21 Benefits of Goal Setting (That Will Change Your Life)

benefits of goal setting - woman holding umbrella that has lights against the night sky

The benefits of goal setting are numerous.

Whether for yourself or for your business, goals can change and grow you in amazing ways.

In this article, we will discuss 21 benefits that come from setting goals.

1. Goals help you prioritize

When you set goals and focus on them, you separate the important from the important. You are saying “This is important and these other tasks/ideas are not important (or as important).”

You make have lots of great ideas and jobs or tasks you can do. However, when you set goals, you prioritize and say “This is most important”.

It helps you focus and prioritize your time instead of spreading it around to everything.

2. Goals help you focus

When you set goals and prioritize what’s important, you then know what is important/not important and can focus on the important.

Without goals or a sense of importance, we spread our focus and attention on everything, thereby not getting much done.

But when we focus, we stop wasting time on the important and get the important done.

3. Goals give you a sense of past victories

When you set and accomplish goals, you get victories. When you get victories, you get the confidence to pursue bigger and better goals.

And when the going gets tough, looking at past victories can help you push forward.

4. Goals make you responsible for your own life

When you set goals, you are saying “This is what I want to accomplish. This is what I’m going to do.”

You aren’t relying on fate or someone else to do something. You aren’t giving something else power over you. You aren’t casting blame or making excuses or just complaining about your “fate” in life.

You are stating what you want and doing something about it. You are taking responsibility for yourself.

5. Goals help you make better decisions

When you set and have goals, whether personally or in a business, you know what is important. When you know what is important, you then can make better decisions.

If something doesn’t match the goals you are pursuing or helps you move toward them, then you know not to pursue those tasks.

If you have a choice between something that will move you toward your goals and something that is “good” but doesn’t, you can know much easier which way to go.

6. Goals separate reality from wishful thinking

Many people have a bunch of wishes and wants.

“I wish I was rich”.

“I wish I was in shape.”

“I wish I weighed less.”

“I wish my business was doing better.”

For many, those wishes and wants to stay that way – as just wishes. However, when you set goals, you change wishful thinking into reality.

You are saying this is what I am going to pursue – and then you do it. You are saying, “This desire, I’m not just going to wish – I’m going to make it happen.”

7. Goals help you make optimum use of resources

Whether as a business or personally, we all have limited resources (cash, manpower, time, etc.). When we have no set clear goals, we can easily throw and use our resources wastefully.

However, when we have goals – direction and priorities – we then know and can use our resources more wisely and effectively. We can make optimum use of our resources.

8. Goals help you use your time more effectively

Too many people waste their time chasing after tasks that aren’t important. The reason they do this could be (1) they don’t know how to manage their time and (2) they don’t know what is important to use their time toward.

When you set goals, you then know what’s important and not important and can use your time much more effectively.

9. Goals free you to focus on the “how” versus the “what”

When you set goals, you don’t have to figure out what to do anymore. You know.

Instead of deciding what to do, you work on the how.

10. Goals help you have better communication with others

Especially in a workplace setting, when you have set goals for your business, it helps you and your employees communicate better with one another.

You know what’s important and that directs your communication with one another.

11. Goals stretch you beyond the “possible”

Good goals challenge and grow you. They help you not only accomplish more than those who just wish, but it helps you accomplish more than you thought possible.

Goals push you to try harder, to change, to be better, and to do more.

Goals can bring out the best in you, and the pursuit of them can help grow you into a better you.

12. Goals help you become a better you

To accomplish and gain something you don’t have, you have to do something you never have.

Often, to accomplish your goals, you have to grow. You have to change.

You may change habits or the ways you do things. You may have to use your time more wisely and differently.

You may have to eat differently, act differently, and so on.

You may have to learn about topics in order to achieve your goal.

All of that can help you become a better you.

13. Goals give you a purpose and direction for life and work

Too many people meander through life, wishing and wanting. They have no clear goals or aims, they just hope something good happens to them.

Goals help change that. Goals give you direction and purpose. Instead of wishing something would happen, you decide what you want to happen and take action toward it.

Goals can motivate you and your employees as well. When there is a higher overarching goal, people often rise up and work hard to make it happen. It gives them direction and a purpose.

14. Goals can increase confidence

Just as goals can give you a sense of victory, they can build your confidence. As you accomplish your goals, your confidence grows.

15. Goals can help you be more positive

The reason many people are negative is that they lack what they want, and instead of doing anything about it, they make excuses, blame, and complain.

With goals, you aren’t doing that. You aren’t blaming or settling. You are deciding what you want to pursue and making it happen. You focus on what you have, can have, and will have, not what you lack.

16. Goals help you grow your career faster

As we mentioned earlier, goals give you direction. They help you prioritize. They help you focus.

When you set goals for your career, you are focused. You then can put your effort into the goal, versus someone who has no goal, puts their time everywhere, and hopes they will advance at some point.

Check out 33 Key Ways to Improve Work Performance Today.

17. Goals help you be seen as someone who gets stuff done

When you set and pursue goals, you are prioritizing and focusing. You are using your time more wisely.

When you do that, you get more stuff done. And the more you set goals, focus, and prioritize, the more people will see you as someone who gets stuff done.

18. Goals get you better and faster results

When you set goals and focus, you are able to put your time and energy in what’s more important instead of spreading it around. This gets you better and faster results.

19. Goals give you personal satisfaction

You aren’t wishing and wanting. You are not blaming or complaining or making excuses. You aren’t waiting for someone to give you what you desire.

Instead, you set goals, pursue them and accomplish them. You grow as a person. You put victories in your belt.

This gives you a personal sense of satisfaction that you wouldn’t get otherwise.

20. Goals provide measurement and accountability

Goals give you accountability and measurement, in both work and personal settings.

When you set an effective goal, as time goes you know how well you are doing and not doing (or your employees and business are doing).

It’s also a form of accountability for you, especially if you post your goal where everyone can see it.

21. Goals help you accomplish more in life and live the life you want

As we mentioned earlier, many people live their lives wishing and wanting, but not doing anything about it.

They have wishes, but no direction. Wants, but no action.

Goals change that. When you set goals, you are saying, “This is what I want, and I’m going to make it happen.”

Goals help you accomplish more and live the life you want.

Conclusion

Goal setting has many benefits. If you aren’t setting, start!

You can check out these articles to get going:

Next Step:

If you aren’t setting goals, start. Check out the articles above.

In the comments below, tell us what the top benefit is for you.

1 thought on “21 Benefits of Goal Setting (That Will Change Your Life)”

  1. Terry Mendietta

    Goal setting is big for me because it motivates and helps me gain clarity and direction in my life. It builds up my confidence , helps me decide what is really important to achieve it.

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