I remember having a discussion with my close friends on the necessity of having a goal in the first place. My argument was if life is temporary and uncertain then what use is having a goal in the distant future? Isn't it more meaningful to not have goals and just be present with our day to day experiences? I thought to myself when everyone out there is busy setting fancy goals for themselves, I will be a bit radical and have "No goals" and just strive to live each day with awareness and presence. While these were my thoughts at that moment, in practice I realised this wasn't helpful.
Without goals my life lacked enthusiasm and purpose. I was reminded of the quote by Thomas Carlyle - "A man without a goal is like a ship without a rudder". Drifting and moving around in circles with no clear direction or destination.
I had to think a little more deeply into this and through contemplation & experimentation, I have come to the conclusion that goals are not that bad when approached correctly. And in this post I want to to talk about setting meaningful goals that add value to our life.
Some questions to ask ourselves while goal setting are:
A. Does this goal improve my life in any way? If so how ? Answer to this question will make it clear if the goal you are setting is relevant to your life, to your values and your beliefs. It will tell you if the goal is really worth pursuing and strengthen your intention to achieve it.
B. What does achieving this goal entail ? Every goal requires conscious effort from our side. Are we ready to put the effort the goal needs ? Does our current lifestyle allow us the time and the energy needed to pursue this goal ?
The answer to this will determine if the goal is attainable or just a fancy wish. And help us get more realistic with our life.
C. What happens once I achieve the goal ? Can I sustain the results ? Answer to this will show us the way forward on how much more effort is needed and if it's really worth our life's precious time.
While answering these questions if we find that the goal we have set for ourself improves our life in some way , we are in a position to put the effort needed to achieve it, and it's worthwhile to put continued effort in a feasible way to sustain the result, then that goal can be termed meaningful.
Once the goal is set, the next step would be to identify action steps to successful attainment of the goal. After that it's just the question of doing those actions. The very fact that we are now convinced about the meaningfulness of the goal will make it a lot easier to follow through on the actions.
The actions that we take on the way to goal achievement is the core of life's journey - it's where all our life's lessons are going to come from. It's where we are truly living, learning & growing. We may fail and fall several times but that's all part of the process. And if we are aware we will realise that it is in taking action that we are changing from deep down into something better.
So yes, goals are important. But they have to be meaningful. Meaningful for "you". And the pursuit of them is what life is all about❤️
Did you resonate with my thoughts? Or did you not ? Either way leave me a comment, if you would like to share with me your own thoughts on the subject.
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Good read. Fact is Tomorrows can be better for us and to our Society; and we have the Power to achieve it. Call them goals with a timeline.....
Loved it. I never thought along these lines on goal setting