How to set life goals, in 4 steps
One of the hardest things to accept is that life has the meaning we want to give it. And even more difficult than that is to take the step and give ourselves a meaning to our existence.
In this article we will see several tips about how to set life goals, based on simple guidelines that we can develop by changing everyday habits.
- Related article: "Personal growth: how to transform your life in 6 steps"
How to set life goals, step by step
Our existence does not obey a predetermined goal, we ourselves must be able to transform our personal growth into a coherent and meaningful project (or at least, a chain of meaningful projects). But this is not easy to do. Many times we feel lost or stagnant , and however much we fantasize about a world in which it is always very clear what needs to be done, the truth is that those kinds of decisions belong to us to take them. Now ... how to do it? How to begin to order our priorities and establish in a concrete way those objectives to be achieved? Let's see it
1. Delineate your values
In the first place, it is necessary to take into account which are the values that are most important to you and that in the day to day shape what you consider important. In this way, you will have an outline about what is "the skeleton" of those things that you value and want in your life, and those things that you want to avoid.
To do this, point at a sheet of paper a set of abstract concepts that account for the things that matter to you : friendship, the environment, strong emotions, etc. Then, make a selection of about 8 or 9 elements and arrange them by placing in the first positions those values that are most important to you.
2. Make a list of long-term affordable goals
The long-term goals are those that only make sense to pose as goals to be achieved in a matter of years, or that although they never reach at all, they help us establish routines. For example, learn languages, get fit, meet more people, travel, etc. So, make a list of about 5 or 6 long-term goals, those that more illusion make you , so that from this scheme you can then decide in an easier way what to do.
3. Make your plans concrete
In this step to establish life goals you must operationalize the way in which you will achieve those goals, considering realistic ways to get it , on the one hand, and that that way of reaching them does not come into direct conflict with your values. For example, if one of your objectives is to travel but one of your most important values is the protection of the environment, it is worthwhile to ask yourself how to travel without using the plane, given that this means of transport pollutes a lot. To do this, establish a strategy about traveling by hitchhiking, for example, or by bicycle, train, etc.
- Maybe you're interested: "Types of motivation: the 8 motivational sources"
4. Subdivide your goals into short-term goals
You can not live alone with long-term goals; It is important to divide them into shorter time frames to get excited about the results we are achieving week after week.
Therefore, based on those goals that you have set for the long term, Segment small victories that bring you closer to them within a month . Keep in mind that this step only serves to realize your progress, and that you should not obsess with it. Finally, with these short-term goals you can create calendars about what your progress should be over time, so that you create a commitment to yourself and do not throw in the towel easily. This calendar will help you have control over whether you are achieving your goals or not.
5. Review your life goals
With time we all change, and it is possible that a life goal stops being important or stops making sense for you after a while. This is normal and is part of the process of psychological growth and evolution. Therefore, you should monitor your progress and see if what you do keeps motivating you and awakening in you illusion. If you do not, abandon those goals without judging yourself, since that in itself is not bad.
Bibliographic references:
- Bandura, A. (1998). Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control, W.H. Freeman and Company, New York.
- Grant, A. M .; O'Hara, B. (2006). "The self-presentation of commercial Australian life coaching schools: Cause for concern?". International Coaching Psychology Review. Leicester: The British Psychological Society. 1 (2): 21-33 [29].
- Ventegodt, S .; Joav M .; Niels Jørgen A. (2003). "Quality of Life Theory III, Maslow Revisited." TheScientificWorldJournal Finland: Corpus Alienum Oy (3): 1050-1057.
