Where Are You Going In Life? 6 Tips To Help You Clarify Where You Want To Go

Written by: Paula Costa, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

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There are many times during our life where we do not know where we are going or what will come next. We sometimes find ourselves in a routine, blindly getting through each day as one transitions into the next – rinse and repeat. This realisation may come as a shock, at first, but it can also be a great awakening! Sometimes all we need is an impulse, a push, to get us to act.

Essentially the question you have to ask yourself is “What do I want to achieve?”

Take some time to think about and write down your goals.

1. Write it down

Research shows that only 3% of people set goals and only 1% actually write their goals down. A study conducted by Dr. Gail Matthews clearly showed that people who write down their goals are more likely to achieve them. She stated that a person is 42% more likely to reach their goals if they are written down.

Furthermore, you need to make sure that your goals do not conflict with other things you want to do personally. When you are thinking about your goals, think about and write your personal goals down, too.

2. SMART goals

Make sure that the goals you write are SMART. What does this mean?

Specific: What exactly are you trying to achieve?

Measurable: How will you know when you have achieved it?

Attainable: Is it genuinely possible to achieve it?

Relevant: Is this goal relevant to your life?

Timed: When do you want to achieve this by?

3. What does it mean to you in reality?

Once you have written down your goal, think about what the effects would be if you didn’t achieve it. What is the pain that you and those you love will experience if you don’t achieve your goal, i.e., ill health, poverty, unhappiness, etc. (Why do this? Because recognising this pain is an enormous motivating force that will help you to work even harder to make sure you don’t fail!)

Then, decide what you will gain when you succeed – i.e., wealth, health, happiness, a prosperous retirement, etc. What will you see, hear and feel? And what else will your success allow you to achieve/do?

Finally, write down the key things you will need in order to achieve your goal. For example, it could be new resources, contacts, skills, actions, etc.

Repeat this process using a new sheet of paper for every single goal you would like to achieve.

4. Prioritise

Next, try and prioritise the goals you have written. Lay all of your goals out in front of you and decide which are the most important to you, which are less important and which (if any) are, on reflection, not important after all. For each goal that is still important, work out how you will achieve it, break it down into smaller steps to make it easier to manage. Plan in timescales to do each step, write them into your diary or planner. That way you make reaching your goals part of your daily activities.

5. Look at your where your time goes

It's worth having a look at how you spend your time at the present moment. Compare this to how you would like your life to actually look like. Then you can fit your goals into this as well.

To do this, look at the personal goals you set out and list the areas of your life that are important to you, e.g., family, friends, business, health, fitness, money, etc.

Make a note of the percentage of your waking time that you would like to spend in each of these areas and estimate approximately the percentage of your waking time you think you are actually spending in each area at the moment - just a rough and ready approximation here, don’t waste time trying to get pinpoint accuracy the aim is just to get a broad feel.

Then, finally, calculate the gap between the two. Looking at the gaps, does it suggest that you need to make changes in order to achieve your goals? If it does, what changes are you going to make?

6. Next steps

Think carefully about everything you have just done and thought about. What are the implications for what you are doing in your career and your life – and what should you be doing?

Transfer the things you should be doing to an action planner. Keep this somewhere where you won’t lose sight of it, so that you are reminded on a daily basis about what you want to achieve. If you think it would help, contact an advisor, mentor or coach to discuss what else you can do to achieve your goals. Sometimes it helps to go through the whole exercise with a third party, who can be more objective and help you to focus on the right things.

Final thoughts

We all go through moments in life where we wonder if we are on the right path or not. There is nothing wrong with that, it is good to take the time to reflect on your life at present and analyse whether your current actions are going to lead you to where you ultimately want to be. Furthermore, when you know what you want in life you can direct all your energy towards manifesting that. Having a clear purpose and a plan leads to having a joyous and happy life. And, that is all any of us wants, isn’t it?

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Paula Costa, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Paula Costa is a former Corporate Trainer/ Educator turned Coach and CBT Therapist. Having gone through transformational change in her own life, Paula created Soul Searching International to help others live their best life. She uses the coaching process together with the strategies from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to provide her clients with the right tools to get them to where they want to go in their careers and personal lives. Her holistic approach helps people find their purpose, align with their values and meet their goals to achieve true transformational change. As coaching is a collaborative process, Paula believes that building trust is essential in order to make real impact.