By Urvashi Arya
The first and foremost thing we do is detangle two things. They're slightly different, but they're vital to understanding.
The topic of why life Goals are essential in general is much more challenging to address. Happiness, on the other hand, is a straightforward answer. Knowing where you're going makes the journey more enjoyable. It's more thrilling if the fight isn't blind. It puts the difficulties in perspective and, ideally, prevents you from wasting time traveling down dead-end alleys.
You will never have enough motivation to act upon your Goals daily until you have put them down in an emotionally appealing way. Measuring your progress and the time you devote to your objectives serves as a regular reminder of your commitments to yourself.
It's easy to become befuddled by the plethora of Goal-related definitions and terminology.
We'll start with the broad categories and work our way down to more specific areas of your life where setting objectives would be beneficial.
Most forms of Goals should be ignored.
While reading, remember that happiness in life comes from what you choose, not what you don't pick.
Goals for outcomes, processes, and performance: There are five primary types to consider when setting Goals.
Goals for the Outcome (Results)
Objectives of the Procedure (Behaviors)
Objectives for Performance (Standards)
Plans based on a Topic (Area of Focus)
Time-based Goals (Durations)
I'll use the example of running to demonstrate the differences between these types. We'll look at how running Goals differ depending on the five Goal-type lenses we use.
Goals for the Outcome:
A Goal with a specific result is known as an outcome Goal. For example, in 2021, I plan to run the New York marathon. When you set a Goal similar to this, it's pretty evident if you've reached it or not. Outcome Goals aren't specific about how you'll get there.
Objectives of the Procedure:
Setting process Goals is analogous to developing a habit. They are long-term habits that you will maintain. For example, I plan to become a runner and train five days per week. Setting process Goals to help with outcome-based Goals can be pretty beneficial. Process Goals are focused on how you will carry out your tasks.
Objectives for Performance:
A personal benchmark that you set for your actions is a performance Goal. For example, in 2021, I plan to run the New York marathon in under four hours of time span. The clear and logical difference between performance and outcome Goals is the degree to which you will succeed in achieving the desired result.
Objectives of the Topic:
A theme Goal is one in which you desire to concentrate on a particular aspect of your life. For example, I want to make running a priority in my life. This could involve joining running clubs, blogging about running, and studying everything there is to know about the advantages and mechanics of running correctly.
Time-based Objectives:
A time-based objective is one in which the deadline is the most significant aspect of the Goal. For instance, I will be the best runner I can be in six months. You don't have a precise plan or performance level in mind, but you'll do everything to improve in the next six months.
Types of life Objectives:
objectives in terms of health
Physical objectives
monetary objectives
Relationship objectives
Objectives for family relationships
Relationship Goals for friends
educational objectives
Objectives for personal growth
Objectives for your career
Psychological objectives
Objectives for your way of life
Experiential objectives
aims for recreation
Retirement Objectives
Objectives in terms of Health:
It's no coincidence that health is at the top of this list. All other ambitions will go by the wayside if you do not take responsibility for and manage your health. You won't have the energy or motivation to work on anything else if you aren't healthy and lively.
If you've ever experienced a toothache, you know how unimportant everything else becomes. It consumes you and is the only thing on which you can concentrate.
Fitness, sleep, nutrition, and any chronic illnesses should all be included in your health Goals. Make time for these things at least once a week.
Learn about how the body works and acquire new abilities. If you can master the use of a kettlebell (or anything similar), you'll be in good shape.
Monetary Objectives:
Getting to a secure/comfortable financial position is also a stepping stone to more important objectives. When your bills are building up, it's challenging to work on your relationships or romantic aspirations.
Aiming to be wealthy can be a Goal, but I believe it should not be one in this category. According to studies, the enjoyment received from your money drops dramatically if you earn more than $75,000 an ordinary American.
It would help if you changed the figure to reflect your country's cost of living. That isn't to argue that your happiness won't improve; it will, but it will improve less and less with every thousand dollars you spend.
Relationship Objectives:
Setting relationship objectives and actively working toward them is something that many people ignore, although it is arguably the most straightforward approach to significantly improving your life and general happiness.
Having a solid support network of friends, family, and loved ones can lead to a pleased and fulfilled existence, complete with the trappings of "success."
Even if you're married, it's good to address your partner separately. That one-on-one connection could be the key to your total pleasure.
How would you connect with this person daily in an ideal world? Even on the worst of days? Even after years of being together, how would you treat each other?
