# How to define your life goals Life goals are central to living a meaningful life. A life that aligns with your needs, values, principles, and purpose. Many people only have vague ideas about what they want from life. For many, it’s okay. For those who want to really enjoy life, it’s really important to take some time to reflect, and make clear decisions about the future. When you set your life goals intentionally, you start shaping your future. > [[You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream]] But how to define life goals? Let’s find out together! ## Grab a pen and some paper Find a quiet place, take a coffee (or whatever pleases you), and put the phone aside. If your values, principles, and purpose are clear, defining your goals should be straightforward. It’s all about deciding, what steps you could take to improve your life in the future. **Write down everything that crosses your mind when you think about what a better life would be like for you**. Write down what you dream about, what you keep pushing back to “later” (i.e., never), and why you think you’re not committed yet. ## Constraints **Think about the constraints that currently prevent you from moving forward** with some of your dreams. Are you missing resources, skills, or time? Is that really the case? Is there nothing you can do to make progress? ## Evaluate yourself One way to explore potential goals is to try and evaluate your current self. From there, you can define goals to grow. To do so, you can use the Personal Evaluation template: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i6NKWMR4B309fdf_TVIzzl6KIpfyvNj-5YdxUI3_AeU/edit?usp=sharing ![[Knowledge Worker Kit - 01.05.07 Goals - Life goals - personal evaluation example.png]] Using it is quite straightforward: - List different characteristics/dimensions you care about or need to work on in the “Dimension” column - Evaluate yourself in the second column (on a scale from 1 to 10) - The radial chart will update automatically to help you visualize areas you could improve This exercise is a great way to prioritize your time investments in order to grow. ## Think about your ideal life **Imagine what your ideal future could be like:** - How would you spend your days if you removed all your current constraints and limits? - What would success look like for you? - How much wealth would you want to have? - What are the places you’d visit, and why? - Who would be around you? - What would those people be like? - What would you spend your time on? - What would you work on? - … Exploring such questions should help you get a sense of what you’re after. ## Explore different angles **Explore from different angles**. There are many angles you can start from. From an ideal future, from a happiness perspective, security point of view, etc. A few ideas: - Personal Development - Finance - Travel - Health and Fitness - Lifestyle - Education - Family - Friends - Adventure - Pleasure - Contribution - Hobbies and Passions ## Think about the different roles you play in life You can also **think about the different roles you play in life**: - Child: Your relationship with your parents and the time/energy you dedicate to them - Parent: Your relationship with your children and the time/energy you dedicate to them - Husband / Spouse: Your relationship with your partner and the time/energy you dedicate to it - Friend: Your friendships and the time/energy you dedicate to them - Student / Learner: What you learn, and the time/energy you spend in education or training - Teacher: What you teach, to whom and the time/energy you dedicate to teaching - Worker: What you work on and the time/energy spent working - Leisure: Your hobbies and leisure activities - Community member: Your communities and the time/energy you dedicate to those - Citizen: Your civic/political/school/… activities - Homemaker: Home maintenance and management - Pensioner - … ## Evaluate your overall satisfaction In addition, you can also evaluate your satisfaction with the different roles you play in life. To do so, you can use the Roles and Satisfaction evaluation template: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e_fSZZpeUUaF1T6MFYzRHq7JW5E1f77Jf_y461cTc2M/edit?usp=sharing ![[Knowledge Worker Kit - 01.05.07 Goals - Life goals - satisfaction eval example.png]] Using it is also straightforward: - List the different life roles you plan and care about “Role” column - Evaluate your satisfaction level in the second column (on a scale from 1 to 10) - The radial chart will update automatically to help you visualize your overall satisfaction This exercise is all about being honest with yourself, and finding ways to increase your satisfaction and, consequently, your happiness. ## Consider the different “stages” of your life Finally **consider the different “stages” of your life**. You will be a different person at 20, at 40, and later. Consider what your future self would want. ## Go from vague to specific Use your list of needs, values, principles, and personal manifesto to help you define life goals. For each idea you have about your future, try to be as specific as you can. Think about the deeper **why**. Do question each of your dreams and find the profound reasons why they seem appealing to you. Look at your different dreams side by side, and think about their compatibility with each other. Maybe some of your dreams will be incompatible. You have to make hard choices. Although, many times it’s all about finding the right “sequence”. Some dreams may feel more important, and more urgent, while others can be achieved later on. Do some research to make sure you fully understand what you’re after. ## Timing is everything Armed with your list of (specific) dreams, identify the “right” order (for you!). Think about the order. Rank each item on your list, from most important/urgent to least, based on how much those would make a meaningful and long-lasting improvement in your life. Now, think about the timing. Again, think about the stages of your life. Dreaming about extreme sports might make sense when you’re 20-40, but probably not after that. So the order matters a lot. There are some things you either need to do early enough or let go of. You can use [[Reverse Goal setting]] to imagine the steps that you could take to move forward. Identify sub-goals that you need to achieve along the way. Once you have a plan (however vague), assign that goal to one of your time horizons (cfr [[What time horizons to consider]]). Finally, add your goals to your list and visual board (cfr [[How to document your goals]]), and make sure to look at it regularly, so you don’t forget about your priorities! ## Create accountability When you set goals, you need to be held accountable for (at least) trying. Finding accountability partners can help you move forward. Share your goals with others. Choose people who are also motivated to move forward in life. They’ll push you forward, and you can do the same in return. That being said, be careful when sharing your goals. Doing so releases dopamine, similar to achieving those. Don’t just share your goals. Achieve them! ## References - Personal Evaluation template: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i6NKWMR4B309fdf_TVIzzl6KIpfyvNj-5YdxUI3_AeU/edit?usp=sharing - Satisfaction Evaluation template: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e_fSZZpeUUaF1T6MFYzRHq7JW5E1f77Jf_y461cTc2M/edit?usp=sharing ## Related - [[What is your purpose]] - [[How to document your goals]] - [[Reverse Goal setting]] - [[Why time horizons matter]] - [[What time horizons to consider]]