As the year draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the goals you reached and to choose new goals for the New Year.
By this stage of your life, you already know something about the mechanics of setting goals, translating them into action steps, and ultimately reaching them. In fact, if you’ve spent any time managing projects in organizations, you probably even know about SMART goals. The goals you set provide you with direction in life and are the foundation for your success. (Well, okay, maybe a few times you felt you were blessed with “stupid luck.” Certainly, I have!)
Still, as you pause to set goals, it may be worth asking yourself:
Am I setting goals by default, or am I setting goals that truly matter?
To answer that question, you’ll need to reflect a bit on the level of sustained satisfaction that resulted from your past choices.
Over time, you’ve probably set and reached goals that started by your agreement with what someone else decided was important. Such default goals often seem attractive, safe, and expected, but they can lead to hollow accomplishments. Though reaching a default goal made you feel good for a time, you may have ultimately wondered if it truly mattered – especially, in light of what you had to give up. If you find yourself wishing you had made different choices, you’re probably looking at what was a default goal to begin with.
Fortunately, in your life, you’ve also reached goals that led to authentic achievements that brought you a sustained sense of satisfaction. Such outcomes were most likely based on goals that reflected your purpose, passion, values, and talents – and made a difference in your life and the lives of others. The experience of reaching such goals is deeper and more connected to your sense of who you are. Sometimes setting and reaching authentic goals takes courage and may even be more challenging, but will always leave you saying: “If I had to do it all over again, I’d make exactly the same choices.”
So, as you anticipate the year ahead, reflect on what matters most to you and set your goals accordingly. Own your goals, own your achievements, own your life!
Contact me if you want support in evaluating and refining your goals to create a life of achievement.
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