Goal Setting In Hair Care

Why you should set goals and write them down in order to succeed 

The human mind is a powerful thing. When we were children our parents and teachers told us that we could be anything we wanted if we really put our mind to it and it’s true. If you want something badly enough you will find a way to get it or make it happen. If you see a really great pair of shoes which your conscious mind tells you that you can’t afford, your desire for them may overwhelm you enough for your subconscious mind to find a way to get those shoes. Soon you will rearrange some finances, go without a few things this month in order to get them.

This should be the same in hair care. Many ladies fail in their journey to long hair by not setting goals. Goal setting is one of the most important aspects when you want to achieve anything in hair care as well as in life. It gives your conscious mind something to wrap itself around, a problem to solve as it were and when this problem is transferred from the conscious to the subconscious mind, the problem solving begins! Your subconscious mind will work for you to find a solution as well as keep you on track to achieving your goal.

If your hair is short and over processed, maybe your first goal could be to get healthy hair. If your hair is short but relatively healthy, your goal could be to achieve length.
Be specific in your goal setting. Don’t just write down that you want long hair. Long hair means different things to different people, so be specific. If you want your hair to fall below your armpits, then write that down. If you want it in the middle of your back or at waist length then write that down!

Another important aspect in goal setting is to give yourself a time limit to achieve the goal. Giving yourself a time limit keeps you on track and intensifies desire. However you should keep your time frames achievable but not too cautious. Bear in mind that black hair has the tendency to grow slower so you may get just 4 inches per year instead of 6. If your hair is currently full shoulder length, your goal could be to that you want your hair to be full arm pit length in 12 months time, this goal is achievable in the time frame allocated but if you gave yourself 24 months instead it would be excessive and will only breed complacency.

Something else that you should not ignore in goal setting is writing down what it is that you need to do in order to achieve the goal including what sacrifices you will have to make. For example, you want to retain all your growth this year so the best way to do this will be to be in protective styles for 99% of the time. This is a big sacrifice as you will not get to wear the styles you generally enjoy but the trade off will be worth it!

Just to recap, here are the steps to goal setting

1.    Write down your goal.
2.    Be specific in your goals
3.    Give yourself a time limit to achieving your goals
4.    Write down how you will go about achieving your goals including any sacrifices you will make

An example of a good goal would be: “My hair will be full mid back length by 31st March 2011. I will wear it mostly in braids extensions* and keep my hair moisturized daily in the months ahead to retain my length.”

Good luck in setting your hair care goals!