Part of achievement is to be able to set realistic goals.

However it is very important not to confuse a goal with an action. A goal is an outcome. Actions are what you do to achieve that outcome.

For example, you may say ‘my goal is to own a nice car.’ Not quite. The goal or outcome is what you expect from a nice car. This could be a feeling of happiness, respect from your friends or colleagues (interesting choice of friends), maybe the freedom to go on longer journeys without the fear of breaking down, or simply the sense of pride for achieving one of your dreams.

Ultimately, as a person, you want to feel an emotion (or in the case of the car breaking down, remove the fear or inconvenience of breaking down). This is perfectly normal and is how we all operate ‘underneath’.

Okay, so we have the goal - where does our original statement ‘my goal is to own a nice car’ fit into the outcome we desire? By saying you would like to own a nice car, you are really saying you want the feelings or emotions you associate with owning a nice car. To experience these you have decided you need the car, so getting a car is an action towards the goal.

This action ‘getting the car’ can then be broken down into smaller actions, such as saving up so much money each month, or having a clear out and selling some things you don’t need, and so on. It can also include non-financial steps - things like asking friends for car recommendations (or ones to avoid), comparing prices and features to determine your shortlist, test driving cars on your shortlist, etc.

Once you have the list of actions so can start working through them. This may take weeks or months. This is why it is important to have defined the outcome in advance…so you have the reason and motivation to keep at it.

Also having a clearly defined outcome helps you recognise when you have reached it, and when you should prepare the next one!