The Importance of Goal Setting in Living Your Highest Life
When we were young, we all dreamed of how our life would be. We wove story after story about where we woudl go, who we would marry, and the great adventures that would define us.
When I was really small, I dreamed of being a ballet dancer and traveling the world to inspire people with my art. Then I dreamed of being a fashion designer who would create work for my family back in the Philippines by opening a clothing manufacturing company there. In high school, I dreamed of becoming mayor of my home town. In college I dreamed of even more things, like becoming a playwright or becoming a therapist. All to inspire and help people.
I think we all have dreams. Some we abandon as time goes on and we grow in our interests and skills. Some we put on the back burner for “someday.” Some that we can hardly acknowledge as dreams our parents or teachers or friends had for us, but they weren’t really or own.
But if you are honest, you know that to live your best life, dreams are NOT enough. It is when you set goals with clear outcomes that those dreams, the ones you know will define your highest self and best life, become reality.
Creating goals will allow you to measure your achievements and success. Goals help you to improve areas that need to change in order to reach your vision of a great life.
But before you begin to set your goals, you need to identify what your best life and highest self looks and feels like. There are various ways to do this.
Write it Down- You can sit down in a quiet place with a blank sheet of paper and begin writing down all the things you want to be, do and have in your life. Make sure you are as descriptive as possible and that you are writing in the present tense.
Vision Board- Another method is creating a vision board. I’ve done this with both magazine or images from the internet. I’ve also included words and phrases to emphasize key ideas and goals.
Mind mapping- This is another tool which can be used not only for setting goals, but planning out various projects or tasks. Mind maps can include hand-drawn images or be just words. There are even apps and online tools to help you create them.
You can choose to do one or two of these methods or even find a new way to dream your best life. But this seeing the “end in mind” is the first step to effective goal setting for all areas of your life. Whichever method you choose, make sure the life you are envisioning is inspiring and infused with your individual spirit.
Nelson Mandela said, “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
So dream. And dream BIG. Think about your life purpose. What makes you happy? Inspires you? What legacy do you want to leave?
Finding your passion and purpose is the crucial element to living your best life. And remember, there may not be only one great “passion” in your life. You may not just want to be a great writer or a successful musician or head of a company. You may want to do all those things at various times. The most important part of finding your purpose is knowing that even if it changes that this thing you want to do right now is something that lights you up and makes you feel like you are contributing to the world- your family, friends, and society in a bigger way.
Goal setting is important to creating your best life and highest self because it provides the following benefits:
Optimism
By Setting goals, creating plans and implementing them, you will see and feel yourself embracing change. You will see that the changes you are making are positive and achieved by taking action. Each step is another taken towards your goals. A feeling of pride will arise as you achieve goals, reach milestones and see the changes you have made in you5 life. These positive emotions create optimism for the future and help build strength and resilience to cope with any challenges you may encounter along the way.
Wellbeing
By taking control of your life; deciding what you want to be, do and have for yourself is incredibly empowering. Instead of feeling lost, unmotivated or depressed and anxious, a sense of excitement, curiosity, creativity, joy, passion and purpose will take over.
Each step you take towards completing your goals, will fill you with a sense of accomplishment, hope and enthusiasm. You won’t want to settle for a life of mediocrity or a humdrum existence.
All of these positive feelings reduce stress, anxiety and even depression. This, ultimately, will affect your physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.
Control
An often overlooked outcome of goal setting is gaining control. By taking control of your life by envisioning your future filled with passion and purpose, you are acknowledging that life doesn’t just happen to you. It can and should be shaped by you.
You’ve heard and read before that “Your life is in your hands.” Sometimes it may not feel that way. We allow the circumstances and situations that happen to define our long term view. This must stop now.
Every set up, can be a comeback. Every negative situation can offer an opportunity to redesign our life. Even if our passion seems to be leading is into areas which feel like failure and disillusionment, we must be strong enough and have enough self control to look again at what we are producing. Could this just be a brief detour on our way to reaching our goals?
Never be afraid of redesigning your goals and realigning your life purpose. It is only those who refuse to move when the tide is shifting that end up drowning. We are meant for greater things. We are meant to reach our highest self and best life.
To your never ending, spirit infused life!
What goals have you had that have shifted? What is your true life’s purpose? Do you believe we all only have one passion in life?