There are a few steps that will help you find goals that are truly important to you. In aiming for goals that ring true to you and that you find meaningful, you will be more likely to meet them. Of course, you do not have to do all or any of these exercises, but they are not hard, and they will help you greatly.
1) Write down all of your goals – big and small.
Just write down everything. This exercise gives your brain a chance to get everything out there. In a way it’s a little therapeutic, but more importantly it will allow you to get in touch
with your real goals. Write down everything you can think of; this is a brainstorming exercise.
I’ll give you some examples from my list to start you off. Learn a language, improve your GPA / study more, eat the world’s largest hoagie, start a club, learn to play the guitar: the list is quite long.
2) Ask yourself: Why do you really want this?
If you can’t articulate why in one sentence, then you should cross off that goal.
You need to have real reasons though; reasons that ring true in your heart and that resonate within you. These goals should affect you on a fundamental level. Also make sure they are your goals and not those of others. This ensures that you will be more driven towards your goals. If there is a real driving purpose behind your goals, they will be much easier to accomplish.
For example: Starting the GOL! Club because it will allow me to help more people realize their full potential, I’ll meet more people, improve my speaking skills, improve my life by learning more about goal setting and motivation and foster positivity within myself.
Even during the times of crazy-long applications or self-doubt, even doubt from some of my friends, these reasons kept me going.
3) Categorize your goals into: Financial, Mental, Physical, Spiritual, Social, Career & Family
This is more of a holistic thing. I want to make sure you don’t create a lop-sided you, you’d just be constantly falling over. Har har… However, if you find that you need a lot more work in a certain area, this is fine. This goal setting stuff isn’t that complicated, just keep things simple.
4) Ask: What does this goal do for you? Does it improve my present life?
Does it empower you?
The main value in goal-setting is that it improves the quality of your present moment reality. Setting goals can give you greater clarity and focus right now. Whenever you set a goal, always ask yourself, “How does setting this goal improve my present reality?” If
a goal does not improve your present reality, then the goal is pointless, and you may as well dump it. But if the goal brings greater clarity, focus, and motivation to your life whenever you think about it, it’s a keeper.
Example: Weight loss. If imagining your future body brings you happiness, if breathing easily with exercise entices you, then this is an excellent goal. It improves your present moment, thus pushing you towards your goals.
Let’s say your goal is extremely grandiose. Even if you were to never accomplish your goal, your life would be improved by the prospect of it, and that makes the goal worthwhile.
This isn’t to say that you should set impossible goals, but to emphasis the importance that it should have on you right now.
5) Start whittling this list down.
If a goal is more of a whim, cross it off. If it is not really important in
your life now, or can wait, cross it off. Don’t erase or scribble out
anything; you may want to come back to it.
More examples from me: I’ve wanted to write some short stories for a little while – just
to flex my creative muscle — however, on reflecting deeply upon it, it’s not at the top of my priorities list and I’m not at the point in my life where this would move me towards my long-term goals.
As the motivational speaker Zig Ziglar says: You have to say no to the good, to say yes to the best.
