If you want to succeed, you need to set goals. Goal setting allows you to take control of your direction in life and it provides you with a benchmark for determining whether you are actually succeeding. To accomplish your goals, however, you need to know how to set them in the first place. It is a process that starts with careful consideration of what you want to achieve and ends with a lot of hard work to actually do it. In between, there are some very well-defined steps that transcend the specifics of each goal. Knowing these steps will allow you to formulate achievable goals.
When I set goals for myself, it is necessary that they motivate me: this means making sure that they are relevant to me, and that there is value in achieving them. If I have little interest in the outcome, or they are irrelevant given the larger picture, then the chances of my putting in the work to make them happen are slim. Motivation is a key to achieving goals.
I set goals that relate to the high priorities in my life. Without this type of focus, I can end up with far too many goals, leaving me with too little time to devote to each one. Goal achievement requires commitment, so to maximize the likelihood of success, I need to feel a sense of urgency and have an "I must do this" attitude. When I do not have this, I risk putting off what I need to do to make the goal a reality. This, in turn, often leaves me feeling disappointed and frustrated with myself, both of which are further de-motivating.
Since I have a strong affinity for both writing and science, I have decided that I need to do something that will lead me there. My first step was obtaining a Bachelor of Psychology, which would then allow me to combine both, since psychology is one of the few scientific disciplines that involve a lot of writing. Furthermore, I started looking for positions that involve research because I needed some on-hand experience, and I wanted to develop new skills, related to researching and analyzing. At the end, I worked as a research assistant as part of a social project under the municipality of Rotterdam. When the project was over, I felt the need to do something useful with my free time and I had a strong desire to write. Thus, I applied for several positions, involving content writing and derivatives. I am currently occupying such a position and I have learned a lot not only about the essence of writing and editing, but also about time-management and organizational skills. Checking back to my point of reference, I can see that I am moving in the right direction. All I have to do next is to be patient and put as much, if not even more, work as I have done so far. Here is when short-term goals come into the picture. For instance, submitting a report and passing an exam is a needed step for obtaining a bachelor as much as is writing a good-quality article for my internship position as a content writer.
In the end, identifying your end objective and evaluating everything against it is a much-needed thing to do when navigating your way through life and work. By keeping your options open and by looking to your end objectives, your top priorities are clear; you can achieve a healthy work-life balance.
Nesrin Nazlieva