Goals and Strategies

Everybody works with some desire in his mind. For example, you play games to get entertainment; your mother rises early so all family members can get good food and clean clothes; your father goes out earn so you can get all feasible facilities in life. Thus, some activity is undertaken to fulfil a desire. This desire can be called the goal. When you have a goal before yourself, you make a plan to realize it. This plan is your strategy.

Goals can be short-term or long-term.

Short-term Goals

A short-term goal is the one you can achieve in near future. For example, you carry your lunch-box to school so you can eat when you are hungry. This is a short-term goal. Other examples of short-term goal can be many, like passing the monthly test, standing first in the English test, winning the next football game, saving money to buy your friend a gift on his birthday, and so on. You have to work to achieve this goal for a limited time. If your goal is to secure at least 90% marks in the next annual test, you work towards it. After you have achieved your goal, you feel satisfied, but then you will have to set your next goal.

There may be several short-term goals in your mind simultaneously. At present, you may have a goal to win the next table tennis match, secure good marks in the next monthly test and also learn how to play guitar. Several short-term goals can be targeted at one time.

Long-term Goals

A long-term goal is the one for which have to work for several years together. It is normally the one which decides the course of your life. For example, you may set your goal to become a doctor or an astronaut, or set a start-up or invent a new machine. A long-term goal is such which changes the quality of life. It can be called the ambition of life.

To realize a long-term goal, you have to divide it into several steps. These several steps are like short-term goals which you will have to accomplish from time to time. For example, if you wish to become an officer in the Air Force, you will have to first find out the eligibility conditions, and then get ready to realize these in you; you will have to start shaping your body so you can pass the physical and medical test, start to learn those subjects which can make you eligible for appearing in the examination, master interview techniques which can ensure your success in the examination.

We can take another example. Suppose you want to become an international cricketer. You will have to find out what qualities and physical capabilities a cricketer needs, then you will need to develop in you, you will have to find out a person or club that can train you, and most importantly, you will have to devote a lot of time to practice.

All these steps are like short-term goals which will take you towards your long-term goal. So :

·         Identify a long-term goal in life.

·         Sometimes, there may be more than one long-term goal.

·         Find out which of these goals you can achieve.

·         Make out a plan and divide it into several small short-term goals.

·         Start developing the qualities required for that ambition. For example, if you want to be a swimmer and are afraid of the water, you cannot achieve your goal. So, the first thing is to get rid of this fear. If you are obese and you want to become an army officer, the first thing will be to shed your extra weight. And you will have to work for developing these qualities in right earnest, only then your goal will come within your reach.