Goal setting is one of the most important tasks you can focus on. A goal is like a roadmap – you know exactly where you want to be and usually why you want to be there. There’s a starting point (now) and a destination point (where I want to be).

This generates a sense of incongruity or discontent because there’s a desire, vision, or wish to be elsewhere in life, to attain more, or to experience different circumstances, and still, you haven’t reached that point. This naturally leads to frustration and dissatisfaction. BUT it can also boost your drive because you WANT to change something.

But… what if we don’t even have this view? What if we don’t know where we want to go? If we feel like a leaf in the wind, pushed in all directions with no idea where we want to end up in life?

If you’re feeling like this and you want to finally see a better version of yourself at the end of this long path… then this blog post might be for you!

And if you already know what you’re striving for but want to improve your goal setting or rethink/rewrite your goals – then you are highly welcome too!

Let’s dive in together into the topic of goal setting and set ourselves some smashing and reachable goals!

Goals – why do we need them

Every person sets goals in their life, whether in private or professional spheres. Without them, we wouldn’t have direction in our existence. Realistic goals stimulate action and motivation to work on a task until successfully completed; then one can look back on it with pride and say to oneself: “Yes, I DID that and reached my greatest wish”.

In other words, a goal makes a wish achievable, or a wish is like a raw gemstone – uncut, beautiful. Goal formulation is the cut that makes it usable. So, why do we need them exactly?

• Clarity and focus in our conscious and subconscious minds
• Actions gain direction (Where the focus is, there the attention is –> selective focus)
• A sense of purpose, perhaps even a life purpose worth fighting for
• Protects against depression and other mental illnesses
• Enhances motivation and fosters discipline, strengthening human drive
• Achieved goals improve us as individuals, aiding in self-realization and self-improvement
• Having goals makes us more attractive because we actively take the lead in our lives
• Through the precise formulation of goals, we lay the foundation to truly achieve them

Desire vs. Goal

A desire or dream may be something one would like to have. It can be something non-committal, without the need to change anything in life.

With a wish, there’s the assumption that it cannot be achieved through one’s own efforts – it requires luck, fate, or circumstance (like: “Oh, I wish I could lose some pounds. There must be a wonder pill for me… or: “I want more money. Eventually, I’ll get lucky. Come on, I’ll fill out that lottery ticket.”).

Perhaps one isn’t ready to bear the consequences or isn’t interested in dealing with them. When wishing, there’s an expectation of receiving what is desired as a gift or for circumstances to improve on their own. It can also be a starting point that energizes us and evokes emotions within us (e.g., “I want to win the marathon finally!”).

A goal on the other hand is something concrete, something achievable and desired by oneself. With a goal, I must and can actively work towards it, plan it, and implement the steps to achieve it myself. Goals can be assigned to three timeframes:

• Short-term goals: Are achievable in the short run, i.e., within hours or days
• Long-term goals: Refer to a timeframe of weeks, months, or years
• Sub-goals: Is something that is intended to help achieve the main goal

Thus, we can work on three goals simultaneously. However, goals can also be assigned to areas of life. This could be the life pillars. For example:

• Personal development (Socrates – Mental health and self-improvement)
• Family, friends, and dating (Eros – Male and female dynamics + Hades – Power dynamics and social skills)
• Body and health (Kratos – Fitness and nutrition)
• Career and profession
• Passion and fun (Book summaries)
• Finances (Plutus – Personification of wealth)

We at Conquer and Elevate focus on the areas mentioned in parentheses. We recommend setting strong goals in each of these life pillars. You could even delve deeper and select sub-aspects of each. We suggest the following:

• Performance and abilities of an individual
• Knowledge
• Behavior and experience
• Measurable findings and results
• Physical condition
• Hazards and risks

To bring it all together, it could look like this:

Take this table as a guide on where you could set yourself smashing goals! This isn’t final – you could add your own life pillars and change the sub-aspects on your own. Our goal is to provide you with a guideline so you can start immediately in formulating your own strong goals.

Idea – why do we need concrete formulation

Through concrete formulation, we engage with our goals. Once written down, the entire focus seems to be directed towards them. Since goals have great power, it’s important to formulate them precisely. Writing down goals triggers positive emotions, motivating us to undertake the activities necessary to achieve them. Putting goals into writing increases their potency. The following points should be fulfilled:

• The goal is to be formulated positively.
  • There should be no negations in the formulation.
• The goal is formulated in the present tense.
  • It is noted as if it has already been achieved. It’s tricky… but: the brain wants to manifest what we think. SO: If something is NOW, the brain wants to implement it (Small words that bring more into the here and now)
• The goal is formulated concretely and clearly measurable.
  • This allows for checking at the end whether the goal has been achieved or not.
• The goal has an end date.
  • This makes it clear when the goal must be achieved and can be assessed.
• The goal must be achievable and realistic.
  • One should be physically and psychologically capable of achieving the goal.
• The goal must be independent of other people.
  • If achievement depends on other people, then one no longer has full control and it’s more like a wish.

