Short-term goals are goals that can be accomplished in a small amount of time. Some examples of short-term goals would be lose a few pounds, eat healthier, organize your office, and complete a small project. Short-term goals are easily attainable because they can often be completed in as little as a few hours or a couple of weeks. They are “right now” goals. Here are some tips for setting your short-term goals:

Take baby steps. The easiest and quickest way to reach a short-term goal is to break it down into smaller, doable tasks. Once you’ve created your ultimate goal, break it down into baby steps. This will make it simpler and much more fun for you to work towards your goal. 

Set a time frame. Before you start setting goals, make sure you define a timeline. How long will it take you to reach your goal? Days? Hours? Weeks? Have a specific time frame in which you can accomplish your goal. Be realistic. Don’t attempt to do more than you realistically can within a specific amount of time. You’ll only end up burned out and stressed out.
Treat yourself. There’s nothing better for encouragement than planning a special treat for yourself when the job’s complete. Give yourself a “carrot” to dangle in front of your nose until you’ve met your goal: a new suit, a day at the spa, a walk in the park.Short-term goals are quick and easy, so the most important thing to remember is to not make yours complicated. Keep it simple and easy and you’ll arrive at your goal post in no time at all.

Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.
Stephen A. Brennan

When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life.
Greg Anderson

I feel that the most important step in any major accomplishment is setting a specific goal. This enables you to keep your mind focused on your goal and off the many obstacles that will arise when you’re striving to do your best.
Kurt Thomas

Goals are dreams with deadlines.
Diana Scharf Hunt

Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find his right road.
Dag Hammarskjold

You must have long term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short term failures.
Charles C. Noble

Setting goals requires more than writing down a few notes on a piece of paper. It requires hard work, dedication and persistence to reach that final mark. How do you tend your goals?

Set Your Goals
First, you must set measurable and realistic goals. It’s okay to shoot for the month. Just be sure that you aren’t setting unrealistic expectations on yourself that you’ll never be able to hold up.Second, think things through very carefully. As you plan how you’ll reach your goal, make sure you think through every angle. What are some common pitfalls that could potentially sidetrack you? What will you do if something deters you? How will you compensate? Have a backup plan.

Third, you have to keep a positive attitude. The worst thing you could ever do is to be negative about yourself or your goals. When you mess up (and you will), pull yourself back up and start all over again. Remember…achieving goals requires a fine mixture of action and perseverance.

Take Care of Your Goals
You’re probably thinking, ‘How in the world does one “take care” of their goals?’ Let me explain…Taking care of your goals simply means that you can’t toss them aside or quit when the going gets rough. Nobody is perfect; therefore mistakes are made all day, every day. But you can’t quit. So the first thing you need to do is get it straight in your head that you will never quit—you will never give up, no matter how hard or frustrating it becomes. You will always hang on and keep trying, regardless.

That’s not to say that you won’t have to regroup and revamp your goals. Even the best-laid plans fail sometimes. If you’ve tried consistently, but nothing seems to be working right, then maybe it’s time to stop and take a look at your goals again. Are they realistic? Tending your goals is just as important as setting them. Do what works for you. Just remember that goals aren’t set in concrete. If you need to “pluck some weeds,” or ”apply some fertilizer,” then by all means, go for it!

Change Your Life With Goals

If you are tired of the way your life has been going, it’s time for a change. If you’re ready to create a change in your life, then it’s time to set some goals for yourself. I’m going to show you how to do just that in a very easy way.

First you must know what you want. A man without direction will be lost in a matter of minutes. So what do you really want? What is your greatest desire? If you could have just one thing in life, what would it be? The key to setting life goals is to make them something big that you’ve wanted for a very long time.

After you decide what you want, you have to figure out how to get there from where you are. This means that you have to make a plan. Goals without planning won’t get you very far. You might take those first few steps forward, but then chances are, your enthusiasm will fade and you’ll start slacking.

Challenge yourself to learn and do new things. Your goals should include things that will enable you to experiment with something you’ve never done before. If you’re not being challenged, you’ll become bored easily.

Finally, hold yourself accountable. If you can’t be accountable to yourself, then ask a trusted friend or family member to help hold you accountable for your actions. They can lovingly point out to you when you stumble or even help hold you up and encourage you when you feel like you can’t keep pushing on. You can change your life and you can do this with goals. Get started with your life goals today.

If you only plan for immediate success, where does that leave you in a month or a year from now? Do you have a long-term goal? Or are you basically flying by the seat of your pants?

What is a long-term goal?
A long-term goal is one that can be reached over a period of time. Many long-term goals are measured in years (some are even measured in decades!). An example of a long-term goal would be retirement planning. More and younger couples are planning their retirements at much younger ages now. Such planning ahead can be referred to as long-term planning.Why are long-term goals important?
Many people rarely take the time to set or plan long-term goals. Most don’t see the need for it. Still others think that they have all the time in the world, so long-term planning seems unimportant and useless.

Long-term goals are important because they enable you to map out a plan for your life. College is another good example of long-term goals. You set yourself on a course of action that will require time and dedication of several years to reach completion.

Why do long-term goals seem so scary?
If you ask those who don’t plan long-term the reason why, chances are the underlying factor is fear. This fear stems from several sources, the main two being fear of success and fear of failure.The fear of success comes mostly from not knowing what will happen when you finally reach your long-term goal. The vagueness of not knowing what to do once you’ve spent so much time going after a long-term goal can be discouraging and fearful. What happens when you come to the end of the line? Where will you go from there?

The fear of failure is most often what stops people from planning long-term. You may feel insecure about your goal, or don’t know how you’ll reach it. In this case, you need to do more planning. Long-term goals require more thought and effort than short-term goals. However, the benefits far outweigh any doubts or fear you have. Why not take the plunge anyway? Start planning for your future today.