It's a dream until you write it down, then it's a goal. Goal setting marks the first point to success. Without setting goals how would you get anything done? Have you ever encountered people who have a passive approach toward life? They don’t set any goals and they just live life on a meandering, day-to-day basis. You see them one year, three years, five years from now, and their lives are largely the same, save for a few changes that are really more the result of others’ actions and desires rather than their own. Below are 5 key reasons why setting goals is so important.

1. Gives Clarity On Your End Vision

How are you supposed to manifest what you want if you don’t even set concrete goals? How do you supposed to achieve your dreams and visions if you don’t clearly spell out the end output you desire? Setting your goals gives you clarity on what you ultimately want. It makes you crystallize and articulate the desires floating in your mind. It ensures that you are channeling your time, energy and efforts into things that really matter to you.

2. Drives You Forward

Your goals are a representation of your inner desires; desires which motivate you in life. The point when you set goals marks one the points when you are most connected with your source of motivation. It is when your motivation is at its peak. Having goals at your side serve as constant reminders of your motivational sources. They are the fuel which drive you forward and keep you going when the going gets tough. Whenever I feel unmotivated I just look at all my goals and try to manifest all my energy to achieving these goals.

3. Makes You Accountable

Having goals makes you accountable. Rather than just talking about what you want all the time and not do anything concrete about them, you are now obligated to take action. Setting a specific goal gives you clarity on whether you are living up against what you committed yourself to do when you first set your goal. This accountability is accountability to yourself, not anyone else. This accountability is what you hold up to when you choose the healthy salad over that piece of fried chicken. It is what you answer to when you spent that hour studying rather than on Facebook. When you stay accountable toward your goals, you are in fact staying true to your desires.

4. Be The Best You Can Be

Goals help you achieve your highest potential. Without goals, you subject yourself to the natural, default set of actions that keep you feel safe and comfortable every day. But this familiarity is the nemesis of growth. It prevents you from growing. It does not enable you to become the best person you can be. It denies you from tapping into all that potential inside of you. By setting goals, you set targets to strive against. These targets make you venture into new places, new contexts, new situations which puts you into growth mode. They make you stretch beyond your normal self and reach new heights. For example, setting a time limit for your run lets you know if you should be running faster. Setting a weight loss target makes you aware if your actions have been effective in losing weight. Setting a career goal ensures you are not settling for anything less than what you desire.

5. Live Your Best Life

Goals ensure you get the best out of life, for two reasons:

Firstly, by becoming a better person, your new found knowledge and abilities let you experience more out of the same life events compared to the previous you. Think about how your worldview is different now vs the you a few years ago. Do you see life with much more clarity, depth and perspective today than you were in the past? What may be a simple daily occurrence in the past holds a lot more meaning to the more highly evolved you today.

Secondly, time passes in our life, whether we want to or not. Goals with specific measures and deadlines ensure we are maximizing our output and experiences during our time here. If you have already discovered life's purpose your goals will ensure you get the best out of your purpose.

If you start setting your goals now you will experience growth as a person, all it takes is a few minutes to articulate some aspirations that have been floating around in you mind. Start being proactive and write down your goals!