15th October 2007

What Are Goals and Goal Setting?

posted in Self Improvement, Goal Setting, Successful Mindset |

Hey Folks,

For the next couple of posts, I’ll be writing on Goals, Goal Setting and related topics.

I know most of you, my dear friends and readers, are familiar with what a goal is and you have probably done some goal settings at one point or another in your life. But for the benefit of those who might be new to the topic, let’s have a recap on what a goal is and what goal setting is about.

Wiktionary defines a goal as “A result one is attempting to achieve” but I love Napoleon Hill’s way of defining a goal:

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.”
- Napoleon Hill

This is the closest definition of Goal Setting which I personally prefer that I found at The Magic of Goal Setting:

“Goal setting in broad terms is the process of
deciding on something you want,
planning how to get it,
and then working towards the objective.”

Do you have a different idea of what a goal is? Or what goal setting should be? Do leave a comment and share it with us. :)

Cheers
James

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Related Post:

  1. Join Us As We Set Goals Step By Step
  2. Goal Setting Lesson One: Where To Start And What Goals To Set?
  3. Can Dreams Be A Good Goal?
  4. Goal Setting Lesson Four: Taking It One Step At A Time
  5. Goal Setting Lesson Two: General Goal Setting Techniques

This entry was posted on Monday, October 15th, 2007 at 3:56 pm. If you like our post, please leave a comment below or share it with your readers with a trackback to this post from your own site.

There are currently 30 responses to “What Are Goals and Goal Setting?”

Why not let us know what you think by adding your own comment! Your opinion is as valid as anyone elses, so come on... let us know what you think.

  1. 1 On October 15th, 2007, Robin - FortuneWatch said:

    “Standing in the center of the goal lines; each goal consists of two posts, 24 feet apart, and a crossbar, 8 feet above the ground.”

    “Goals are objective, measurable expectations set to measure progress toward desired results.”

    Hows that?

    Take care and cheers mate.

  2. 2 On October 15th, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Woah Robin,

    Now we are really playing Soccer! :P

    Jokes aside, I understand what you are driving at. ;)

    Cheers
    James

  3. 3 On October 16th, 2007, Raymond said:

    Hi James,

    The first one is cool but the second definition is more detail.

    I don’t have any specific definition for mine yet.

    Anyway, thank you for sharing. :)

    I love both of them. Oh! And Robbin’s too. ;)

  4. 4 On October 16th, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Hey Raymond,

    Thanks for sharing :)

    Cheers
    James

  5. 5 On October 16th, 2007, neoauteur said:

    I disagree with Napoleon Hill’s definition. Goals are too reality-based to be dreams.

  6. 6 On October 16th, 2007, Czecho said:

    A goal is a plan to succeed.

  7. 7 On October 16th, 2007, Mahesh Mohan said:

    I agree with you neoauteur !!!

  8. 8 On October 16th, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Hey neoauteur and Mahesh,

    What would you consider to be a reality-based goal as compared to a dreamy goal?

    To me, a goal with a passion is a dream. Anything is possible if you commit yourself and put your heart and soul into doing it.

    Cheers
    James

  9. 9 On October 16th, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Hey Czecho,

    That’s the attitude. :)

    Cheers
    James

  10. 10 On October 16th, 2007, Czecho said:

    I agree with you James,

    Reality is a matter of perception. If you have a dream and you set your goals to achieve it, it will become your reality.

  11. 11 On October 16th, 2007, Kathleen said:

    I have goals - and I strive to make certain that my goals are met. In spite of my efforts, that doesn’t always happen.

    Sometimes (it seems) there are other plans, other paths over which we have no control. I agree that goals are something you work toward.

    But I think there’s danger is setting deadlines - it doesn’t seem to happen just that way.

  12. 12 On October 17th, 2007, Tina Su said:

    Hmmm… I love Napoleon Hill. Thank you for the reminder. I love it! Great post!

    Love & Gratitude,
    Tina
    Think Simple. Be Decisive.

  13. 13 On October 17th, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Hey Czecho,

    Glad we are one the same frequency. :)

    Although not all dreams come true but most great things started with some great person having a dream and wanting to achieve it.

    Cheers
    James

  14. 14 On October 17th, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Hey Kathleen,

    Thanks for sharing with us your experience. I have an upcoming ebook that addresses your concern but for you. I’ll answer some of them here :)

    You have to be focus and committed to stand a chance of reaching your goal. When you focus, other plans will be less distracting. If events are beyond your control, you will have to adjust to it but stay on course. If you diverge then the goal does not mean real much to you anyway.

    Deadlines are a wonderful thing but most people don’t know how to set a good dateline. That’s the problem, I used to be one :)

    Cheers
    James

  15. 15 On October 17th, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Hey Tina,

    I am glad you like the quotes. It’s meant to tickle your soul into thoughts.

