Setting goals is like embarking on a thrilling journey. It's not just a generic task list; they provide direction, motivation, and a sense of purpose in our lives – your personal roadmap to success. But let's face it, not all of us are natural goal-setters, and that's perfectly okay.

Personally, I tend to get overwhelmed before I've even started. When we look solely at the big picture it's hard to see how it all comes together, but that's what I'm here to help you with.

Let's look at goals like a puzzle – you know what it will look like at the end, but you need to bring all the little pieces together before you can truly see it.

Vision

Starting out, we need to envision what we want our puzzle to look like. Is it a picture of you with a promotion? It is you in the gym, having started your fitness journey? Or maybe you're sitting on a beach because you finally planned that vacation?

Creating this vision is step one in the process. Once you've pinpointed what that is, you

Break It Down

Being face to face with the final image can lead to those overwhelming feelings I mentioned earlier. When I start working on a puzzle and have all the pieces laid out in front it can be a bit much. Once you start to organize and strategize the picture gets clearer – the same is true for your goals.

Knowing what the result looks like is helpful, but to get to that you need to take small steps. Attainable goals are built up of smaller actionable steps, leading to success. Once you've broken it into manageable tasks, these smaller steps become milestones on your path to achieving the larger goal.

Having these smaller milestones also allows you to track your success. Whether you use a journal, spreadsheet, or goal-tracking app to stay on track, it's crucial to create your own system to monitor what works for you and what you may still need to adjust.

Who's Accountable Here?

One additional tactic you can use is by sharing your goals with friends. In their book, "Do What Matters Most," Rob and Steve Shallenberger note that by sharing your goals with three close friends, you are more likely to succeed in accomplishing them. Not only will they be there to check-in with you in your progress, but they can also provide feedback and support.

Don't Forget, Let's Be Realistic

When thinking about setting goals, we want to make sure they're actually achievable. Consider your current skills, resources, and life situation. Setting a goal that's too ambitious might lead to disappointment. Be honest with yourself about what you can reasonably achieve.

Though we've all heard the "you can achieve anything you put your mind to," you still need to approach that with a grain of salt. To bring it back to the puzzle analogy: working on a 1,000 piece puzzle may be a bit too much to start with, but it is something that can be worked up to. If you do come up with a goal that seems a bit far-fetched, use the tactics above to break it down into something you can actually achieve.

Celebrate

It's important to celebrate your achievements as well, no matter how small they may seem. Recognize your progress and reward yourself for reaching milestones. As much as we may want to hold off until we've achieved the final goal, in some cases, that could take quite a while. Celebrating your successes can boost your motivation and make the journey towards your larger goals more enjoyable.

Achieve Your Goals

With the right mindset and strategy, setting goals can turn your vision into reality and achieve the success you desire. Keep in mind, a puzzle is made up of hundreds of pieces, but once you put them all together you've achieved success. The same is true in life, every single moment and choice leads to your own success. Make sure you put your best foot forward by breaking it down, piece by piece, so nothing is out of reach.