How to Set Personal Goals
We all have different things we want to accomplish during our lifetimes. These goals may have to do with your academic or professional career. Perhaps you hope to take several trips to foreign countries before you can no longer do so. Whatever it is you hope to achieve, it's a good idea to keep a list of these objectives. Setting these personal goals years ahead of time can be the first step to achieving them.
Instructions
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Start off by writing down some long-term goals. These should be things you hope to accomplish sometime down the road, perhaps 20 to 25 years into the future. The exact nature of these goals will be determined by your age. Somebody under the age of 20 may have list items such as “having a family and a great career” as personal goals. A person over the age of 40, on the other hand, may write down “be retired” as one of her long-term goals.
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Map out each of your long-term goals. When doing this, you should list goals which you will need to achieve through the years in order to reach your overall objective. For example, if one of your long-term goals is to have “x” amount of money saved up in 20 years, write down things you will need to do in the next 5, 10 and 15 years. Doing so will put on track to accomplishing the big goal.
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Think about a few things you want to achieve in the present and list those as your short-term goals. “Getting in shape” is a common example of one of these objectives. Every item on this list should be a goal which can be achieved in the next six months. When you're finished, you should once again map out different things you will need to do in order to reach your goals.
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Write down different obstacles which may prevent you from reaching your goals. These could personal weaknesses, such as fears or your (lack of) work ethic. Obstacles can also be practical things, such as money or time. Be honest with yourself when listing these items. Only then you will be able to overcome your obstacles en route to achieving your goals.
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Tips & Warnings
Think about what success means to you before listing any long-term goals. For some, success means money and lots of it. Others view owning their own home as a sign that they've finally "made it." You must be completely honest with yourself when listing these things. Otherwise, you won't be happy or fulfilled if and when you achieve your listed goals.
List personal goals in different categories. Examples could be "financial goals," "academic goals" and "career goals." Which categories makes your list will be dependent on your personality.
Don't put a timetable on goals regarding your personal life. It's fine to say that you want to be married and have a family 20 to 25 years down the road. However, stating that you want to be married and have kids by the time you're "25 and no later" is dangerous. You may find yourself trying to achieve the goal instead of looking for love. Remember that the point of goals should be to achieve them, not to do so in an orderly fashion. Life isn't a race, after all.
Avoid listing a friend's goals as one of your own. For example, many people will look for a future spouse because a friend became recently engaged. Personal goals should be personal, after all.
