How can you make your goals more meaningful?
Many people set goals for themselves, but not all goals are equally motivating and fulfilling. How can you make your goals more meaningful, so that you feel more inspired and satisfied by pursuing them? In this article, you will learn some tips and strategies to create and refine your goals, based on your values, vision, and purpose.
One way to make your goals more meaningful is to align them with your core values, or the principles that guide your decisions and actions. Your values reflect what matters most to you, and what you want to stand for in life. When your goals are consistent with your values, you feel more authentic, committed, and motivated. To align your goals with your values, you can start by identifying your top values, and then reviewing your goals to see how they match or conflict with them. You can also use your values as criteria to prioritize your goals, and to evaluate your progress and results.
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It takes 6 months, only 6 months, to get ahead of others. I have used this secret formula to achieve my career goals. So what's my secret sauce? 1. Pick up one battle that is worth fighting for you. 2. Avoid picking multiple new challenges. 3. Research, read, and interact with experts who have cracked this goal before you. 4. Make a 20-point action plan. 5. Invest 12 hours every day in the execution, learning, and taking real action. 6. Monitor everything. 7. Take feedback. 8. Improvise your performance. 9. Repeat step 6-8 again. 10. Meet a brand new avatar of yourself in life. You need a method to cut through this madness to set yourself up for 100% success✊.
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A great way to align your goals with your values is to use the HEART Model: 1. Honest: Is this goal right for you ? Is it in align with your other ambitions and aspirations? Does it fit with your core value and beliefs? 2. Exact: what will you exactly need to accomplish your goal ? How can you break down larger goals into smaller chunks? 3. Authentic : Does it align with your strengths and talents you have ? 4. Realistic: Do you have the time ,energy, motivation to complete this goal ? 5. Timely : What is the deadline for this goal ? How long will each step take? When will you accomplish each step?
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To make your goals more meaningful you must: 1. Define your values and vision 2. Define the goals which are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable , Realistic , Timely. 3. Priorities the goals based on their alignment with your values and visions Once priorities are set, and you have your list of goals based on priority, define action plans for each goal and keep kicking goals from top of the list to the bottom
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Values define the person you are and goals provide a direction to your life. By aligning the goals with your values, you are setting benchmarks which are meaningful for you. For example you are a leader and your core value is say Integrity; no matter what you would never compromise on integrity in any of your Leadership goals.
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Aligning your goals with your values is like giving purpose to your aspirations. It's where your vision meets your core beliefs, creating a powerful driving force for meaningful achievements. By ensuring that your goals resonate with what truly matters to you, you not only boost motivation but also find fulfillment in the journey. Therefore Do not underestimate power of knowing yourself understand your core values.
Another way to make your goals more meaningful is to define your vision and purpose, or the big picture and the why behind your goals. Your vision is the ideal future state that you want to create or contribute to, and your purpose is the reason or the impact that you want to have. When your goals are connected to your vision and purpose, you feel more inspired, passionate, and fulfilled. To define your vision and purpose, consider questions such as: what do you want to achieve or change in your life, career, or the world? What are you passionate about or interested in? What are the problems or needs that you want to solve or address? How do you want to use your strengths, skills, or talents? What are the benefits or outcomes that you want to create or experience? And how do you want to feel or be remembered? Reflection on these questions can help stimulate your imagination and bring clarity to what motivates and drives you.
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Where there is no vision the people perish. Vision is far more important than setting goals. Knowing who you are and who you want to be will take you exponentially further than knowing what you want to do or accomplish. The secret of becoming is that achievement always follows.
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It is more about mindset than about vision. Any work that helps someone else has meaning! It is meaningful to the person who will benefit. You don’t need to be trying to put humanity on Mars to have meaningful work. Regardless of whether you are managing people, cleaning toilets, selling newspapers, typing letters, or doing bookkeeping, your work has meaning. Especially in a capitalistic society, anything that someone is willing to pay for is meaningful work. You just need to look deep into what you are doing and find the person who benefits from your efforts to find meaning in what you do.
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To come up with new visions, you don't always have to stray from your origin. Many successful people often look back at what made them successful in the past and use that as a foundation to explore new opportunities.
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Here's a question I love to ask myself and my clients-- What is the kind of world I want to wake up in? Or even, What is the kind of world I want to leave for my future generations. Start there. Identify the gap between future and now. Backward engineer.
