As someone who has written about goal setting and goal achievement for a long time, I often see them tied together in people’s minds, and that’s usually in a negative context. In this article I want to dig into the difference between the two and the cause of the negativity…
The lumping of these theories together can in itself be the cause of a negative outlook on both. The reaction is that because they sound similar, they are the same, which gives a mental impression of an ocean of theory. This breeds the idea that all the theory does is feed people who just enjoy the theory – that it does little to give real practical results.
Throw in terms like ‘personal development’ and ‘self improvement’ and the viewpoint develops into ‘oh it’s all the same nonsense.’ That leads people to dismiss the whole field, and in doing so miss some amazing life possibilities.
So, if goal setting and goal achievement aren’t the same, what’s the difference..?
Well, putting it simply, goal setting is not the same as goal achievement because it’s *part* of it. It’s one element of the achievement formula.
To put it another way, setting a goal on its’ own will not achieve anything, but any achievement will have to involve goal setting. Let’s look further at the two…
The basic rules of setting a goal is that it should be realistic, defined and measurable. You may or may not include a timeframe – that depends on the individual goal. Once the end goal has been set, you then work backwards from that point to where you are now, working out a set of steps to move you towards the goal.
That process will not always give you an exact path, but if done thoroughly, it will give you a clear next step to take, so you set smaller and smaller goals until your very next step is in front of you waiting to be taken.
The fact that this process leaves you with the next step waiting to be taken drives home what I said earlier, because it shows that planning or setting the step is not enough by itself. The actual taking of the step falls into the achievement theory, and that must mean that setting and achieving are not the same thing.
Taking action is only one element of goal achievement theory, probably the key element that separates those that make their goals and those that don’t. Other elements include getting your attitude and belief systems right, persistence and others.
So if you find yourself in a position of dismissing goal achievement theory as something that doesn’t work, was it because you set your goals and then did nothing about taking action?
It’s a fundamental difference, and understanding it can be the key to your major breakthrough.
I cover both subjects in detail, with examples of how I used them, in my book ‘Transform Your Life in 21 Days!’ whichyou can download instantly and has a full money back guarantee.
