Mindful Goal Setting: Tips for Achieving Your Dreams and Staying Focused

In this article, I'm going to share some techniques and tips that I use in order to achieve goals with focus and discipline.

When I say "focus", I mean that you're able to concentrate on one thing at a time with very little distractions. In fact, the moment your attention starts wandering, you're already losing focus, even before you've realized it.


There's also something about setting goals that leads to greater discipline and self-control, which allows you to reach them without getting distracted or procrastinating. So let's start with some of the techniques I use to set and achieve goals.

1. Keep Your Vision Simple

Setting goals is a complex endeavor. If your vision is too broad or overly ambitious, it can make your goals seem unattainable and can cause you to get discouraged along the way.

The simpler the goal, the more likely you are to succeed. For example, if your goal is to write a book, then it's not helpful to set a goal of becoming a best-selling author. It's much better to set a goal of writing a book that will sell a hundred copies.

1. Identify Your Key Desires

Before you set your first goal, ask yourself what you really want. What are you most passionate about? Why do you want to accomplish a particular goal?

Once you've figured out what your key desires are, you'll be able to identify a single goal that is both challenging and achievable. For example, if you want to learn how to code, don't try to do everything at once. Focus on mastering one skill at a time.

1. Break Your Goals Down Into Actionable Steps

One of the biggest problems with setting goals is that we tend to set them very big and lofty. You end up with an overwhelming list of things to do, but not actually achieving anything.

The key to making progress with your goals is breaking them down into actionable steps that you can accomplish. For example, if your goal is to write a book, then write the first chapter of the book. Once that chapter is complete, break it down into smaller tasks.

1. Reward Yourself When You Meet Milestones

When you achieve a milestone, don't stop there. Instead, reward yourself for reaching the goal.

For example, if you wrote the first chapter of your book, give yourself a night off and a bottle of wine. If you finished your book proposal, reward yourself with dinner at a fancy restaurant. And so on.

1. Set Smaller Goals

If you set a big goal, you can easily lose focus along the way. That's why it's best to break down your goal into smaller sub-goals.

For example, if your goal is to write a book, then start by writing the first chapter. Once that's done, set a smaller goal of writing the second chapter. Then the third chapter. And so on.