9 Tips to Set a Life-Changing Goal

Daydreams are fun, but in order to better your life, you need to morph them into goals. Here are 9 tips to set a life-changing goal.

Do you have goals? Most of us do. The problem is, they are often undefined thoughts just sitting in our subconscious. In reality, these daydreams aren't really goals at all! If you're ready to actually set a goal that can change your life for the better and make an impact on society as well, then read on!

A woman squatting down with her head on one hand, like she's thinking.

1 - Figure out what you want to change

If you could change one aspect of your life, what would it be? Would you focus on your career, your family, or your health? It doesn't matter what you choose, you simply need to figure out what area of your life you need to change. Picking an area of your life that you want to change can help you narrow down your goal. Remember, goals need to be specific and targeted for you to achieve them.

A question mark made out of petals from a sunflower. There is a sunflower at the start of the question mark and one as the dot of the question mark

2 - Know why you want to change

Now that you have picked an area of your life to focus on, why do you want to change that area of your life? Think about this...a lot. This is essentially your motivation. Take some time to brainstorm all the benefits of changing this area of your life. Go back to the list often, especially when motivation starts to wane.

So if you have decided to change your diet, make a list of reasons why you want to do so. List everything you can think of, no matter how insignificant or silly it may seem at the time. Your list might have things like wanting to be more physically fit, to eat healthier, to shop in the regular sizes instead of the plus sizes. As you can do some of the things on your list, put a check by them. This will provide a visual for you to check back on if you are faltering in your resolve.

A sign with hands hold it up. The sign says think big, dream big, believe big, and the result will be big.

3 - Dare to dream big

There are many different types of goals for you to strive towards. Some of your goals will be fairly easy to reach. Some of your goals will be far-reaching. If you are making a life-changing goal, it will likely be the latter. For these kinds of goals, you need to dream big.

For these life-changing goals, you will want to make sure it is a SMART goal. Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely goals should make up the majority of our goals. That said, don't fear dreaming big. Sometimes it takes a big goal to really motivate us. What may seem unrealistic now, might not be as far out of your reach as you think.

A journal opened to two blank, lined pages. On top of the left page are three pens, light blue, dark blue, and black, sitting on the page at an angle.

4- Write your life-changing goal down

Keeping your goal in your head is only worth the paper it is printed on. You can't set proper goals without writing them down. Simply writing your goals down will differentiate you from the vast majority of people. Choose your goal and write it down. It is simple as that. Putting thoughts into ink shows that you are serious about making progress towards what's most important to YOU!

The physical act of writing down the goal helps to cement it in your mind. Reading it every day furthers that. You can write your goals down in a journal, but it's also helpful to have a daily visual reminder. Some options are a sticky note on your bathroom mirror, a marker board with your goals written on them, or a vision board.

A bulletin board with a bunch of post it notes pinned to it.

5 - Break your life-changing goal down into smaller goals

lf you took the above advice, you dared to dream big with a life-changing goal. It's daunting to think about taking on a new big goal all at once. It can be overwhelming and make everything seem like an impossible feat with no end in sight. The best way to deal with this is to break this larger goal down into smaller, more achievable goals. Remember that old adage, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time" The same thing applies to your goals.

Making smaller goals as a path to your life-changing goal will help you be much more successful and much less overwhelmed.

The background is a blue sky. On a silver pole is an orange sign that says Deadline ahead in black writing.

6 - Set deadlines

It is recommended that your goals have a deadline. These deadlines need to be realistic, but should also be set to make sure you are on track. If you have a goal of losing 100 pounds, your goal should be a year and a half. The average person will lose 1-2 pounds a week, so setting a goal of a year and a half is something that is reasonable and attainable. Setting a goal of losing 100 pounds in 6 months is likely not realistic. And if you make a deadline that you cannot make, you are more at risk to give up the goal altogether.

As you are striving towards your life-changing goal, if you realize that your deadline will not be met, adjust it. It's better to be realistic than to be frustrated. You are also likley working on goals outside of your normal home and job responsibiltites. So you want to factor in everything going on in your life when settting our deadline.

On a white desk sits a small spiral with action plan 1, 2, 3, 4, written on it in light blue. There are dried flowers on the desk, a small tan notebook in the upper lefthand corner. and a cactus in a can to the right of the notebook.

7 - Take action

Setting a goal can seem like an overwhelming task at first glance, especially if it's one you have never done before or don't know much about. But when broken down into smaller tasks, that life-changing goal becomes less daunting. At the end of the day, achieving your goals comes down to you. Are you ready to not only set goals, but take action upon them? Taking action is the only way you will ever achieve a goal. If you are struggling on where to start, choose the easiest task and start there.

This is another reason that breaking down a big goal into smaller goals is helpful. Achieving smaller goals will help you feel successful and make you more likely to keep striving toward your big goal. But the only one who can do that is the person you look at in the mirror every day.

A blurry photo of a woman holding a piece of mirror. In the mirror is a clear shot of. her blue eye.

8 - Reflect and adjust

There is real value in taking time to reflect on your goals. Stopping to reflect on your goals is a great way of staying focused and motivated. Setting goals should be considered a fluid undertaking. Every once in a while you need to stop and think about what is working, and what isn't working. You also need to check in with yourself to see if your wants and needs are still the same. Taking some time to reflect on your life-changing goals, and adjusting where needed will make sure you stay on course.

A blue sky with white, fluffy clouds is the background. There's a yellow diamond sign on a silver pole that reads don't stop now.

9 - Don't stop striving towards your life-changing goal

Did you reach your goal? Perhaps, you reached an obstacle or impasse? Whatever the case - you keep going. Once you reach a goal, you set another one! If you get stuck on your goals, you either deal with the obstacle, or you move on to a new one.

Thinking of the goal to lose 100 pounds. If you are 6 months in and have only lost 20 pounds, but you notice that your clothes are fitting so much better and you have lots a bunch of inches. Maybe you need to change your goals to overall inches lost instead of pounds. Your ultimate goal of getting thinner and healthier will be achieved, just with a different measurement.

You can't change your life overnight, it takes persistence and dedication. But you CAN make changes in your life.