How to Be a “Goal-Getter” to Boost Your Career Growth

Would you consider yourself someone who creates goals and sets out to accomplish them often? Or is it something you plan to work on this year to help your professional aspirations?

When it comes to your career, establishing goals is important. And this is especially true if you want to grow professionally or climb the corporate ladder. 

Although most of us have specific career goals, not everyone is a true goal-getter. Let’s dive into what this is and some tips that ensure you are part of this rare group of people. 

What is a Goal-Getter?

A goal-getter is an individual who consistently sets and accomplishes their specific goals. And no matter what obstacles they may face, this person will continue to work towards them regardless of those challenges and risks.

Of course, not everyone that is a goal-getter always meets or succeeds in every goal they set for themselves. And that is okay! 

But even when they face failure or fall short, they do not give up. Instead, they analyze what worked and what didn’t, then try again. This cycle will continue until they have achieved their desired outcome.  

The TLDR; you aren’t a person that moves on or gives up easily on your goals, even when you stumble or things don’t go your way.

Did You Know? According to data, roughly just 20% of people actually set goals for themselves, which means that the majority of people (80%) of people do not.

Benefits of being a goal-getter

Being a goal-getter is really about perseverance and methodical approaches to driving success. And the benefits of being one can do a few things for you:

• Help create a long-term vision for your career or business.
• Keep you organized and act as a career guide for you. 
• Have a more linear focus on a few key things in your job.
• Helps you track your progress and missteps.
• Increases chances of professional growth and new accomplishments.
• Can help you achieve new financial success.

Goal-getter vs go-getter

You may also be more familiar with the term “go-getter” which is often used to describe motivated people. While there are positives in both (and similarities), they are different.

A “go-getter” according to Cambridge Dictionary, is someone who is very energetic, determined to be successful, and is able to deal with new or difficult situations easily.

However, this is not necessarily goal-orientated or related to accomplishing something specific.

For example, something stressful could be happening at work (layoffs, data breaches, etc.), but you keep a positive attitude, are determined to help solve the issue, and stay composed. In this instance, you might be labeled as a go-getter then.

7 Tips to Become A Goal-Getter

While you can have goals outside of your career, I’ll be focused more on your professional endeavors. This could relate to working from home and growing in your career or if you plan on launching your own business.

1. Evaluate your current status and where you’d like to be

Don’t be afraid to list everything out and understand where your professional career has taken you so far. And from there, list out where you’d like it to go too.

For example, in 2016 I knew I wanted to find a full-time remote job and work for a SaaS (software as a service) company. That was just one near-future goal I wanted to achieve. But I also wrote out where I would like that to take me.

 Once I started envisioning these things, I had a clear path on what I needed to do.

2. Start prioritzing

Never compromise your personal life, positive relationships, and your mental or physical health for a job or career.

While it shouldn’t have to be said, there are too many people burning out or completely stressed from working. Take care of yourself and the people that matter most around you first.

Okay, I feel better addressing that first! Now that said, you do want to prioritize things in your life that negatively impact you in achieving your professional goals.

Bad managers? Toxic co-workers? Distractions that keep you from learning and growing? Whatever it is, start prioritizing your time and surroundings further.

This also applies to your goals for your professional interests. What is going to get you to where you want? What are the most important aspects to focus on first?

Reminder: Not everything you do in your day needs to be things that are career-focused. You can (and should!) still have fun and unwind, catch up on a favorite Netflix show, etc. You can be a goal-getter and still have time to enjoy life beyond work!

3. Start your research and learn

One of my goals after being laid off in 2014 with no career direction, was to focus on the marketing job field. However, I didn’t go to school for it and only ever worked in email marketing at this point. 

I began to research everything I could about digital marketing. I took free certifications, built a music blog to test marketing tactics, watched marketing videos, read books about marketing, etc. 

The internet has so much knowledge readily available that you can amplify your goals much faster than ever before. Simply collect all your research, organize it, and place focus on things that will help you reach your career goals.

4. Better manage your time

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. But the one advantage that true goal-getters have mastered is simply time management. 

To reach aggressive goals, keep priorities in line, and still maintain what you’re already doing, you need to maximize how you spend your time. 

The simplest things you can do:

• Use a calendar to schedule things.
• Make to-do lists and keep them in front of you. 

Again, you can still fulfill family obligations and time for entertainment or fun. But block off your calendar for times when you can put in work to achieve your goals.

5. Find ways to stop procrastinating

If you want to be a true goal-getter, you can’t let procrastination get in the way. It’s easy to avoid putting in the work when things get tough or you are feeling overwhelmed. 

If you find yourself procrastinating often, you have to figure out why. Starting evaluating what is causing this to happen and determine how you can stop it from happening.

It might be difficult at first, but once you stay the course, you'll find you procrastinate less and less.

“This [procrastination] is one of the most common causes of failure. ‘Old Man Procrastination’ stands within the shadow of every human being, waiting his opportunity to spoil one’s s chances of success. Most of us go through life as failures, because we are waiting for the ‘time to be right to start doing something worthwhile.” 

— Napoleon Hill, in “Think and Grow Rich“

6. Keep your motivation levels high

This is where “goal-getter” and “go-getter” definitions collide! 

But it is important you stay motivated and excited about the goals you set yourself for your career. If you lose that “spark” it’s easy to miss goals and even become completely disinterested. 

And that is when you quickly find yourself failing your goals or giving up on them altogether. 

It’s okay to certainly pivot a goal if you feel things have changed for you, that is not uncommon. The problem is if you feel that after some time passes on every goal you ever set. 

Remind yourself of the reasons and purpose for these goals. Sometimes it’s simply needing positive affirmations, taking walks, thinking about what those achieved goals do for you and your life, etc. Keep believing in yourself, even when it's tough!

7. Take your time and be patient

Many of your professional goals may take time. And there is nothing wrong with that either. You don’t want to rush or completely burn out trying to accelerate results. 

It might be an eye-rolling cliche, but being patient really is VERY important. We are a society that likes to move fast, especially when you are eager and hungry for growth. 

Instead, accept that these things take time and there are things out of your control that can cause setbacks. It’s a natural part of life and something you’ll want to understand from day one of goal setting. 

Are you inspired to be a goal-getter and take your professional aspirations to the next level? If you answer that question to yourself with a resounding YES, then the above tips can help you get there. And remember, you go this! 

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