    Cheers
    James

  16. 16 On October 17th, 2007, Can Dreams Be A Good Goal? » Visualized.Feel.Abundance said:

    […] our last post, “What Are Goals and Goal Setting?“, I invited you to share with me your opinions and I am very happy that I got a warm response […]

  17. 17 On October 17th, 2007, Joel Robinson said:

    Awesome definitions! It lit up my passion to set goals

  18. 18 On October 17th, 2007, Derek said:

    Hi :-)
    To me a goal is a transient “place” where you can stop and marvel at your achievement for a while before moving on.

    To achieve a goal I need total commitment, and it needs to remain absolute until my objective is attained. The mind will often swing from optimism to pessimism, but commitment it a constant the will take me toward my goal with a greater sense of certainty and confidence. Once I get to this “space” of achievement, I will need further goals to give myself a sense that I am constantly moving onwards.

    Commitment is like diving from a high board, where once in mid-air there is no turning back. When my feet have left the board - that is, when I have promised to achieve something, I can say I am committed. If that’s not the way my commitment is, then I am not really committed at all, and will not experience much certainty in my life. :-)

  19. 19 On October 17th, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Hey Joel,

    Great! If you don’t have any tools to help you set your goals, check out the one we are offering here for free! It’s called The Ladder of Dreams. Subscribe on the top left side bar. :)

    Cheers
    James

  20. 20 On October 17th, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Hey Derek,

    Constant improvement is a great way to motivate yourself! But I wish commitment can really be like what you mentioned - “like diving from a high board”. More often then not, people shrink from commitment when they hit road blocks and it takes courage and resolve to move forward. :)

    Cheers
    James

  21. 21 On October 18th, 2007, Wedding cake lady said:

    I think the most important element is goal setting is to have a huge calendar on your wall and beak down your goal on smaller pieces and see how close you are on daily/weekly/monthly basis.

  22. 22 On October 19th, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Hey Wedding Cake Lady,

    Check out The Ladder Of Dream, on my left side bar, you will get all that on a small A4 and much much more :D

    Cheers
    James

  23. 23 On October 19th, 2007, Are You A Day Dreamer Or Achiever? » Visualized.Feel.Abundance said:

    […] discussion, which is good and I am very happy about it. If you would like to read about them, Click here and […]

  24. 24 On October 20th, 2007, Derek said:

    Hey James,

    When people “shrink from commitment” then they are not committed, they have intention and it turns out that is not very strong.

    Commitment is absolute. As I said, when one dives from a diving board, there is no turning around in mid-air - we go down. One dives when one dives. So there’s a choice, where one either “intends” or one “commits” and the problems arise when the words “intend” and “commit” are seen as the same. It is not just a semantics here. Commitment (or promise) is like a deed that is guaranteed. How can one break a promise/commitment? That would mean it wasn’t a promise/commitment in the first place.

    For example, if I don’t think I can make a meeting with you, I would not promise to be there. I may say, “I intend to be there, but will let you know for definite later” - Then later, if I have promised, that would be my guarantee to you that I would be there - the only thing that would stop me would be something physically stopping me like serious illness or death. Commitment creates a sense a confidence, so if everyone disciplined themselves to commitment, there would be a powerful change in the general quality of life :-)

    Derek

  25. 25 On October 21st, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Hey Derek,

    When you put it this way “When people “shrink from commitment” then they are not committed” then I guess your analogy makes sense. I feel that only those who honor their commitment will think in this manner. Great illustrations and explanations.

    Thank You! :)

    Cheers
    James

  26. 26 On October 21st, 2007, Derek said:

    Hey James,

    Thank you for your discussion. It is good to receive questions as it makes each of us look within our minds and journey toward the truth. We find many insights on this “journey” that help others and therefore ourselves.. :-)

    Derek

  27. 27 On October 21st, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Hey Derek,

    Yes it is! I love discussions that provides a different perspective. I may or may not agree with each perspectives but it give a better overall view to the picture and provides a balance and choices for all readers. And having choices is always a good thing :)

    Cheers
    James

  28. 28 On October 26th, 2007, Join Us As We Set Goals Step By Step » Visualized.Feel.Abundance said:

    […] What Are Goals and Goal Setting? […]

  29. 29 On October 27th, 2007, Cynthia Yoder said:

    I have always lived intuitively, working with what arises in my life. But I recently began using goals to provide structure. If our lives were a cathedral being built, I see Spirit (our soul) as the foundation and the pillars that hold up the architecture, and our actions, including our goals, as the architecture itself — it’s what we make of the material we’ve been given. Setting goals and taking steps toward achieving them can help create life as a magnificent work of art!

    Cynthia
    www.magicdreamhouse.com

  30. 30 On October 27th, 2007, JamesKaren said:

    Hey Cynthia,

    That’s a pretty unique view of your life! Very interesting indeed. So in your view, if the spirit is missing, the building (life) won’t last or at least, incomplete? Right?

    What do you define as spirit then? Spirit in the religious term? Or spirit as in inner self?

    Cheers
    James

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