I’ll be honest, when I was a young adult figuring out my path in life, I thought that goal setting was silly and a waste of time.

If you asked me what I hoped to accomplish in the next 5-10 years, I wouldn’t have known what to say. I probably would have answered with the classic, “I don’t know.”

I couldn’t decide what I truly wanted. Lots of options sounded nice. Like working in a restaurant somewhere making gourmet meals or finding my true love and raising a family. Traveling the US and countries in Europe or trying something new. Doing nature photography or being a novel writer.

The idea of settling on one specific goal sounded hard. What if I missed out on something else or what if I got so far and then changed my mind? Could I handle that feeling of failing my goals?

Presently, I still find it difficult to set goals. I’ve made lots that I’ve not accomplished, but also a lot that I have.

I’ve come to realize that its not so much the goals you set for yourself, but the habits you build into your life that make the biggest difference on whether or not you accomplish something.

If you can’t picture yourself doing the work and executing on the tasks necessary to achieve that goal then it won’t be near as likely to happen.

I’ve thought many of times, I’d like to get in better shape and build muscle so my skinny jeans actually show more than just some scrawny legs on my petit frame, but I haven’t been able to commit myself to any habits that would help me accomplish that goal.

So, even though I have that goal in mind, I’m not any closer to it. Whereas, if I decided to write out what would be necessary for me to do on a recurring basis, such as spending 15 minutes 4 days a week doing squats, lunges, and other leg exercises and began implementing that habit, I would migrate toward my goal much quicker.

Setting a goal or writing out a smart goal, doesn’t mean you’ll achieve it. Creating the habits will.

Just as in sports, everyone knows the objective to scoring is getting the ball in the goal. That’s simple, but it doesn’t happen unless you know how it’s going to get in there and you implement the required action.

I’m finding that it’s much easier to make progress toward anything when I spend more time focusing on the necessary habits or tasks rather than focusing on just the end goal. Gazing at the goal often reminds me of how far I am from it, but seeing that I only have to check off this one habit today gives me a boost in confidence.

I would encourage you that the next time you want to set a goal. Focus rather on the habits that are going to be necessary for achieving it.

What do you need to implement today to get you closer?

What might need to change to make this goal a reality?

What do you need to do often that will increase your odds of obtaining your goal?

What plans can you put in place to make this happen?