For over forty years, I’ve taught, written, coached and promoted the importance of setting and achieving clear, meaningful and personal goals. And for over 17 years, SuccessNet has published tools, systems and courses designed to help people clarify, concentrate and consistently work toward their most important goals.
Goals are important. And having them is clearly light years ahead of NOT having them.
But goals must be set in the context of a well-designed life. We have to know our core values. We must abide by our principles and we certainly have to set priorities. We may be able to accomplish ANYTHING we want, but we can’t accomplish EVERYTHING we want. And so carefully choosing which goals we will commit to achieving is paramount to having an ideal life.
Because, you see, accomplishing goals will not make us happy. Yes, there’s the thrill of achievement, which lasts for a short while, but unless we have other goals to achieve and, more importantly, a bigger purpose, we will likely end up feeling empty and unfulfilled.
No matter how good goals might be, and how much they may support who we are and what we’re about, they simply aren’t enough—unless they are part of something bigger.
Many success teachers talk about goals, but few talk about designing a life that includes those goals.
How many people do you know who have truly designed their lives ahead of time? How much time do most people invest in getting acutely clear on what a happy, fulfilling life will be? We might have clear plans for a home or a business we want to build, but the LIFE plan is typically only a partial picture at best.
If we use reverse engineering, we can envision the autumn of our lives and look back at a life we lived. Was it happy? Were we successful in the most important things? Do we have any regrets? Or are we pleased and content with a life well lived. I think it’s unrealistic to expect full contentment if we have not defined ahead of time what our ideal life will be.
What about you? Have you designed your ideal life? Have you thought about your environment, your friends, your colleagues, income, security, adventures—and micro-adventures? I’m advocating something more than a “bucket list”. I’m asking you to get as detailed as you possibly can about the what, why, how, when and where of your ideal life.
It’s my intention to give you the tools, systems, templates and structure to DESIGN your life.
Because if you don’t design your life, guess what? You will have to deal with the default—and that could be anything. If you don’t design your life, other people will. And guess what they’ve got planned for you—either nothing or not much. This is your life. It’s the only life you know for sure that you get to live. Let’s make it a masterpiece.
Resources . . .
Your Core Values
Our most popular course—and a critical piece to designing your ideal life.
http://successnet.org/ycv/
The SuccessNet Goal Planner
Determine what you really want, prioritize your goals, stay focused and remain consistently moving in the direction of your dreams with our Goal Planner. (pdf format)
http://successnet.org/GoalPlanner/
Best Life Personal Self-Assessment
Discover where you are so you can go where you want to go and become who you want to be.
www.SuccessNet.org/O-BLPS
This article was originally published on SuccessNet.org in 2011.
