do List that has your goals at the top of it. 

4. Start Small

One mistake most of us make is trying to achieve too many things at the same time, this can get overwhelming and can lead to you not achieving anything. 

Trying to accomplish too many things at once is frequently a recipe for failure. So the best thing to do is start small and gradually progress into achieving the rest.

5. Track your goals 

Check in on your goals regularly to track your progress. Tracking your progress is a good way to recognize what’s working for you and what’s not, so you can adjust goals if need be or create new ways to achieve your goals.

Once you finally figured out what works best for you its becomes easy to meet up your expectations. 

When you’ve achieved a goal, make sure to enjoy this time, reward yourself, and try to stay motivated always. 

Comprehend the significance of the goal you just achieved, and examine the progress that you’ve made towards other goals. All this will help build your self-esteem and the confidence you need to achieve more.