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A Form For Setting Goals
A form for setting goals can often help you to visualize exactly what your goals are important to you and prioritize them. It also plays a crucial step in preparing your upcoming goals worksheet.
When you fill out a form for setting goals you are looking to answer the following questions about each goal: Who, What, When, Where and How? The table below will better illustrate what I mean.
Who | What | Where | When | How |
| Who will I ask for help? | What do I want the outcome to be? | Where should I start? | When should I begin? | How should I begin? |
| Who will benefit from my goal? | What will I do to get started? | Where will my goal put me in 10 (or whatever sum you would like) years? | When do I want these goals to be reached? | How will these goals affect my future? |
| Who will I work with to accomplish my goal? | What will really make me happy? | Where will I apply my resources? | When will I apply my knowledge to begin attaining my goals? | How do I really feel about the goals that I have chosen? |
Now let's put the above form for setting goals into action with a weight loss example:
Who | What | Where | When | How |
| I will ask my spouse to support me. | I would like to lose 100 pounds. | I should start by lowering my caloric intake and getting a membership at the gym. | I should begin two days from now. | I will lower caloric intake and start exercising, then readjust my intake based on the initial results. |
| Both my spouse and I will benefit since we'll be able to partake in more physical activities together. | I will put together a healthy diet and exercise program. | Two years from now I will look and feel better, plus enjoy a more active lifestyle. | I would like to lose all my excess weight within two years through gradual, controlled weight loss. | By meeting this goal, I will enjoy a healthier and more active lifestyle with my spouse. |
| My spouse has agreed to workout together at the gym to provide each other motivation. | Improving my physical appearance and enjoying a more active lifestyle will make me happy. | I must direct my efforts to slow and consistent weight loss. | I will begin two days from now. | This is a goal I truly want as it will bring me great joy down the road. |
It is important that you spend a good deal of quiet contemplation when attempting to answer the five questions in the above form for setting goals, because how you answer will influence how you prioritize your goals and how you further outline your goals in your goals worksheet.
The larger the scope of your end goal, the longer and more detailed your form (and subsequent worksheets) will be. If using a form for setting goals seems like unnecessary work to you then you need to reconsider your position. Professional authors create a detailed outline of how their story will proceed before they begin writing their novel. Powerful businessmen prepare themselves for the workweek by recording any appointments and objectives that must be met. In addition they often also record lessons learned by their encounters in a journal afterwards so that they can learn from their experiences.
In summary, a form for setting goals is not a simple vanity project designed to inflate your ego – it's an essential tool for anyone undertaking a serious project or goal.
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