Setting goals is vital for personal growth and development; doing so provides direction and purpose in our lives. Studies have shown that goal-setting positively impacts neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize by forming new neural connections and pathways in response to our experiences. Essentially, setting goals helps us train our mind to envision what we want, and the brain rewires itself to accommodate this new self-image, making it easier for us to modify our behaviors so we can achieve our goals.
Whether it’s a short-term objective, such as training for a 10K, or a long-term aspiration, such as pursuing an advanced degree, setting a goal creates a roadmap for self-improvement. While it may be fun and exciting to establish a new target, reaching the desired result requires dedication, perseverance, and a determination to overcome obstacles and setbacks. Setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) can help.
If you’re embarking on a new aspiration, or are already well on your way to accomplishing a major milestone, these 15 powerful quotes offer encouragement and support for staying the course.
Your goals must be at the forefront of your day, not an afterthought.Jill Koenig
We define ourselves by our actions. With each decision, we tell ourselves and the world who we are. Think about what you want out of this life, and recognize that there are many kinds of success.Bill Watterson
Goals are dreams with deadlines.Diana Scharf Hunt
Fall in love with boredom. Fall in love with repetition and practice. Fall in love with the process of what you do and let the results take care of themselves.James Clear
We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.Marie Curie
It matters not what goal you seek / Its secret here reposes: / You’ve got to dig from week to week / To get Results or Roses.Edgar A. Guest
You have to focus on your dreams, even if they go beyond common sense.Anna Sui
Obstacles can’t stop you. Problems can’t stop you. Most of all, other people can’t stop you. Only you can stop you.Jeffrey Gitomer
The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance — and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.Oprah Winfrey
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.Robert J. Collier
Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.Bill Bradley
There’s really just one thing I can control: my attitude during the journey, which is what keeps me feeling steady and stable, and what keeps me headed in the right direction.Chris Hadfield
When I stay focused on the end, the details are handled.Iyanla Vanzant
Concentrate all your thought upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.Alexander Graham Bell
Focus not on the hundred things that you will or may have to do at some future time but on the one thing that you can do now.Eckhart Tolle
Featured image credit: Bettmann via Getty Images