You might notice that it’s based on the SMART formula. However, as we mentioned earlier, our goal formulation has to be independent of others. So we’ve added to the SMART formula and recommend you to use these steps to further enhance the power of your goals!

The measurability of a goal can sometimes be a challenge. For example, if someone sets passing an exam as a goal. How can this goal be made measurable? The exam grade cannot be an indicator, as there is already a dependency on other people here. Similarly, passing the exam is not a goal – it’s a wish.

An example

As a goal, a statement like “On September 14th, I will appear well-prepared for the exam” is more suitable. Except for measurability, all criteria are fulfilled. In this example, the formulation “well-prepared” is analyzed. What are the consequences of good preparation? It may provide a sense of calm and composure. Unfortunately, this is also not measurable.

In such situations, a point scale can be used. On a scale from 0 (not present at all) to 10 (maximum), how many points of composure are necessary to achieve the goal? Since the same person sets their own standard, subjective measurability can be assumed in this case.

However, it’s difficult to objectively verify this. This approach requires great self-honesty.

In summary, an objective assessment by external parties is more clever than individual point scoring.

However, goal formulations arise that do not work without subjective evaluations. Goals such as “I want to go to the gym three times a week by September 14th” are assumptions or a path to a goal. Here, the question could be asked: what is the desired effect behind this statement, what is the reason? (The WHY)

Perhaps someone wants to build more muscle? Or become fitter? Then the goal should be reformulated. As a suggestion, “On September 14th, I will lift 35 kg weight on machine 17.”

What is the difference between the formulation with three visits per week and the adjusted goal?

It may be that one only manages to go to the gym twice a week at times. Thus, my goal has just failed.

With the other formulation, the reckoning is precisely on September 14th. The goal is still achievable, even if I don’t go to the gym three times every week. For athletes, distinguishing between goals and wishes is very difficult. There’s probably no person who expresses themselves as follows: “My wish is to become an Olympic champion.”

For the individual, the staff, and the sponsors, the following formulation is much more attractive: “My goal is to become an Olympic champion!” According to the formulation criteria, this is clearly a wish (goal criteria not met = wish), As it depends on other people. If you are an athlete, we would recommend that you differentiate between…

• the sports goal (to become an Olympic champion)
• personal goals, which are formulated according to the six criteria

Or in other words: Ask, “What is my contribution to achieving the sports goal? What is my part?” And from here, you can work with goals again. An effect of intense engagement with one’s own goals and promising formulation is the involvement of the subconscious.

Suddenly, there are plenty of things related to the goal that were not perceived before. The reason is selective focus – we pay attention to things that are currently occupying us. So, a pregnant woman or her partner suddenly sees other pregnant women or people with newborns everywhere. Or if a car purchase is imminent and one has an idea of a color, suddenly the traffic is practically full of cars with exactly that color.

Checklist for goal formulation

• Is the goal concrete, clear, and positively formulated?
• Is the goal formulated in the present tense?
• Do I know exactly how to recognize when I have achieved the goal?
• Is the goal assigned a deadline?
• Is the goal realistic and achievable?
• Is the achievement of the goal independent of other people?

Bonus questions:

• Does this goal make me happier and more satisfied?
• Is the goal really attractive to me?
• Is the price for this goal clear to me, and do I want to pay it?
• Do I want this?

CAVE: Goal should not be formulated as a plan! Thus, the goal remains achievable even if there is a setback.

Conclusion

In conclusion, precise goal formulation lays the foundation for true achievement. A desire may remain a wishful thought, lacking commitment, while a goal provides a clear direction and purpose. By setting concrete and measurable goals, individuals can actively pursue them, leading to a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.

However, it’s crucial to ensure that goals are realistic, achievable, and independent of external factors. Through careful formulation and regular evaluation, goals become actionable steps towards personal growth and self-realization. Ultimately, the journey towards achieving goals is as important as the destination, fostering resilience and determination along the way.

If you formulate goals within the life pillars, we highly recommend reading our blog posts for further insights and exploring our e-books. They provide supportive knowledge to help you achieve your goals and master the “HOW” aspect, following the understanding of “WHAT” (your goal) from this blog post. Simply click the button to redirect to your next step! Or go to the “Start Here” site with the internal link below.

You should now have a clearer vision of where your path is leading you and hopefully feel motivated to reach your destination! In another blog post, we will discuss how you can optimize the visualization of your goals to enhance their impact!

So now, hopefully, you have some ideas on writing yourself powerful and smashing goals! If you need help with formulating your goals, don’t hesitate to contact us via email or the contact form!

The next step is to figure out the HOW. How can I achieve this goal? But we guarantee you: 50% of the work is already done with your goal formulation – congratulations!

Stay strong, G’s!

Kindly,

CaE