Goal setting is a powerful process for planning your ideal future, and motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality.
The process of setting goals helps you choose what you want to do in life. By knowing exactly what you want to achieve, you know where you have to put your energy and efforts and spot the distractions so that you can avoid them.
Once you set sharp and clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals with a focused progress in a defined direction. It will also raise your self-confidence, as you recognize your own ability in achieving the goals that you've set.
When our goals are based on our values, they are meaningful
Along with positive emotion, relationships, engagement, and accomplishment (which goals allow for), it makes up what we've come to known as 'A Happy Life'.
Intrinsic life goals are related to greater happiness, self-actualization, vitality, and satisfaction with life, compared with extrinsic life goals. These satisfy the needs that stem from being human-including our psychological and self-fulfilment needs
These might include goals like:-
Being an empathetic person others could look up to
Keeping a healthy work-life balance, with time for friends and family;
Living life with integrity, being honest and open and transparent with others;
Inspiring others with your thoughts, beliefs and actions;
Being a great listener so that others can turn to you
Becoming an expert in your field and helping others
Extrinsic goals are not necessarily always materialistic, but because they are generally 'wants' rather than human needs, they are easier to come up with. Also they require less self-reflection.
These could include :-
Owning the very latest car
Getting a big promotion or being in a senior position at work
Owning a big bungalow
Becoming a millionaire
Having your own workshop/studio or
Going for a world tour.
To pursue long range values, what is required is a continual act of focus on:
1.What you want to achieve.
2. The reason you want to achieve it.
3. The goals to be set.
4. The means to achieve them.
5. How to prioritize conflicting demands.
6. How to overcome obstacles and setbacks.
7. How to attain, at the end, the value that you've envisioned.
And every time you achieve one of your goals, check it off the list and celebrate what you've managed to accomplish in your life!