How To Set And Meet Life Goals In The Right Manner

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The goal-setting theory draws on the concept that our conscious thoughts guide our actions (Locke, 1968)

So can we take this assumption and apply it to the biggest and most meaningful goals we could set for ourselves – our life goals?

And what would that actually mean in terms of planning and follow-through?

Locke's seminal research has given us a lot to work with when it comes to effective goal setting But understanding goal-setting theory is only one step to creating personal life goals. In this article, we'll take a closer look at some ideas and resources to help you get on track and stay on track to succeed.

Whether you have no idea what you want or have a list a mile long, hopefully, there's something here to motivate you.

Before you continue, we thought you might want to download our three goal-achieving exercises for free These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients create actionable goals and master techniques for lasting behavior change.

What are life goals?

Life goals are what we want to achieve and are much more meaningful than just "what we have to achieve to survive". Unlike daily routines or short-term goals, they guide our behavior in the long term. There is no single psychological definition for them and they are not strictly a clinical construct, but they help us determine what we want to experience in terms of our values.

And since these are personal ambitions, they can take many different forms But they give us a sense of direction and hold us accountable as we pursue happiness and well-being our best possible life.

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Why should we set goals in life?

Many of us have dreams. We know what makes us happy, what we'd like to try, and maybe have a vague idea of how we'd go about it. However, setting clear goals can be beneficial in several ways beyond wishful thinking: here are a few.

1. Setting goals can clarify our behavior

First of all, Locke's theory of goal setting places intentions directly at the center of our behavior (Locke, 1968). Setting goals and the thought we put into creating them directs our attention to the why, how and what of our aspirations. As such, they give us something to focus on and positively influence our motivation.

Of course, there are limitations to the generalizability of this finding – simply setting goals will not drive the actions that lead us to success

We'll take a look at that soon, but for now, suffice it to say, they're giving us something to commit to. Changing careers may not be easy, but recognize that it is your goal and you will at least be able to choose the appropriate steps (Ajzen, 1991).

2. Goals allow for feedback

If and when we know where we want to be, we can assess where we are now and essentially chart our progress. This feedback helps us adjust our behavior accordingly (and when it is rewarding feedback, our brain releases dopamine, e.g. Treadway et al., 2012). By allowing for feedback, goals allow us to align or realign our behavior and keep us on track with our eyes on the prize.

3. Goal setting can promote happiness

When our goals are based on our values, they are meaningful. Meaning, purpose, and striving for something "bigger" is a key elements of happiness theory in positive psychology and the "M" in Seligman's PERMA model (Seligman, 2004)

Along with positive emotions, relationships, engagement, and achievement (which goals enable), they make up what we call "The Good Life."

In other words, life goals represent something other than daily drudgery. They allow us to pursue authentic goals of our choosing and enjoy a sense of accomplishment when we get there This means that even striving to be the best we can sometimes lead to happiness in itself, according to eudaimonic well-being research (Ryan & Huta, 2009; Huta, 2016)

4. They encourage us to use our strengths

We can become more aligned with our inner strengths and passions by considering what is most important to us Charting a course for yourself is one thing, but using our strengths to get you there has a host of other benefits

Studies show that knowing and using our strengths can increase our self-confidence (Crabtree 2002), strengthen our engagement (Sorensen, 2014) and even promote feelings of good health and life satisfaction (Proyer et al., 2013).

Using them to achieve our goals even discovering what they are can be good for our wellbeing.

4 Examples of setting life goals

Breaking it down a bit, let's use examples to see how Locke's theory of goal setting might work when applied to life goals.

As you may have seen elsewhere in our articles on goal setting, positive psychologists tend to draw on (at least) four main findings from his original work and the literature that followed (Locke & Latham, 2002; 2006).

Then we can take the 'nice idea' and turn it into some examples of goal setting. So let's assume that Jamie wants to set goals based on his passion – learning.

1 The more difficult Jamie's goal, the greater the success The challenge, in other words, is important Jamie might approach her goal with an easy task like "Help my brother with his homework," but she gets a greater sense of accomplishment when she sets the bar a little higher. An example would be "Become a Certified Teacher". At the other extreme, she might try to avoid overly exaggerated and potentially unattainable goals such as "Establish your own boarding school by the end of the year."

2. The clearer Jamie's goal is, the better he will be able to regulate his performance. Here she could specify more precisely what she wants to achieve in more detail: "Become a certified K1 teacher for asylum seekers in Svenborgia" With more precise details, Jamie can get more explicit feedback about her progress and adjust her performance accordingly – helping her on her way to success.

3. High goal commitment comes from setting important, achievable goals. At this point, Jamie was concerned with challenge and clarity (or difficulty and specificity) (van Sonnenberg, 2011). She will have to think about whether it is really important to her and whether it is realistic It's more of a principle and less of a "step" Does she understand what it entails and is it in line with her values?

4. Jamie needs to make sure she can get feedback to keep her motivated. In other words, she must be able to look at where she is along the way and compare that to her destination.

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Emily Smith is a dedicated technical consultant with years of experience creating customized solutions to meet niche requirements. Having diverse operational experience in IT and analysis, She has managed to make the most out of her career and continue down the same path.

Emily Smith 16 December 2022

Emily Smith 19 October 2022