SETTING GOALS

 

“A goal is a dream with a deadline”.  This is one of my favourite quotes from Tony Robbins.  We can dream all we want, but unless there is an end-date by which the dream must happen, it remains only a dream.   This is an important distinction if you not only want to dream, but want to manifest your dreams into reality.

 

Life Direction

 

Goals are so important, because they give our lives direction.   If you do not have goals, it is easier to just float around from job to job, project to project and relationship to relationship.  It is when you have a goal in mind, that you will be likely to follow a specific direction.  The goal serves as the compass, while you work your way to the end result.  Setting goals, and working towards them, prevents you from following whatever path is easiest or takes your fancy – without any end in mind.

 

Structure

 

As opportunities come into your life, you will be able to decide which ones to pursue, and which other ones to pass up on – depending on your ultimate goal.  As you say ‘yes’ to some opportunities, and ‘no’ to others – so your life has structure and direction.

 

Meaning

 

Goals also give our lives meaning.  As we achieve our goals, our lives obtain the meaning that we most desire.  Imagine two people working a similar job.  One is working so that they can provide for their family.  The job allows him to be a provider, which holds a special meaning for him.  The second person wants to be the CEO and satisfy his ambitious streak.  The job allows him to prove himself as a top-dog, which holds a special meaning for him too.  Based on our goals, therefore, even work is not just a meaningless grind.  It is a means to an end that is meaningful to you.   Yet another person may be working the same job with the aim of “buying whatever they need” –  maybe as a response to having felt scarcity all their life.  The meaning of the same job is therefore abundance, to the third person.

 

 

Destiny 

 

We all know about destiny, i.e. that hidden power, believed to control what will happen in the future.  That hidden power is sometimes called Fate.   It may be tempting to sit back and let your life unfold “automatically”.  In line with what Fate/Destiny has in store.  The truth, though, is that nothing works, if you don’t!  All the modern life coaches will tell you that destiny is only half of the success equation.  The other half of your fate is made up of your goals and your actions towards those goals.  Even destiny will not work, if you don’t put any work upfront yourself.

 

Manifesting your dreams

There is another buzzword, in popular psychology, called manifesting your dreams.  This generally includes visualizing what you want, and then making plans, to bring your visions into reality.  That process, dear friend, is your goal-setting exercise.

 

As this is a career blog, let us zoom in on career goals, but first:  

 

Life goals

 

Your career goals need to be aligned with your bigger life goals.  You do not want to have different areas of your life clashing with each other.  Before you knuckle down on the career goals, it would be useful to set some goals  for your entire Life :  Your Spirituality, Family, Educational, Social and Physical goals.

Setting goals for only your career will cause problems when those career goals are in conflict with other areas of your life.  E.g. you set a career goal to travel the world through your work, but you have a spiritual goal to serve at your local church.   You cannot be present for your local church, if you are always away travelling, for work.  The goals for these two areas of your life, are therefore, in conflict. They cannot be achieved simultaneously.

 

Setting goals for only your career is also detrimental as it will only ensure that you grow in your career, usually at the expense of growth in other areas of your life.  Your family life may die a slow death, even as your career life flourishes.  Setting goals holistically, therefore, will ensure that you spread your time and your efforts –  across all areas of your life.  

 

Career Goals

 

Setting career goals is quite important, not least because we all spend more of our lives at work than at any other place during our productive years. For a place that will be taking up the most of your time, you need to make sure you have some end goal(s) in mind.   This will help you to identify the right opportunities for yourself – within the work ecosystem.  Knowing you goals will also help you discern which work environment is aligned with your goals.

 

Another reason career goal setting is important is that at work, one is dealing with a powerful employer.  (Our employers are generally more powerful than us, as individuals, right?)  The employer, has their own goals about your career within their company.  Knowing what your own goals are, will help you negotiate win-win outcomes with your employer, where it is possible to negotiate.  Barring that, your own goals will keep shifting to align with the employer’s goals.  You will not notice your life going off course as a result – if you do not have your own goals to measure your progress against.  

 

Setting the goals – Intuition

 

Your intuition is very useful in identifying what is most important to you.  What would bring you fulfilment in this area of your life?  It is important to consider what would be useful to yourself first, instead of using your intuition to focus externally.  You do not want to set your goals based on a need to compete with others.  The best people are always evaluating and improving themselves.   The unhappy people are usually evaluating and judging others.

You also do not want to set your goals, based largely on meeting other people’s expectations (e.g. family, friends) at the expense of your own.

 

Do not limit your intuition.  Dream big.  There will be plenty of opportunity to scale down later, should you happen to meet insurmountable barriers.  It may sound cliche, but it is true that if you aim for the stars, you will fall upon the clouds.  The more unlimited your thinking / imagination, the more your brain will find a way to reach bigger and better goals.  If you limit yourself, already, at the dreaming stage, you are likely to achieve very little in the end.

 

Discover your why, and let it drive your vision.  Some say that with a big enough WHY – the HOW will take care of itself.  Focus on end results, not obstacles.  

 

Setting the goals – Tools

 

There are various tools that you can use for your goal setting exercise.  You can write a list of your goals on a sheet of paper, almost as a To-Do list.  There are also various software apps that were built to support goal-setting.  Just check them up on google, and set your goals with the help of an app on your phone.  You can use a journal, and jot down your ideas in your diary over time, only to collate them later into a coherent goal and plan.

 

 

If you are a very social person, you can use your support system (friends, colleagues, family) as sounding boards as well as accountability partners for setting new goals. You discuss the goals with your support people, and you meet up with them weekly, or monthly – and check each other’s progress.  Finally, you need to categorize your goals into one-year from now and five years from now, to fruition.

 

Role Models

 

Once your goals are set, it is a good idea to seek role models.  These are people who have already achieved what you’d like to achieve.  You may know these people personally – in which case you need to draw close to them, and ask for mentorship and advice. 

 

If you do not have anyone in your vicinity, who has already achieved what you would like to achieve, you may want to follow your role model(s) online.  Follow their pages, podcasts, TikTok or  Youtube channels.  This will give you some of the pointers and strategies you need, to achieve your own goals.

 

Periodically update your goals

 

Finally, goals change.  As you get older, you may change your goals.   As you learn from your mistakes and adjust, you may also find that you need to change your goals.  You will have to come back to the drawing board – again and again, to set new goals, or to slightly adjust your old ones.

 

Take heart, God and the whole Universe are conspiring to give you what you want.  Breathe!  You’ve got this!

 

Sis’Toz