Setting and achieving goals

Hello friends,

Yesterday I was discussing with a friend about the need for goals in life. Goals bring clarity; goals bring purposefulness, goals are very important. 

We tell our children that they should have goals in life, but do we really practice them? And if we do, are we sure about, that’s exactly what we wanted? In the discussion, we were analysing certain principles which we can follow while setting a goal. 

Setting goals

First and foremost, we need to know what we want. This is very important. Most people do not know what they are looking for, what they want. 

Secondly, we need to create skills to achieve those goals. If you already have the skills, fine. But if we don’t have it, we must improve ourselves and get it. 

Thirdly, we must consider whether this is relevant in this world.

Imagine you have a goal that has no relevance to society, no relevance to anybody; there’s a great chance that goal may not really work well for you because obstacles will be more; nature does not need it.  If your goals are what the world needs, the society needs, nature needs, then nature will support it; it’s easier to achieve. 

Another thing that you need to think about is, does this activity make you happy? If a goal is a burden, it’s very difficult to achieve. Many times, goals are not achieved because it’s a burden. That’s what we see with the new year resolutions. We have many resolutions, we don’t achieve them, probably because our nature is different from what our goals are. It should not be. 

Effortless goals

What makes us happy, what is effortless for us, that should be our goal because we all have our innate nature. That’s exactly where we can start, or that’s the foundation. Our own innate nature is our foundation, and from there, you can build any goal. If you do not have a foundation, you can’t build anything. So why many new year’s resolutions are not happening or not taking place, or not achieved, is because our nature is probably not supporting it. Not only nature outside, our nature inside. 

Then, once you set the goal, your decision should be very firm – with determination. We should be really determined. 

Clarity of goal

Most importantly, we should write it down on a piece of paper because if you don’t write it down, the clarity might be missing. “I want to achieve this, but I don’t know what exactly I want”, that doesn’t work. You got to write it down in such a way that every step is clear, that means timelines, subdivided timelines. For example, if you want to achieve something in the next five years, you should know what you have to do in the next five days. That’s very important. Don’t look at only the end, but the steps towards it as well. 

Beginning

You need to decide on the beginning. Decide means think about it and act on it right away. You know, you need to think, understand, “Okay, this is what I want in life. And this is what I want to achieve in life. And this is where I stand now, and from here I walk so that I’ll reach there.”

First and foremost, you should know where you stand, where you are, and from there what are the initial steps, the right beginning, and then the right destination. So that you are clear, all the way through, which you can even tell people because you’ve written it down. You know that these are the things that are essential, or this is exactly the goal, defining the goal; it’s written down so you can convey this to people. If you do not know your ground reality, which is your actual reality (if you’re imagining reality), it may not work with your goals. 

You should know exactly where you stand. For example, you’re starting a venture; you should know how much capital you have or what skills you have. All these things should be very clear. From there, you can take a step forward. If you do not know your ground reality, that’s the first thing you should know; you need to contemplate, assess, and write down on a piece of paper what exactly you want to do and where you stand.

Obstacles

You should have good reasons for your goal; there should be the right reasons. If you do not have a proper reason for a goal, it’s already weak. Do not worry about obstacles; obstacles are part of the journey. Rough roads are part of the journey. You need to have the mindset to overcome obstacles.

When obstacles happen sometimes, you have to act on them and survive them. But sometimes, like a storm coming and going, you have to wait till the storm has passed and then walk further. In certain situations, you’ve got to exercise patience, and in certain situations, you can fight it and win it. 

You got to be really alert and aware when you’re walking the path. If there’s a stormy situation, allow the storm to come and go, and express patience. At that point in time, only patience works, and then you proceed further. And as I said earlier, a clear plan is important and sometimes clear plans does not happen from the inside. 

You got to talk to some people, maybe you have to talk to a lawyer or an accountant or somebody to get more clarity in your thought process, and then you got to create your plan. 

Clear plans cannot be made without consultations, most of the times. But if it is something which you can do yourself, of course, you don’t need help. But still, it’s good to know that there are so many possibilities there, which will help your goal. It’s very important in life; people talk about teamwork. 

What is teamwork? 

Great relationships, you can create great relationships in life, and that’s very important. When you are alone, you are breakable. But when you are with a team, you are invincible; that difference is always there. Make great friendships, great relationships, which you can trust, which you can rely on. They walk with you; they are always available for you. This is very, very important. 

Vision

You should have a vision of your goal; you should visualise from the beginning, the growth, and also the culmination. This picture should always be in your mind. If you do not have that vision, sometimes, you may not know where you’re going. Vision is very important. Always have a vision. A leader without a vision is not a leader at all. He can’t lead because he does not have a larger vision. So when you set a goal, you should definitely have the vision. Where am I taking this, or where am I going? This should be very clear; this is very important. 

Never give up

Also, never give up. When you set a goal, you should not give up. You should go till the end, whatever the obstacles are, wherever you are, in whichever condition you are, you set the goal, and you’re walking towards it. Maybe there is support; maybe there is no support. Maybe situations are good; maybe situations are not good. Whatever the conditions are, keep walking till you reach the end, and you will reach the end, never give up. If anybody gives up at any point in time, they do not have a proper, firm goal. This is very important to understand. 

So, in a nutshell, you got to really create yourself, or really create from yourself, what exactly you want, what makes you happy, what’s your innate nature and do you have the ability to create good friendships? Are you prone to teamwork?

All these things, you must contemplate, analyse, reposition and then set the goal, and move forward. I wish you great success. 

This is just a preliminary talk; we can talk further on this whenever we get time. But the goal is essential for everybody. 

Lots of love.

Transcribed by Ulla Bernholdt

Proofread by Rekha Murali