Steps to Help You Clearly Articulate Your Goals in Life

1. Write them down
- writing things down forces you to think about what it is that you're writing. It engages a kinesthetic part of your brain, and it helps you to remember things with more ease. Make sure that you're goal statements are short and specific - this enhances clarity in your mind. S.M.A.R.T. goals, or specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time sensitive, are the best kind.
2. Read your goal statements aloud several times each day
- reading things out loud forces you to think about whether or not they make sense. Another way that you learn is through auditory means, so this act helps to engage that part of your brain. Also, repeating goals is similar to repeating positive affirmations; and, it has been said that, "you have to believe before you achieve."
3. Envision what success looks like
- in order for your goals to seem both clear and achievable, you have to be motivated to act upon them. Motivation comes from the WIIFMs, or "what's in it for me." The more clearly you can envision the benefits, the more likely you will be to change behavior.
4. Just Do It
- you'll never be able to clearly articulate your goals until you start to do things to try and achieve them. Success is not a factor of one or two actions - it is based on a series of cumulative actions, modifications and learning experiences. You will never be able to clearly identify or envision S.M.A.R.T. goals in life by thinking alone - you have to physically do things in order to truly learn, apply and modify.
5. Regularly adjust your goals based on what you learn
- clarity comes with experience, and you should incorporate a system into your life to consistently re-evaluate and redefine your goals. This doesn't mean that you should constantly be changing them, rather that you are able to more clearly define, understand, envision, act upon and achieve the things you want to get out of life. A good timeframe to formally adjust goals is every 6 - 12 months.