Spontaneity or Purpose & Direction?

Goals Lead to Intentional Focus & Direction

Goals can give our lives that sense of purpose necessary to pursue success and fulfillment during our time on earth. The need for goals and direction leads me to recall an African proverb that originated, I believe, with an Ethiopian author and playwright named Abe Gubegna. The proverb, as recounted by the maglite.com blog, reads as follows:

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle awakens. He has only one thought on his mind: to be able to run faster than the fastest lion. If he cannot, then he will be eaten. Every morning in Africa a lion awakens. He has only one thought on his mind: to be able to run faster than the slowest gazelle. If he cannot, he will die of hunger.

Whether you choose to be a gazelle or a lion is of no consequence. It is enough to know that with the rising of the sun, you must run. And you must run faster than you did yesterday, or you will die. This is the race of life.

While the human condition is not as dramatic as the life-or-death consequences that face predators and their prey each moment of every day, we certainly have consequences that we will face if we do not have goals that will lead us to fulfillment.

Own Your Goals and Your Outcomes

It is easy to let others set our direction for us. We take a job or choose a career because family or friends point us in that direction. We move in other directions because popular culture or the media tells us (subconsciously or otherwise) to do so. There is no shortage of people who will offer advice, suggestions or explicitly tell us what to do, but you should think carefully about taking advice from people you are not willing to trade places with (thanks for the quote, Darren C!). 

The simple truth is that if we do not own goals, then we will find it too easy (and potentially unfulfilling) to follow a path set by others. This can lead to lack of commitment, stress, and unhappiness if we do not attain the desired outcome, or fall short of any of the expectations connected to the suggested goal. We have a greater chance of happiness and fulfillment when we own our goals (selected or suggested/accepted) and follow our own path to pursuing our own goals. Clarifying point: Goals that you elect or accept at the suggestion of others become yours. They are specific to you and the plan of action you put in place the moment you identify the goal as your own. When you move in a direction suggested by others, they are not responsible for your success or lack thereof. You own the goal and the outcome.

Whether you set your course independent from the suggestions of others or if you do choose to take the advice from someone else, you must understand that you are still setting the goal and the course for yourself. Pursue your goals with the same tenacity and vigor whether it was originally yours or if it was at the suggestion of others. The outcome associated with goals you set will be a direct reflection of your effort. 

Goals Fuel Motivation

While goals certainly give our lives direction, they can also provide the motivation and point of focus to get us through difficult times and choices. It’s important to briefly revisit the SMART Goals concept which I discussed in a previous article focused on Creating Positive Change. For our goals to provide motivation, they should be SMART Goals. Smart goals are defined as follows:

Specific – narrowed focus

Measurable – identifiable progress

Attainable – can be acted upon by you

Realistic – high likelihood of success given your ability and resources

Timely – completion deadline

The SMART Goal framework is very useful in ensuring you avoid feeling overwhelmed or even stuck due to an inability to act forward in attaining your goals. Goals can keep you motivated when you can visualize successes (however big or small) each day. Most importantly, if you celebrate ALL progress, you can generate additional motivation which can be useful fuel to continue pressing forward. Many people make the mistake of not celebrating small things because of the perception that small things (think insignificant) are not worthy of celebration. This approach can falsely lead you to believe that you are not moving forward. I say celebrate all wins whether big or small and keep pressing forward!

Goals Can Serve as Your Lighthouse

To quote Academy Award Winner Denzel Washington: “Dreams without goals remain dreams and ultimately fuel disappointment.” In that same regard, the absence of goals makes it very difficult to reach the result which you seek. Goals serve as the destination for what we really want to achieve in life. Metaphorically, goals serve as the beacon of light near the coastline that allow ships to navigate their way to the intended destination. 

For some people, goals are measured in money or material goods, while for others, goals are measured in time or freedom. If we do not have goals outlined that suit our unique desires, it is easy to become sidetracked by the desires most immediate to our physical or emotional position in life. It is important to understand the impact of failing to set goals because every decision in life has a cost or consequence attached to it. Some of those consequences can be managed or even minimized when we set goals early enough in life and the result could be very fulfilling. For instance, setting a goal to save for retirement and starting while in your 20s will have a higher likelihood of creating security later in life as opposed to setting that same goal as a fifty-year-old. There are other examples that have a very expensive time expiration range like living a healthy lifestyle, pursuing higher education, and in some cases getting married and starting a family. Be sure to set goals early and reap the fruits of your labor with years of fulfillment.

Pay Now, Play Later - or - Play Now and PAY...Later

The fable of the ant and the grasshopper best illustrates the concept of pay now, play later as compared to the play now PAY later approach. In the fable, the ant works tirelessly during the summer to prepare for the hard times of winter, while the grasshopper sings, dances and has fun during the summer but suffers terribly during the winter and must face stress, desperation, starvation, and the threat of death at the hand of the elements of winter. If you spend your time setting goals now and putting a plan into action to achieve those goals, you will likely be much better prepared for the future challenges. 

Goals can help you maximize your use of time. When your “To Do” list becomes too long and your calendar too full, you can simply compare your goals to the list to identify which items will help you move closer to your goal. What items will help you achieve your goal? What items are necessary to reach your goal? You can then manage the rest by setting priorities.

Just as goals save time, they also can reduce stress because using your goals to focus your life and choices makes it easier to make those choices in a timely manner. Should you take that new position at work or work longer in your current position to gain skills and education to prepare you for your next promotion or career move? How will the new position match up to your goals?

Finally, goals can give you a measurable sense of accomplishment and position you to map out the plan that you will follow to achieve your goals. Denzel Washington also stated that “between your goals and achievement are discipline and consistency”. You can read more about my take on discipline and consistency in one of my earlier blog posts. Every goal you achieve, in fact every step you make toward that goal, can give you a boost of energy and momentum to keep going forward. Each success can propel you to the next level of success, so be sure to acknowledge your success whether big or small.

Now get busy setting goals!

Professional Coaching from Hope Byus LLC

For those of you who could use an accountability partner for ongoing extra inspiration, a life coach can help you to find out what you need and can help inspire you to get there. Our goal is to successfully support you in realizing your full potential and assist in giving your life a new direction. Our task oriented, collaborative sessions will help you to identify any problems and concerns that stand in the way of achieving your goals, and we will support you in applying the actions I shared earlier. We understand that breakthroughs require growth and growth requires vision followed by consistent action to successfully reach your goals.