Well, I took the bait and I’m writing this following my comment in the last blog post. That last post was offering my input on continuing your journey on achieving your life goals. However, you can only continue working towards them if you actually created them. And I thought, what if there is someone out there who doesn’t know how to plan their life goals? No fear I have planned a lot of life goals, and only a few of them have been achieved in my proposed timeline. So, here is my piece.
Look around you for goal inspiration
Are there things you would change about you or your surroundings? If yes, then my friend you have outlined a goal for your life plan. Whether you choose to try and achieve it, that depends on you reading the previous post 😉. Maybe you are completely content with yourself and surroundings, in which by all means, you can read any of my other posts, here.
There are technically no bounds on how far you look for goals. The more you’re exposed to from your surroundings, the better idea of goals you want to have in your plan. So, yeah, go out and have a look and see what intrigues you.
What to do with the goals
You have identified a bunch of things you would like to experience/achieve, during your present consciousness. That’s awesome! Now you need to find a way to keep them in your memories or to remind you, that you want those things. Our brains are amazing, but our memory can still suck, even with things such as goals.
There are different options. Some people choose to do vision boards, with what their goals shown in different pictures. Others have a table, which clearly outlines their goals and how to achieve them. Maybe you could write a list and stick it on your phone background, your fridge or pin board. Whatever way it is, the aim is for it to be visible to you, so you get a reminder of what you want to achieve.
If you are reminded, it means it says in your mind and can influence decisions you make. Those decisions can lead to you ticking off each achievement. I have mine written as a list in a random notebook. Every so often, I flick through my current notebooks, and I’ll see it. Sometimes, I have already achieved somethings and I can tick it off. Other times, I am reminded that I originally had a goal. With these reminders, it also means I can evaluate whether that goal is still something I want to work towards or if I want to add to the list. How I do that, is outlined in my previous post.
How to achieve the goals
This part is tricky, as it involves a lot of thinking. However, you can use the questions in my previous post, to determine whether that goal is worth that invested time.
There is a tool that is mentioned a lot to help you work towards and reach the goals. However, I don’t fully comply to it, and I’ll explain below as to why, but for the best part it’s useful. This tool is called SMART objectives.
SMART is an acronym:
S: Specific – Really focus on what it is you want to achieve/feel from reaching/completing the goal
M: Measurable – You have to be able to set out steps that you can monitor as you work towards the goal
A: Achievable – Those steps have got to be reasonable, when you plan them out
R: Relevant – Those steps have to make actual progress and sense towards achieving the goal
*T: Time-bound – Give yourself a deadline*
The first 4 are fine. I find them relevant and helpful towards all my goals, and I apply them each time I have a new one. However, the time element is a little different for me. Most of the time that you see this tool it’s in school/work and obviously there are deadlines to all projects because the work contributes to the progression in society. And since this is quite fast-paced, you need to keep up, or else they get rid of you. However, for life goals, I try not to put a deadline, because life is unpredictable.
For instance, when I was 16, I had planned that by 25 I will be in a healthy relationship, with a trajectory towards marriage in a couple of years. With less than 6 months until my 25th birthday, that is the most delusional thing I could have come up with. I can’t stick a deadline on getting in a relationship. There are so many unpredictable factors in play, and even though a healthy relationship is still a goal, I have accepted it doesn’t need a deadline. Honestly, the deadline makes it feel unachievable, and unmeasurable and make the motivations less healthy.
Last thing
Hopefully this has been helpful but one final point. Due to the unpredictability of life, the steps you may have originally planned out might not actually play out like that. It’s best to be flexible about that. You can achieve your goals, following any path. Most paths won’t be as straightforward and easy as we plan them to be. Having a sense of flexibility and adaptability (and applying the points from my last post), can mean you can still achieve them, but just a different way than originally planned. Remember it’s not the destination, it’s the journey.
The TL:DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
- Your inspiration is around you – Even the simplest of things can be incorporated into a goal, as long as it resonates with you
- Keep them visible – Having your goals visible, will remind you to keep up with them, but also to update them, if they no longer resonate with you
- SMART* objectives – The first 4 are very helpful for planning how to achieve those goals.
- *Don’t set a time element if it doesn’t need it – This will need one further thinking. If the time element is not important, probably best not to force your personal goals to a deadline.
- Life will decorate the plans shape, and that’s ok – This goal setting task is straightforward, but the act of achieving those goals won’t be. But that is life, and it’s ok. To help evaluate your way through it, have a read through my last post.