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For those of us who struggle with defining a vision and purpose, often the best way to move forward is to explore your curiosity. What is it that you like learning? What is that you’ve been meaning to try out? Think of how you can experiment by taking action on these thoughts. These experiments may lead to interests which may lead to passion and then a purpose. Sometimes purpose leads to action. But often taking action and exploring different paths leads to finding your purpose.
A third way to make your goals more meaningful is to make them SMARTER, or specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, evaluated, and revised. SMARTER is a framework that helps you to set clear, realistic, and actionable goals, and to monitor and adjust them as needed. When your goals are SMARTER, you feel more confident, focused, and accountable. To refine and clarify your goals, consider making them specific by defining them in detail with concrete and precise language. Additionally, you should identify how you will track and measure your progress and results with quantifiable and observable indicators. Furthermore, assess your resources and capabilities to set goals that are challenging but attainable. Moreover, ensure that your goals are aligned with your values, vision, and purpose. Plus, establish a deadline or timeline for your goals and break them down into smaller steps. Additionally, review your goals regularly to measure your performance and feedback against expectations. Finally, adapt your goals as necessary based on evaluation and changing circumstances while celebrating achievements and learning.
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If you are unable to decide where to start, try the following: 1. Be honest with yourself: Have a conversation with yourself ensuring it is something you want and not just an impact of societal pressure. 2. Recognise the power of baby steps: Something is always better than nothing. It is really okay to start with a small goal e.g. "I will have 5 glasses of water today if I usually take 3.".. not jump immediately to large numbers. 3. Be the main character in your life: Comparison with others is impractical; we don't know anyone else's journey. Try to improve the person you were the day before, that's all. Don't look sideways.
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Set an Immovable Deadline. It's easy to push the date out when we are in control of it. "I didn't realize X was going to come up, so I'll just give myself an extra two weeks to hit that weight loss number." Nope. Set an immovable goal and a consequence of breaking it.
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SMARTER Goals are NOT the answer. due to the "R" Realistic factor... In order to be inspired enough to reach something previously thought "impossible" one has to give flight to ideas beyond the realm of current reality to truly accomplish something meaningful. The idea that a goal has to be realistic is wrong and limiting to one's imagination.
A fourth way to make your goals more meaningful is to share them with others, such as your friends, family, mentors, or peers. Sharing your goals can help you gain support, feedback, and accountability, as well as enhance your motivation and commitment. When you share your goals, you feel more connected, engaged, and responsible. To ensure success when sharing your goals with others, choose people who are supportive and trustworthy. Communicate your goals clearly and confidently while explaining why they are important to you. Ask for and listen to their opinions and be open to different perspectives. Additionally, it's important to seek and offer help, encouragement, and recognition. Lastly, keep your goal partners updated on your progress and celebrate successes and challenges together.
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While it's widely believed that sharing your goals with others can create a network of encouragement and propel you toward success, some argue that it might be better to keep them private until you've achieved them. Human nature can sometimes lead people to feel jealousy. Initially, they may support you as you work toward your goals because you represent hope for their own success. However, once you've achieved your goals, they might develop negative feelings if they believe they haven't reached their own potential.
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Crucially, it's essential to be discerning about whom you confide in regarding your goals. Not everyone needs to be privy to your aspirations. Some individuals may inadvertently dampen your motivation or instill doubts about your ability to achieve your goals. It is imperative to selectively share your goals with those who will provide motivation, encouragement, and support your growth and success.
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Sharing goals with your friends, family and colleagues helps you derive a different perspective and obtain feedback. You can seek the support of such people as the need arises. For example if Father decides to save X amount of money every month. He needs to communicate this goal to the family and can succeed in achieving this goal only with their support. A company makes a Budget which is discussed and agreed by all the stakeholders as the goal for the year. The team works during the year in collaboration to achieve this goal. Once achieved, there’s a celebration!
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Build your ‘board of advisors,’ also known as ‘trusted advisors.’ This is the group with whom you share your goals and ideas. They have your best interests at heart and will help you navigate your blind spots.
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Ann Mary Sebastian
SAFe® 6 Agilist | Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®) | Associate Project Manager
(edited)Sharing ur goals with others makes you feel accountable because u don't want to disappoint the people you told. It can keep you motivated as you have to keep ur word. But it's important to choose the right people to share ur goals with - they should be our well wishers. Otherwise, if u share your goals with the wrong people, they might make fun of you or demotivate u, which can be discouraging.
