So ya wanna set a goal, huh?

I think goal setting is an important and good thing–but it doesn’t work the same for everyone.

For instance, most of the super-successes of history never even heard of goal setting, let alone had written goals. But almost all of them had a clear picture in their own mind of what they wanted to achieve and why they wanted to achieve it.

(By the way, the why is really the important part! Everyone wants to be thin, rich, happily married, etc. Only those who have a strong driving desire for those things will get there. The WHY is what gives us the perseverance to accomplish the what.)

So, while I advocate writing down your goals, it is not written goals that make a person a success. What makes a person successful is the firm picture in their mind of why they want to accomplish a certain thing. So, writing down you goals may help, but getting a picture of why you want to achieve that goal is crucial.

What is a goal?

There are several different types of goals.

One type of Goal is a destination goal. It is someplace reachable. For instance, I live in southeastern Kentucky. Once in a while I have a “goal” to travel to my friend’s house in Atlanta. Atlanta is my goal, my destination.

In order to get there, I know I need to get on I-75 South, continue through Knoxville and Chattanooga, continue through northern Georgia until I reach the Peachtree City exit. From the exit I know how to take certain streets to arrive at his home.

A destination type goal has a specific destination that can be reached through a distinct series of steps. Many times these will have a specific time frame and/or dollar amount associated with them.

Another type of Goal is what I call a “Quality” Goal. A quality goal is not measurable, per se, but is a change of character or quality. To be a good father is a quality goal for me.

While you can’t know whether or not you have arrived at a quality goal, the key is to identify the habits and routines that will get you there. If I want to be a good father, I need to spend time with my sons on a regular basis, listening to them, playing with them, building strong relationships. These are very specific activities that I CAN measure. Going to a ball game. Taking them out for ice cream. Going on a road trip. These are all measurable activities I need to engage in on a regular basis.

A third type of goal is a maintenance goal. This is often a difficult kind of goal because it might be just “monitoring.” For instance, let’s say a woman is at a healthy weight of 125 pounds and wants to maintain that weight. So, her goal is to stay the same. How does a person reach this goal? Through constant monitoring. She may decide to weigh herself every Sunday morning and make whatever corrections are necessary to maintain her desired weight.

In part II, I will look at eight steps to putting goals into your life.

Kevin Bidwell is owner of
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