Objectives for family Relationships:
In many circumstances, this one is difficult. Some of us are very fortunate to have loving, easy-to-get-along-with family members. Others were not so fortunate.
Because we can't choose our family (apart from our marriages), we must be inventive and flexible in our ambitions. You may need to set particular objectives for individual personnel.
Setting a Goal about whom you want to be might be a better option. Regardless of the situation, someone who is always friendly, loving, and supportive. To realize it's easier said than done. If you can, though, become that person. Relationships with stressed family members can heal and become positive over time, adding joy to your life.
Relationship Goals for Friends:
According to studies, people with close emotional and geographical friends live longer than those who don't. Unfortunately, friends on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter do not count.
In fact, not having a close circle of friends might be just as harmful to your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Developing new friendships becomes increasingly difficult as we become older. However, it is not impossible, and you should be willing to make new friends whenever you meet someone new. But cultivating your existing friendships is a more beneficial objective to set.
Educational Objectives:
Over the last ten years, education has altered dramatically. It is no longer restricted to those with a high school diploma or a college diploma. The internet has made some of the world's top educators accessible to all of us cost-effectively.
Adopting the mindset of a lifelong learner is becoming increasingly vital. It's impossible to keep up with the pace of change in the workplace.
In our lifetimes, most of us will have a variety of jobs. We must continually gain new talents if we want to prosper financially and otherwise.
Objectives for Personal Growth:
Personal development, sometimes known as self-improvement, is a broad category that encompasses a wide range of topics. Many of my favorite subjects, though, fall into this category.
Enhancing your productivity/time management (which I am passionate about), becoming a more confident/positive person, and improving your intelligence quotient or emotional intelligence are the most common themes for this type of Goal. Getting rid of harmful habits or facing your concerns.
With this type of Goal, it's important not to have too many. Stop juggling many tasks. Multitasking is generally not a good idea. Concentrate on one of these objectives at a time. Because these Goals usually have a finish line, they can provide a wonderful sense of accomplishment.
Objectives for your career:
If you're confident, you're on the right rung of the ladder. Then you should set progress targets that are time-bound. If you think about this Goal regularly, it will influence the hundreds of micro-decisions you make during a typical workday.
When deciding on other types of Goals described in this chapter, having a defined career Goal can be very helpful. For example, your short- to medium-term educational objectives could be tailored to complement your long-term career Goals by preparing you for the position you ultimately want.
Psychological objectives:
It's easy to forget about your psychological well-being. Too many of us, including me, avoid discussing this subject. To be successful, we place too much pressure on ourselves.
This may have the opposite impact.
We need to make regular pit breaks to change tires, wipe the windshield, etc. We slow down if we don't take the time to look into our mental health. This is usually done unobtrusively.
Everyone should take regular rest or engage in activities to de-stress. We often mistakenly believe that these types of pit stops are unnecessary extravagances. Try not to think about them in that way. You're considerably more likely to get off the track if you don't have new tires when you come to an inevitable tight bend if you don't have new tires.
Objectives for your way of life:
Your financial status might have a significant impact on your lifestyle aspirations. However, if you can find some that don't necessitate lottery-level winnings, you can start now.
Long-term ambitions such as owning your dream home or taking three overseas vacations every year are not unreasonable. You must, however, experience the journey. Have some lifestyle Goals that you can achieve without making substantial financial changes.
Experiential objectives:
"Collect memories, not things," as the adage goes. I am a great supporter of this approach to life.
Beautiful moments/experiences, in my opinion, enrich the spirit more than the latest gizmo.
Aims for recreation:
We only have one life. If you don't put in your best effort to enjoy the voyage, it will be a drab experience.
Unfortunately, once you reach adulthood, no one will assist you in prioritizing having fun in your life. It's entirely up to you.
Hobbies and friends are essential! Don't put off enjoying life until you achieve a specific job objective or have a certain quantity of money in your bank account. That is the most effective method to waste your life years, if not decades.
Choose enjoyable leisure activities but also have the potential to improve your health, money, or relationships. One stone can kill two birds.
Retirement Objectives:
We all wish to take advantage of our golden years. We should begin preparing for it as soon as possible. Earlier than the majority of us.
When we start planning early, the only thing we usually consider is the money component.
Don't get me wrong: I think that's critical. It is not an ideal situation to downgrade our lifestyles when we retire.
However, if you think about your retirement Goals in-depth, you might come up with some enjoyable things to do now to prepare.
Urvashi Arya
Urvashi Arya - Content Writer - Vantage ITeS Consulting | LinkedIn
