How To Achieve Long-Term Goals

You know – those big, exciting, slightly scary dreams we all have? Whether it’s running your own business, writing a novel, traveling the world, or finally getting your finances in shape, long-term goals give us direction and purpose. But let’s be real: staying on track can feel overwhelming, especially when life gets chaotic. It always does. You can always stay on track if you learn tips on how to achieve long-term goals.

The good news is: setting long-term goals doesn’t have to be some rigid, stressful process. With the right mindset and a few smart strategies, you can actually enjoy the journey and make real progress along the way.

What are goals?

Goals, broadly speaking, are defined as the desired states that we seek to obtain, maintain, or avoid (Nair, 2003). Long-term goals can be defined as the set of goals that need a longer period of time to achieve. That’s actually one of the reasons why you need clear tips on how to achieve long-term goals strategically. Why not read about how to manifest to achieve your goals here.

For example, they could be goals related to our education, career, relationships, fitness, etc. Long-term goals require planning and sustained effort, so they can be a bit trickier to achieve than shorter-term goals.

Here are some simple and effective tips on how to achieve your long-term goals below:

• How to reach long-term goals
• Align long-term goals with core needs
• Phase of long-term goals
• Sticking to your goals

How To Achieve Long-Term Goals

1. Set specific and challenging goals

It turns out that we achieve more by setting specific goals that are a little bit bigger or challenging, but not too challenging. If we set easy goals, we often don’t achieve as much as we could because we don’t push ourselves quite as hard. Create an action list for your goals using this article.

2. Set meaningful goals

Reaching goals that you care about is easier than reaching goals you don’t care about. So it’s helpful to get clear on what you do care about right from the start.

3. Set realistic goals

It can be tricky to know just how much you can achieve. In fact, if you don’t believe in yourself, you might set your goals too low and miss out on doing some great things. If you believe in your ability to manifest something, you are more likely to persist until you do. So take some time to dream big and then put on your reality cap to reflect on what is possible.

4. Commit to your goal

We silly humans don’t like to disappoint ourselves or others. So when we commit to something, we’re actually more likely to do it, especially if we share the commitment with other people in our lives.

5. Create a feedback cycle

Feedback can be helpful so that you know how well you are doing (Latham, & Locke, 2007). Even if you don’t have someone to provide feedback for you, you can still put systems in place to give yourself feedback. In other words, you could track your progress on how you’re moving towards your goal. That way, you’ll know how you’re doing.

How To Achieve Your Long-Term Goals: Align Them With Core Needs

Researchers suggest that we are more motivated to fulfill core needs like autonomy, relatedness, and competence (Sheldon & Elliot, 1999).

So when setting long-term goals, try to identify how each goal relates to a core need. For example, ‘starting your own business’ might relate to autonomy because you are free to work on what you want. ‘Finding love’ might relate to relatedness. And ‘getting a promotion’ might relate to competence.

The idea here is that, by identifying how your goals relate to your needs, you’ll have a better sense that what you’re striving for will actually make you feel good once you get there.

How To Achieve Long-Term Goals: Phases of Long-Term Goal Pursuit

The long-term goal achievement process includes:

• Initiation or getting started on the goal.
• Maintenance or the process of continuing to work on the goal and execute actions that lead to achieving the goal.
• Persistence or the ability to overcoming challenges, setbacks, and emotional issues like exhaustion, boredom, or dissatisfaction.
• Revision or periodic review of the goal to track progress, revise plans, and reevaluate the goal as a whole (Sniehotta, Schwarzer, Scholz, & Schüz, 2005).

How To Achieve Long-Term Goals: Sticking to Your Goals

The thing about long-term goals is that they are … well … long. That means they require dedication, determination, and persistence. They require overcoming both tangible obstacles and emotional obstacles.

So, some have suggested that in addition to creating an action plan (a plan for what you will do), it can be helpful to have a coping plan (Sniehotta, Schwarzer, Scholz, & Schüz, 2005).

Here are some tips:

Clarify possible challenges

This is a form of risk assessment. Anticipating the situations that will slow or stall your progress towards the goal can help you develop a plan for how to respond effectively. Then, creating “if-then” statements for each potential obstacle can help you more easily overcome it.

For example, if I’m exhausted and just need a nap during the time I have set aside for my goal, it’s OK because then I have a backup time set up that I only use when I need it.

Think about how to overcome distraction

Perhaps the most common obstacle is distraction. Maybe some parts of our long-term goal are boring or hard. Or, there are just a lot of distractions in our lives. That’s why putting a plan in place to minimize distractions can be helpful.

For example, you can download an app to pause our emails, log ourselves out of social media, or put a time limit on your internet time. This is a digital detox. Or, maybe you benefit from headphones to drown out noise. Or maybe you just need a few snacks nearby so you don’t have to keep running out to get something.

The idea here is to think about what distracts you and how you might overcome these things.

​Know your challenges

Take some time to think about what’s stopped you from reaching past goals. Write these down and then brainstorm what you’ll do. Try to be specific (say more than “I’ll figure it out!”). Knowing and understanding yourself is key in achieving your goals.

For example, if low self-confidence often keeps you from reaching your goals, maybe you use some self-love exercises when you find you’re getting down on yourself.

The trick here is that by having specific plans in place to cope with your unique difficulties, you can increase your chances of success.

Bottom Line

Setting long-term goals doesn’t have to be intimidating. With a little planning and the right mindset, you can totally go after those dreams without feeling overwhelmed.

First, make sure your goals actually matter to you. When they’re aligned with your core needs (think: freedom, purpose, growth), they’re way easier to stick with.

Next, remember that every long-term goal has phases. There’ll be that exciting “let’s do this!” energy at the start, the slow-and-steady middle, and maybe even a few “why did I start this?!” moments. Totally normal. Keep your eyes on the goal!

And finally – persistence is your best friend. Small steps, tiny wins, and lots of patience will take you way further than any short burst of motivation ever could.

Long-term goals are a journey—so make it one you actually enjoy. I hope this post helps you plan, and achieve your goals 🙂

References

• Nair, K. S. (2003). Life goals: the concept and its relevance to rehabilitation. Clinical Rehabilitation, 17(2), 192-202.​
• Latham, G. P., & Locke, E. A. (2007). New developments in and directions for goal-setting research. European Psychologist, 12(4), 290-300.
• Sheldon, K. M., & Elliot, A. J. (1999). Goal striving, need satisfaction, and longitudinal well-being: the self-concordance model. Journal of personality and social psychology, 76(3), 482.
• Sniehotta, F. F., Schwarzer, R., Scholz, U., & Schüz, B. (2005). Action planning and coping planning for long‐term lifestyle change: theory and assessment. European Journal of Social Psychology, 35(4), 565-576.