Building on the groundwork laid in the first part of this article, you might be wondering how to approach goal setting effectively. This article explores practical strategies for setting, pursuing, and achieving your life goals.

If you’ve not set your goals yet, it’s not too late. You can do it now. I always set my goals for the new year in the last month of the previous year. I’ve been setting goals for over 22 years now since my pastor, Tunde Jaiyebo, taught me about goal setting, and I can confirm to you this is one thing that has changed my life.

Setting goals helps you live intentionally. It brings focus and single-mindedness to life. It helps you to prioritize and separate what is important from what is urgent. It brings clarity to how you live. If you live your life without goals, you won’t even know when you get to your destination.

So, I’d like to help you. It’s not difficult to set goals at all, but you need to understand how to do it correctly. Goals are not New Year resolutions. They are not mere wishes or fantasies. They are resolutions backed by an action plan and timelines.

Goals without a 'how' remain dreams. Write them down, break them into steps, and take action! Learn how to set clear, actionable goals to turn your dreams into reality. Share on X

So here are the steps:

1. Write down your goals and keep them within reach
My rule is that whatever or wherever I write must be easily retrievable so I can write on my tablet or inside a diary/book. You will have to refer to it constantly through the year.

In Chapter 22 of my book, 30 Career Lessons I Learnt Along The Way, I wrote, “Writing your goals is important because whatever gets written can get done.” Don’t just have your goals in your head. Write and keep them in an easily retrievable manner.

However, it’s not enough to simply write down your goals; neither will they come true by just wishing or praying. You have to act on them. You must run. Do something daily about the goals that you have written.

Don’t stay in the same spot. Act. Take a step. Do something about it. Take a corresponding action and see your dreams come true. Also, do not be afraid to review and revise them as you go on.

2. Break down your goals into different areas
Personally, I have spiritual, financial, health/fitness, investment, career, and family goals. You should break down your goals along those buckets of life. Carefully consider your life and personal circumstances to allot your goals accordingly.

3. Your goals must be specific
The more specific the goals are, the better. They should not be ambiguous. For instance, “I will be buying land this year” is not a clear goal. A more specific goal would be, “I will be buying one plot of land in Magodo Phase 2 this year.”

Similarly, “I will be saving N1m this year” is a better goal than just “I will be saving money.” Being specific helps you concentrate your energy and remove mental cobwebs.

4. Ensure there are timelines
Goals without timelines are mere fantasies. Timelines ensure there is an urgency to the goals. Your goals must therefore exist within a time frame. No goal should exist in perpetuity.

For example, “I want to start my PhD in March of next year” is a clearer and more defined goal with a timeline than “I want to start my PhD.”

5. Set big but realistic goals
I encourage people to set audacious goals. In one organization where I worked, we called our goals BHAG—Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals. Set goals that stretch you, but they shouldn’t be unnecessarily unrealistic.

For instance, if you don’t have a job or a business that keeps you gainfully employed, you cannot say you want to have a savings goal of N1m in the same year. That’s not realistic (unless you’re planning to engage in unethical practices). A more realistic goal would be to get a job first.

Goals are not New Year resolutions. They are resolutions backed by an action plan and timelines. Share on X

6. Break down your goals into action plans
There should be a ‘how’ for your goals. How do you want to go about achieving them? For every ‘what,’ there must be a ‘how.’ If you have a savings goal of N1m next year, how will you achieve that?

Is it by putting N100,000 away monthly in a savings account?

Is it by doing a joint contribution?

Your action plan breaks down your goals into achievable bits. Don’t neglect this. This process takes a lot of thinking.

7. Review your goals from time to time
Goals are not static—they are dynamic, so it’s important to review them periodically. Your review period can be monthly or quarterly, but ensure you’re consistent with the review. Don’t just write your goals and file them away.

You can add to them along the line or review as appropriate. As you review, you tick for completion or achievement.

8. Have an accountability partner
You should have someone with whom you can share your goals and who can hold you accountable. Such a person will nudge you and push you. If you’re married, your spouse can be your accountability partner.

One year, one of my fitness goals was to quit sugary drinks. And who better to hold me accountable than my wife? A good friend or colleague at work can also serve this purpose.

My pastor does this for me. I remember some years back, he would insist on seeing your goals first thing in the year, and he could call you at any time to ask for feedback. That puts us on our toes. I do this for my wife and also my proteges.

Find someone who can do this for you. The person must be someone you respect enough to defer to significantly. The key thing is honesty. Be honest with your accountability partner. And be honest with yourself.