You're reading 6 Powerful Reasons Why You Should Have Clear Goals, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you're enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Do you have a list of goals? If you don’t, in this article I will try to convince you of the value of setting goals and writing them down. Set clear goals for every month and I promise you that, a year from now, you will look back at 2016 with a smile on your face.

Now, let me give you 6 great reasons why you should set goals.

1. Setting goals gives you a great opportunity to define what you want in life

Setting goals offers you a great opportunity to think about what you really want in life. Unfortunately, most of us spend more time planning our next vacations than sitting down and planning our life. As Jim Rohn said: “Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change”. How many hours do you spend each year planning your life and setting goals? How about your vacations?

2. Setting goals gives direction to your subconscious mind

Your subconscious mind is a very powerful tool that works 24/7 without you being even aware of it. When you set clear goals and write them down on a piece of paper you send a strong message to your subconscious mind. It is a fact that there are billions of choice you could make every second, but your subconscious mind, knowing where you want to go, will make sure that you maximize your chances of success by taking the appropriate choices.

3. Setting goals empowers you

When you set clear goals in all the areas of your life, you send a strong signal to the world around you and to yourself that you are not going to give your power away and, instead, commit to take full responsibility for your life. You have a clear target in mind that guides you throughout your life. While, other people keep complaining about their environment, blaming people and circumstances, you are fully focused on your goals, and take inspired actions to move closer and closer to your goals each day.

4. Setting goals changes your reality

Being totally open-minded while setting goals can have a transformative impact on your reality. Why? Because, just for a while, you forget about what you can do and what you can’t, and simply focus on what you really want. By opening yourself to opportunities and letting go of your limiting beliefs, you start realizing that you can accomplish more than you thought were possible. You start telling to yourself, “why not”, “what if it was actually possible?” Setting goals will definitely change your present reality.

5. Setting goals (and achieving them) increases self-esteem

Setting goals and achieving them is one of the best ways to increase your self-esteem. Indeed, self-efficacy - your own ability to complete tasks and reach goals - greatly influences your self-image and your self-worth. The more you will achieve goals, the more you will gain confidence in your ability to achieve even bigger goals. By setting clear goals, you will increase your chance of success and thus boost your confidence.

6. Setting goals improves your health

Having clear and inspiring goals give you a sense of purpose. In some extreme cases it can keep you alive against all odds. In his book, The Magic of Thinking Big, David J. Schwartz relates the story of a woman, who contracted cancer when her son was two. She decided that she would see her son graduate college, despite the fact that her doctors only gave her a few more months. After multiple surgical operations, 20 years went by and she did see her son graduate college, but died six weeks later. Her goal was, without a doubt, specific! We can easily imagine that if her goal had been a vague goal like “I want to see my son grow up”, she would likely have died earlier, wouldn't she? This extreme example shows you that having a goal with a clear deadline can be very powerful.

I hope that, by now, you are convinced of the importance of setting goals. So what are your goals for 2016? Why not share them with me below in the comment section.

Here is a special bonus for you

Why not go further in your personal development journey? If you like this article I’m sure you will benefit from my free e-book. You can download it below:

The 5 Commandments of Personal Development

Thibaut Meurisse is the founder of whatispersonaldevelopment.org. Obsessed with improvement, he dedicates his life to finding the best possible ways to durably transform both his life and the lives of others. Check out his free e-book “The 5 Commandments of Personal Development” or order his new book Goal Setting: The Ultimate Guide To Achieving Goals That Truly Excite You on Amazon now.

You've read 6 Powerful Reasons Why You Should Have Clear Goals, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you've enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.