Setting Growth Mindset Goals

Click here to see the printable PDF template

So, how are you tracking so far on your new year’s resolutions? At the start of every New Year, we make tons of resolutions. To start going to the gym is probably one of the most common one we all have heard. But how many people actually follow through with that resolution?

Why do we make these resolutions? Why do we set goals?

Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It helps you focus on acquisition of knowledge, and to organize your time and resources so that you can make the most of your life. Every journey you make has a final destination. Without a destination in your GPS you are bound to get lost, not reach your destination on time, waste fuel (energy) and waste money.

Did you know, the success rate of New Year’s Resolution is only 8% successful? That means 92% of people are unsuccessful in this endeavor.

Why do people fail to achieve their goals?

Following are a few reasons that keep people from achieving their goals and realizing their full potential.

1. Lack of Purpose

Many people decide goals without a base. Like “I want a job”, “I want to study Engineering”. But have you ever wondered about WHY? Why do you want a job? Why do you want to study Engineering? It is important to always write down the answer to – Why do you want to achieve this goal?

2. Not being Specific

“I want a job” is a very vague description for a goal. “I want a job in the not-for-profit industry as a Project Manager by March 2021” is more specific. Goals that are specific and described well, provide a sense of clarity and motivation and are easier to achieve.

3. Lack of Commitment and Effort

This is a major part of achieving a goal. No matter if it is a major goal or a minor day-to-day goal, it requires a Hard work, Continuous Effort, Commitment and Consistency.

4. Self-doubts

Monitor your self-talk. Improve your self-talk. Practice positivity and visualization. Visualize yourself achieving your goal. You will often hear others or yourself say: I can’t do it - It is too hard - You were never meant to be a software engineer etc. Well, Jim Kwik says, “Your brain is a computer and your self-talk is the program that it will run”.

5. Excuses

Monitor yours and other people’s excuses like: I couldn’t do it because XYZ came up - The job market is down - There is a global pandemic.

After learning the reasons that deter us from achieving our goals, let us now work on setting a Growth Mindset Goal strategically and effectively.

HOW DO YOU SETUP A GROWTH MINDSET GOAL?

Here is a Step by Step Goal Setting Template to do so:

1. Think of a goal that is important to you, but it must be SMART.

S – Specific: State what you’ll do and use action words.

M – Measurable: Provide a way to evaluate and use metrics or data targets.

A – Achievable: It should be within your scope and possible to accomplish.

R – Relevant: It should make sense within your job function or maybe improve your business in some way.

T – Time-bound: State when you’ll get it done, be specific on data or time frame.

2. Framing the Goal in a Positive Way

A Growth mindset goal should be written in a positive way, for example

I will learn to……
I will succeed in……
I will be able to……

Suppose your goal is to read more, then it can be written positively as: I will finish reading 30 books by December 2022. OR I will read one book per week throughout 2022.

2. Motivation Evaluation

This is the next step in the goal setting process. To evaluate your motivation you should answer the following questions –

How challenging is this goal for me?
Can I do it?
How motivated am I to achieve this goal? WHY?
Who else wants me to achieve this goal? And Why?
What or who is inspiring me to achieve this goal?

3. Current State and obstacles

Evaluating your current state as well as the fears and obstacles you face will help lay a clear path of what you must tackle in order to achieve your goal. For that you must answer the following questions –

Current State - Where am I now? What new skills or knowledge will I need to learn to achieve this goal?
What fears or barriers are holding me back?
What obstacles might I have to overcome as I work towards my goal?
How might I self-sabotage my own success?

4. Support System

During this journey it is important to identify your support system.

Who could give me feedback on my progress and strategies?
Who can support me?
How often will I review my goal and plan?

5. Action Plan

Finally you must make an action plan that will help achieve your goal. Say your goal is to read 30 books by the end of2022, then your Action Plan may include tasks like “Take a speed reading class”, “Make a booklist” etc. You can also write down the planned completion date and notes regarding these tasks.

6. How will you know you have achieved your goal?

If your goal was to read 30 books, you will know that you have achieved your goal when you finish reading 30 books before the end of 2022.

This is how one can systematically plan their goal and successfully set on a path to achieve them. Mind you, along with setting the goal it will take a lot of effort, hard work and consistency to achieve your goal, but with proper execution, your goal is very much achievable.