A fifth way to make your goals more meaningful is to enjoy the journey and the destination, or the process and the outcome of your goals. This means finding joy, satisfaction, and value in both pursuing and achieving your goals, recognizing and appreciating the learning and growth that you gain along the way. When you enjoy your goals, you feel more positive, grateful, and resilient. To do this, choose goals that are intrinsically motivating or that reflect your interests, passions, and values. Focus on the present moment and be mindful of your actions and emotions. Embrace challenges as opportunities and lessons rather than obstacles or failures. Celebrate milestones and reward yourself for your efforts. Express gratitude for yourself and others for their contributions and impacts. Doing these things can help you cultivate enjoyment in pursuing your goals.
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Embracing both the journey and the destination is akin to savoring each chapter of a captivating book. It's where fulfillment isn't solely found in achieving our goals but also in the growth, learning, and experiences woven throughout. By cherishing each step, learning from both successes and setbacks, and celebrating our milestones, we enrich our goals with meaning. Life isn't just about reaching the finish line; it's about appreciating the entire journey. Embracing the ups and downs as part of the road makes life profoundly meaningful.
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It's important to focus on the journey because 1) there will be challenging days, 2) you will not always have control over the outcomes, and 3) reframing helps to overcome anxiety and disappointment.
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At times, the goal may appear more distant than it truly is. Engaging in daily reflections provides a valuable opportunity to extract lessons from each small life experience. Additionally, I appreciate the analogy of shifting your perspective when feeling unaccomplished—zoom out and assess your progress over a year or several years rather than just a month or two
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Celebrate Small Wins! What, why, when, and how? These are the key aspects that can help with goal setting. Sometimes you can get too wound up in planning that you either end up procrastinating or lose focus on actually doing what you want. There are various techniques that can suit different people: SMART, PDP, KISS, but breaking down your goals into bite-sized steps can make them more manageable and achievable. Why is it important? Because you can acknowledge and celebrate your achievements along the way, no matter how minor they may seem. Take a moment to celebrate your progress!
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Follow your gut. Make your goals what you actually want to do. Not what you 'should' do or what someone else who is successful is doing.
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Only set goals that YOU can make happen. Goal setting can build or break someone's confidence. Often I see people set goals to "sell $XXX this week" or "sign 3 new clients" or "sell 10 courses" etc. All these goals are dependent on someone else's "yes" or "no." When your "win" is dependent on someone else so if your confidence to hit a goal. Instead set goals based on activity. Ex: I will send out 50 personal emails this week in an attempt to sell $XXX, or I will offer 25 people a free discovery call, or I will implement a social media strategy with 3 touch points to sell my new course. At the end of the week you celebrate your win. Activity drives results. Enough activity and you will have the results.
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These are all great ways to think about goals. To summarise this approach I use the acronym M.A.P It stands for measurable, accountable and purpose driven. Having coached hundreds of high performers over the last 7 years, I’ve noticed that these three elements have the most impact on success. For example; If you crate a vague goal that isn’t measurable, such as learning Spanish, it’s difficult to determine when you have succeeded. The same goes for purpose driven. The “why” matters far more than the how. Finally; accountability. Many studies have shown that when we have public accountability for our goals, the chances of achieving them are considerably higher. If you want to get from A to B you need a M.A.P
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An important aspect of finding value in achieving goals is actually letting yourself achieve it instead of constantly moving up the goalposts. In work or life, there is always the danger of striving for continuous improvement and an everlasting push for perfection. The danger with this is that you will never feel finished and therefore won't allow yourself to celebrate victories and achievements. This can leave you very unfulfilled as goals can start to appear unattainable. Set a goal and stick to it, decide when you will be done so you can enjoy the win, close the chapter and move to the next one.
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Have you heard the phrase, "Break it down into small chunks (or small goals"? People often give that advice when something you want to accomplish is very complex or downright huge. The aim of the practice is to make the big thing more meaningful and manageable. But while manageability might improve, meaningfulness does not. A small goal by default is very limited in meaning because you only accomplish a very limited thing to achieve it. So how can you make such a goal more meaningful? By expanding it. Goals are not the same as targets, and I think people often confuse the two. You can have as many targets as you like, and have them be as granular as you need, but goals ought to be few and big to truly matter to you. Do you agree?
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