How to set goals that you actually care about?
What do people usually want in life? If you asked a lot of people what they wanted to achieve or what they wanted most to change about themselves, then I can bet that most people’s responses would include something along the lines:
- I want to be rich/have a million dollars/be a billionaire…
- I want to lose weight/10 pounds/be skinnier/more beautiful…
- I have no clue/have not really thought about it…
In general, a lot of people would say that they want to have the same things. Is it possible that most people in the world have the same goals and ambitions no matter their background or cultural upbringing? Of course not. We are all so different that no matter what could we have the exact same goals in life. So, what is going on here?
What happens is that humans are social creatures by their nature and because of this we tend to seek social acceptance. As a direct result, we also very often value the things which others around us find valuable. And when everyone around us says that they want to be really rich, then all of a sudden we also think that being rich would be really nice. And just like that we set ourselves objectives that we might not personally care about.
People then wonder why a lot of millionaires, super models or who ever, who is supposed-to-have-a-perfect-life are not actually happy. The exact same reason. They pursued goals that they did not actually care about. We should not envy them, because they are not happy. And we definitely should not pursue goals ourselves that we are not sure would make ourselves happy.
So how to avoid such a situation?
Well, first of all, let’s go back to square one. Let’s forget all of our current goals and think about what makes us happy. What are the things in our lives, which always make us smile. What are the things, which we never get tired of? What are the things we like doing and what are the things that we would like to be remembered about us?
I will start with myself to give you an example and encourage you to do the same.
What makes me smile? Making other people smile. Getting a surprise from someone. Getting a sincere compliment or thank you for something.
What do I never get tired of? Eating healthy food I love. Solving open-ended problems and finding out whether I was right or wrong. Learning about interesting topics. Sharing my knowledge with others. Doing things the way I think is right and not how it has always been done before.
What do I like to do? Talk to interesting people. Discover out new places. Discover ways how to make my life more efficient. Learn about things which other people do not know about. Speak up my opinion. Learn new skills. Cooking.
How would I like to be remembered? A person, who always did what he thought to be right. A person, who was never afraid to speak his mind. A person, who always admitted his fault, when wrong. A person, who always aimed to improve. A person, for whom good was the opposite of great.
There. You see. It was not so hard. Now, it’s the harder part. Finding intersecting parts and also coming up with ideas, which would combine as many different areas as possible. It is certainly not easy. Here is where trying out as many things in life as you can comes handy. The more things you try, the more you find out what works for you and what does not. I have tried out quite a lot, but I certainly have a long way to go. From all the things that I have tried, I know that I am really passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and dealing with money. This is why in my current life period I am also pursuing ideas and opportunities in those two areas.
You might ask, why am I only mentioning my professional life, but here is where I think you make a mistake. I do not have a professional life. I only have one life. And in that life I am to do things that I enjoy at any part of the day. I have found a fact that certainly rings true for me and most probably for you as well:
I am much happier and fresh after working 16 hours on something, that I truly care about, than I would be after 8 hours of doing something, that I just have to do.
Please. For the love of yourself. Find the things that you love. Find the things that you really enjoy and DO THOSE THINGS.
Life is too short to do what other people have done before us. We all have our own inspirations. We all have our own individual path. Do not follow other people’s goals. Set your own goals and pursue them.
You will find happiness. Even when you might not accomplish all of the things you set up for yourself, you will be happy on each and every day of the journey. And the journey is what it is all about. The journey is what makes You. The journey is Your life.
