What is goal-oriented behavior? Is goal-oriented a personality trait? What is the goal orientation? How can I become more goal-oriented? How can one develop a more goal-oriented approach to work and life? You will find the answers to these and more questions in this article.
Hi. I am Sean Galla, a facilitator for men’s support groups and forums with over ten years of experience. Part of my job involves creating safe spaces where men can learn about issues affecting everyday life and also learn how to become the best versions of themselves. Knowing and understanding goal orientation and how to become goal oriented can go a long way in making goal-setting and actualization easier and more result-oriented.
If you want to understand goal orientation, you are in the right place. In this article, you will find all the information you need.
Table of Contents:
What does it mean to be goal oriented?
It is often said that the only way to get ahead in life is by setting goals and achieving them. For anyone interested in self-development and personal growth, having goals or being goal oriented is an important aspect of the journey.
Wikipedia defines goal orientation (achievement orientation) as “individual disposition towards developing or validating one’s ability in achievement settings”. Goal orientation is how one interprets and reacts to tasks, which results in different affect, cognition, and behavior patterns.
Having a goal oriented mindset can also refer to your ability to set realistic goals and strive to achieve a desired outcome. When you are a goal oriented person, you find your drive and motivation from a sense of purpose for your work, life, or anything else you are focused on or committed to.
Being goal oriented means you can achieve accomplishments faster. This cuts across different areas of life, including work, family life, social life, personal well-being and even romantic relationships.
Different people have different reasons that drive them to want to achieve certain goals. some skills and qualities that help goals-oriented individuals succeed include:
- Positivity
- Planning and organization
- Analytical skills
- Self-awareness
- Time management
Being goal oriented requires hard work and goes hand in hand with goal setting. Hoping to achieve certain things in life is not enough without goalsetting. Once you have the bigger picture in place, you need to come up with a framework to set the ideas into motion and makes the goal attainable.
According to research, 20% of Americans set long term and short term goals but more than 90% of these individuals fail to achieve the goals they set. The reason they fail despite having goals in place is because they fail to break their goals into smaller manageable tasks, which is also a critical aspect of being goal oriented.
How to become more Goal oriented
There are different routes one can take to become more goal oriented. Different methods can be used to become more motivated and organized, which helps to improve your time management skills. Regardless of the route you take, there are some key goal setting questions you need to ask. Here is how to become more goal oriented in 2024 and beyond.
What is your intrinsic motivation?
The first step to successfully becoming a goal-oriented individual is to find your intrinsic motivation. This is simply finding your why.
Why do you want to achieve this goal? This ensures that your drive is not influenced by external factors but rather internal ones.
Intrinsic motivation remains constant even when external factors change and attempt to throw you off course. With intrinsic motivation, you will always have full control of your goals and drive. This is an important aspect of developing a growth mindset.
For instance, good students work hard because their bigger goal is to pass an exam or final test (performance mindset). Sometimes, they may work hard because they want to develop their skills (mastery mindset).
These are called rewards and can help the student stay motivated and focused on their goals. in the end, this mindset helps them develop everyday habits that bring them closer to their bigger goal.
You can find your intrinsic motivation by:
- Having a sense of purpose
- Chasing your passion
- Finding your higher purpose
Make your goals clear and specific
Setting clear and specific goals is an important part of becoming more goal oriented. Your goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound). For instance, if your goal is to read more in the new year, you should strive to read a few pages of a book every day to achieve your goal.
Visualize your goal
You need to imagine the achievable goal clearly in your mind. What will your life look like once you achieve this goal? Visualization allows your mind to create a visual of the desired outcome. This makes the goals more achievable and tangible. Allow yourself to imagine achieving the goal and feel the emotions associated with this success. Vision boards are an ideal way to visualize your goals.
Set smaller more manageable goals for the bigger goals
When starting, often have larger goals they want to achieve. These larger goals can often seem intimidating, scary, and even unachievable. This is why it is important to subdivide these larger goals into smaller actionable ones.
These smaller goals represent individual steps you need to take to achieve your larger goal without feeling overwhelmed. You will often find a sense of motivation and drive when you achieve these smaller goals. you make the larger goals easier to achieve with every smaller goal accomplished.
For instance, if your specific objective as a man is to lose a few pounds in the next 6 months, some of the smaller goals you can set to achieve your long-term goal can include, portion control for your meals, eating healthier foods, taking up exercising, better sleep management, and any other smaller goal that will drive you towards achieving your bigger goal.
Have a plan for each day
When you have a bigger goal you want to reach in a certain timeframe, breaking down the tasks into everyday actionable steps puts you closer to achieving your dream.
Start by creating a schedule on your planners or planning apps for your days and stick to this schedule. Having a schedule makes goal prioritization easier. Therefore, be sure to prioritize your goals and know what you need to do every day to achieve them.
Ensure you remain focused while working on your goals. this can be achieved by having a to-do list for everyday tasks. Having this list helps you to actively see your daily goals, making it easier to stick to the plan.
Have a sense of control over your environment
It is often said that life is 20% of the things that happen and 80% of how you react to these factors. While you may not always control what happens around you, you are 100% in control of how to respond to these external factors.
For instance, if the environment around you challenges your competencies, makes it hard for you to stay focused, you have to create an environment that allows you to focus. Problem solving includes actively identifying and eliminating distractions and dealing with the little issues before they blow up.
Assessing your goal oriented habits
As said earlier, becoming goal oriented is synonymous with being able to develop the discipline to work on smaller goals to achieve the bigger ones.
To become disciplined, you will need to develop new habits and a positive attitude. Cut out old habits that no longer serve your overall goals. Goals demand you to change and commit.
The new habits you acquire make it easier for you to achieve your goals. These new habits can include honing your skills, improving your focus, taking up a course, or even reading more self-development books. The end goal is to develop habits that bring you closer to achieving your overall goal.
Track progress
Check in on your progress. This makes it easier for you to look back and retrace the steps that led to your success. Also, tracking progress ensures your plan remains in motion, which gives you the push you need to keep going.
Celebrate our achievements
It is important to set a reward system for your goals. You can set a reward for every smaller milestone you hit towards your bigger goal. Celebrating your achievements works as motivation that fuels your drive to continue pursuing your smaller goals as you work towards the bigger ones.
Join a support group
Having a support system is an important part of any goal oriented individual’s life. When you have a support system, you have accountability partners who push you toward your goal and make it easier for you to stick to the plan. MensGroup is a self-improvement online platform for men where you can meet other men committed to self-improvement and goal orientation.
About MensGroup
Even when surrounded by friends and loved ones cheering you on the road to actualizing your goals, it helps for you to have a group of men who truly understand the journey to self-discovery and goal orientation from personal experiences.
One of the best things you can do on your goal-oriented journey to becoming your best self is to join a men-only self-improvement support group like MensGroup.
Self-improvement support groups are a wealth of resources and support. Being in a group will keep you grounded and focused on your goals and hold you accountable.
The bottom line
There are many ways to become goal-oriented. Whether your goal is to achieve more in your work, personal life, or hobbies, the steps highlighted in this article can help.
By making little tweaks to your everyday routine, you should become more determined, disciplined, and motivated for the days ahead. Before you know it, you’ll be ticking off your goals one at a time.
If you are a man looking for support and motivation, Mensgroup is an online men-only self-improvement platform that offers support, motivation and so much more.
