10 Inspiring Quotes for When you Need to Set Big Goals

Photo by Blake Cheek on Unsplash

Setting goals can be fun, and articles about setting goals can be equally fun. Why? Because there are so many, and most of them are pretty much talking about the same thing.

We focus a lot about how tos, the formulas, the best ways to set goals.

However, sometimes I believe is important to talk about the little thing that makes great goals, well, great — and also how to get down to the nitty-gritty of setting goals when, in total honesty, we feel like we have much better things to do with our day.

Goals can bring happiness to your life…

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”– Albert Einstein

Far too often we set goals that are separate to the whole purpose of our life. This is why I believe we are wrong. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to set work-related goals, work-life balance doesn’t really exist.

Work is part of your life, and therefore all the goals that you set should be tied with the idea of making your overall life happier.

Far too often we try to compartmentalise our goals too much, making them feel like a burden, more than achievement.

…if you create gaols tied to your feelings

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” — Andrew Carnegie

As humans we are looking to evolve constantly. History books will show that it’s literally in our nature to evolve.

In our continuous growth and evolution, what we are truly looking for is happiness — and happiness is tied to a feeling.

And since feelings change and don’t stay forever, we are constantly chasing that feeling.

Your goals should be there to feel and enrich your life and trying to reach happiness on a daily basis.

For when you simply do not know when to start

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” — Pablo Picasso

I know I talked about corny articles, so I’m going to throw a corny idea to you. Fulfillment comes from purpose, and purpose is fueled by goals. So planning your goals is a great way to live a life of purpose.

Maybe it’s the Virgo in me, maybe I just like to plan things, but making time to plan my goals allows me to feel much more driven on any given day, especially on Monday mornings.

Take time to set your goals

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.” — Zig Ziglar

I am a big believer in SMART goals. The reason why I love them is that they work. Making your goals timely and achievable is essential because in order to know where you’re at I need to know what are you going to track.

When it comes to creating timely goals, I suggest to my clients to set up their daily plan as part of their morning ritual.

Whether they start their day by meditating, moving or journalling, I always recommend they make their daily goal setting part of a sacred ritual.

There are many more ways to set your goals, setting smart goals is not the only way to create goals they actually come to life. However, always make sure that your goal as a simple way for you to track your progress.

It all starts outside of our comfort zone

“You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” — Steve Garvey

Getting out of your comfort zone is incredibly sexy.

You can quote me on that.

If you don’t try to push yourself, you’ll never know how far you can stretch. The more you push yourself, the more you also understand your boundaries and limitations.

Have you outgrown your goals? Do you feel like you need something new, that challenges here? This is the perfect time to level up.

When things get tough

“I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.” — Michael Phelps

One of the biggest mistakes we make when it comes to setting goals is not making sure we have a series of small action steps that we can get back to daily.

Every single day you should be doing one thing that will get you closer to achieving your goals, no matter how small that may be. Even better, make sure that that small thing is the first thing that you do every single day.

I want this small task to be the one that is gonna make you feel accomplished, to make you feel like you got to work and you did something productive today.

Write your goals down daily

“By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands — your own.” — Mark Victor Hansen

One of my mentors has a saying which goes a bit like this;

Millionaires write their goals daily, billionaires write their goals twice a day.

Now, whether you agree with her or not, writing down your goals reminds you of what your purpose for the day is.

Writing down what you wanna accomplish on a day-to-day basis helps you keeping yourself on track, as well as setting up the clear intention.

Stop telling yourself you do not need goals

“The thing about goals is that living without them is a lot more fun, in the short run. It seems to me, though, that the people who get things done, who lead, who grow and who make an impact… those people have goals.” — Seth Godin

This is a very important tip, but more than anything it’s a lesson. Setting goals is not fun. Assessing your progress, reviewing results is not necessarily exciting — unless you are me, obviously.

The accountability of having a clear path in front of them helps high achievers when things get tough.

Fail hard and fail often

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” — Michael Jordan

This is probably my favourite quote of all times. A lot of the times your goals will change. A lot more times, your goals will fail. You think you are going to get what you want to get but for one reason or another, the goal post will move.

Sometimes failing to reach our goal allows you to get closer to what your heart really wants, and teaches you about resilience, grit and reveals your inner strengths.

Bonus tip: create a life fueled by purpose

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” — Bill Copeland

Remember, goals don’t have to be complicated.

Someday a good goal is just getting out of bed, and being able to face the day. And that’s okay. Whatever we are trying to achieve, goals are a great way to celebrate I have a little win. They’re a great way to remind us of the path ahead.

I do believe in the power of running on free flow, adapting, evolving, however, I find out that the old saying is actually true:

Nothing is truly impossible. All we need is a little motivation and little courage. Oh yes, and a little bit of madness.

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