How to Set Intentional and Achievable Goals

Setting goals for yourself is a great way to bring purpose into your life. Your goals can vary in size and duration, but every single one of the goals you set out for yourself will benefit your personal growth and self-development.

No matter what categories your goals fall into, whether they’re small and short-term or big and long-term, it’s important to be intentional in the way you set these goals. How you set your goals will have a big impact on whether or not you’ll actually reach them.

Of course, you don’t have to achieve every single goal you set for yourself. Reaching all of your goals would be ideal, but it’s just not realistic. In fact, it’s healthy to fall short of our goals every now and then. Making mistakes and going through disappointments builds your strength and resiliency, and also teaches you a lot about yourself.

Even though it’s totally normal to fall short of your goals sometimes, achieving your goals can be immensely rewarding, so it’s important to set yourself up for success. So let’s dive into everything you need to know about how to set intentional and achievable goals!

Be realistic

When setting your goals, it’s super important to be realistic. It’s great to be ambitious, but try not to expect too much of yourself. When you’re realistic about your goals, you’ll be less likely to put pressure on yourself or feel overworked, and you’ll be more likely to work towards your goal in a healthy and effective way.

Don’t set the bar too low, but don’t set it too high either. Find your happy medium and decide what is most realistic for you so that you’ll be more likely to achieve your goals.

Decide why your goal is important to you.

While you’re setting your goals, it’s helpful to reflect on why this goal is important to you in the first place. What does it mean to you, and what would achieving this goal add to your life? Maybe through this process of reflection you’ll realize this goal isn’t even that important to you, and you’re only setting it because you think you should or because other people expect you to. Setting those kinds of goals for yourself will inevitably just be a waste of your time and energy.

When you take the time to think about the importance of a particular goal and what it means to you, you avoid working towards meaningless goals and make room for the goals that are more intentional and achievable for you.

Be aware of the size and duration of your goal.

There are a few different kinds of goals. There are small, medium, and big goals, and there are short, medium, and long term goals. The size of your goal refers to the overall significance of it in your life, and the duration is the amount of time you’ll dedicate to working towards it.

When you’re setting a particular goal, it’s important to consider what kind of goal it is. Being aware of the size and duration of your goal will make it easier for you to align with the value of the goal and make a plan of action to reach that goal.

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Make a plan for yourself.

Before you start working towards your goal, it’s helpful to take the time to make an intentional plan for yourself. Decide when you will start working towards your goal, how often you’re going to work on the goal, and ideally, when you would like to achieve this goal.

There may be a few times in your journey towards your goal that you stray from your plan or experience setbacks, and that’s okay. Your plan is not strict or rigid, it’s simply there to give you guidance and momentum, and to make your goal seem more possible and achievable.

Break down your goal into manageable chunks.

Unless your goal is super small, chances are it’ll take you at least a few steps to reach that goal. Breaking down your goal into smaller tasks and manageable chunks is important for all types of goals, but especially your bigger, more long term ones.

Evaluate your goal and see if you can break it down step-by-step so that you can work towards it over time. Decide what you will do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. What can you do in the next few days, the next few weeks, and the next few months to bring you closer to achieving your goal? Breaking down your goals will make them seem less overwhelming and more achievable.

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Being intentional about how you set your goals will make it more likely for you to achieve them. You have to lay the groundwork before you can start the journey towards your goal. So for every goal you set, be realistic, reflect on the importance of your goal, decide on its size and duration, make a plan, and break down your process step-by-step. Doing all of these things brings intention into your goal setting and will prepare you for success and achievement.

What goals are currently on your mind? I’d love to know!

If you’re ready to take your goal setting to the next level, check out my Goal Setting Workbook below!