Goal Setting for Future You

It’s a new year. Maybe you’ve seen lots of posts and articles about goal setting because that’s what we do around this time of year. Why?

Having a goal gives us something to focus on. Our brains can be like small children and easily distracted unless we give them something to concentrate on. Without goals, it’s so much easier to become reactive in our life to external circumstances and other people. Goals make it easier to focus on what’s important in our lives and block out the mindless drama.

Most of the goals we set are short-term goals. We think of weeks or months ahead rather than 5 or 10 years down the track because we are busy putting out the fires of today. I believe we deny ourselves huge opportunities when we forgo having long-term goals. The growth that comes with having a goal that is bigger and more delayed yet still important and requiring massive action is huge. It requires a different mindset and skillset than short-term goals.

The irony is, as we may know, we tend to underestimate what we can get done in 5 years and overestimate what we can do in 1 year.

Short-term goals can be fun and satisfying. They may be short and intense, and sometimes we exert willpower to achieve them. Long-term goals require commitment and focus. There’s limited room for willpower when we have a 5-year goal because it’s going to run out, which means we will need to develop our own determination, motivation, and self-integrity. Imagine your future with those new tools in your toolkit.

Long-term goals are opportunities for massive growth, not just marginal improvement. Many of us set new goals by looking add at what we did last time and adding a little bit more. This approach is fine if you want a small improvement, but if you want to go big, you need to think big, and that includes your goals.

What is the goal you set for 2023? Now, double it. Triple it. Imagine 10xing it? Who would you need to become to achieve that goal? Sounds scary? Then maybe you’re on the right path…