Goal Setting - Know Your Why

We know that we need to set goals if we want to be successful 

And we know that our goals should be SMART goals.

But it's also important to understand the 'why'...the reason for our goal. 

That's what we are going to talk about today.

This blog is a part of a series on goal setting. In the other related blogs, you can find information on:

• Need for setting big goals,
• Importance of writing goals down,
• Be specific in your goals,
• Being realistic in your goals, 
• Having an action plan for your goals

So yes, it is important that we write our goals down, be specific, be realistic, have an action plan, and set big goals! Plus, we need to know our 'why' for our goals. 

For starters, why is your goal your goal? Remember when you sat and wrote your goals down (you may have typed them instead), but the point is, why did you write (or type) THAT goal. 

Why did you include those tasks in your action plan for your goals? Why that big goal and small goals? There is a reason why. So what is it?  

To know your 'why' is to know your motivation for a goal. I'm talking about your deep personal motivation for what you are doing.

Your 'why' is personal to you! So this means that you 'why' also includes why the goal is important to you.

When we think about what is motivating us towards our big goals, we tend to think about the things that we want. The things that we dream about. The things unique to us. When we know those things, we are one step closer to understanding our ‘why.’

Identifying your 'why,' helps you understand your 'what' and 'how' of your goals. So as you look back at those goals that you have written down (or typed), at the things that you specified in those goals, at your big goals, and your small goals or tasks..... You can have a better picture of your 'why.'

Your 'why' is also a huge part of the 4 must-haves for any business. 

Consider this, you can have a specific and realistic goal, but without the 'why' or motivation for the goal, you are more likely not going to achieve the goal.

Your 'why' is very personal and all about what’s in it for you.

Here are three things that you can do to help you discover your why:

1. Review the goals you wrote down

2. Identify and list 3 personal motivations

3. Prioritize those motivations

So let’s talk about each of those three things.

Hopefully, you have already written down your goals. If not, now is the best time to write or type out those goals of yours. (No seriously, take a few minutes write now to stop and write or type your goals. This is an important step of your goal setting.) If you having difficulty with this, complete our application for coaching and I can help you with this process.

Now that you have your goals on paper or on the screen of your preferred device, take a look at those goals that you wrote down.

Make sure that your goals are specific and realistic. If you are not sure, you can watch over the video on writing specific goals and the other on writing realistic goals.

When you are identifying personal motivations, you are thinking about why the goal matters.

Thinking about why the goal is important.

This is where you think about what you really want in life from accomplishing that goal.

Here’s a tip, if you are struggling to think about at least 3 personal motivations for that goal, is it really the right goal for you? If it is not, then you are probably not going to be consistent in the actions to accomplish that goal. 

So after you have listed your personal motivations, next step is to prioritize those motivations.

You are going to look at that list and rank the motivations in order of most to least important. Maybe you have already written your motivations in that order. That's great!

But in case you didn't, now is the time for you to really look at your motivations and rank them. Tip: Not all of them can be #1.  Be honest with your ranking. 

When you rank your motivations, you can use the number 1 for the most important motivation and the number 3 for the least important.

When you are done ranking, write over your list of motivations in that order of most to least important.

As you go through this process of identifying and knowing your why, remember this....

Your why should not be someone else’s why.

Knowing your why is personal and unique to you.

Don’t let someone else TELL you why you should be working towards a specific goal. If you do, then are you TRULY working towards your own goal or someone else’s?

Focus on your why and this will help keep you motivated, focused, and committed to achieving your goals!

So now that you are thinking about your current life and your future success.

How are you going to get there?

Here is a clue….

Write your goals down and what you want your success to be. Like I said earlier, you can even type your goals using Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Pages, or a notebook app on your phone.

Make that commitment to yourself!

Write your goals down AND be specific AND realistic AND create an action plan AND include big goals.

Know your 'why' for your goals.

Remember that these are the strategies that you have to implement for your future success! If you are ready to get started on these strategies, complete your application for coaching and see if you qualify for our services. 

Thanks for reading. 

Resources:

Find your why to achieve your goal setting.