6 ways to create meaningful goals

I was lucky enough to have an interview with a PhD University student recently who invited me to explore how I work to help others set and achieve goals. The session overran as it was so interesting, and it got me thinking about how we can create the most meaningful goals possible for optimum performance in our lives.

I have put together six tips for creating and making your goals meaningful to achieve what you would like in life. 

6 ways to create meaningful goals

1. Make them your own

Other people love to tell us what we should or could be working on, right? Whether it is cutting down on alcohol, spending more time with the family, or giving up that stressful job. They might have a point, but you have to want the goal or your motivation will flag. Ask yourself if there's any element of truth in what they are saying, and if there is, how can I generate a goal that feels relevant to me? 

2. Connect your goals to your purpose

Does this goal that you're setting appeal to you? What will you get when you reach it, and what will that give you in turn?  Have a think about what you would really like to get out of life that is not currently in place, considering alternative outcomes you would like to see. Sometimes in life, we lose sight of what is important to us and need to reconnect. 

3. Know the what 

You have probably heard the expression, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got." If we keep moving forward without really having a defined path of where we are going, things won't change. So, in order to know that you are progressing in a new direction towards something that gives you purpose, it's important to have clarity about what it is. It can help to break down the goal into stages between the immediate and the end-stage outcomes. Writing it down or plotting the stages on colourful stationery can be super helpful!

4. Goals have more meaning when they are positively realistic

We can have great ideas for changes we want to see and outcomes we would like to have in life. If we feel overwhelmed by them, we are more likely to get frustrated and procrastinate. If we make our goals more attainable and have more realistic expectations, we can still count the successes we are having moving forward, even when things get in the way. If we make them manageable, we feel good about our achievements and are more motivated. Each time you achieve a step towards your goal, give yourself a reward to keep that positivity going. 

5. Approach vs avoidance

How are you framing the outcomes you want to see? Is it in terms of something you want less of or to avoid? Or does it fit into the category of approach?  There is evidence to suggest if we create 'approach goals' i.e. moving forwards, such as "to be able to manage emotional responses in tricky situations more effectively'' this will be more powerful for us than a goal, such as "to avoid stressful situations". Hey, goal I am approaching you!

6. See yourself with the end result

So, you're thinking about making a change, you have been mulling it over for some time, and it's going to take courage as it is something totally new - you might have had to weigh up a whole load of pros and cons with the decision-making process, considering the options and consequences. However, you are starting to have second thoughts, other things are going on in your life unexpectedly. How do you keep on keeping on with the goal? 

Using visualisation can be useful at this point to keep the motivation going. See yourself having achieved the goal: see yourself sitting in the new office; visualise yourself with a new client; picture yourself crossing the finish line of the local marathon; in downward dog at the new yoga class, or sitting in your kitchen feeling chilled and calm when the children start fighting again. Visualisation is powerful stuff, not everyone has the ability to do this, but if it is within your reach, use it to help with goal creation.

Thank you for reading, I look forward to your thoughts and if you are interested in having a chat about how coaching could be helpful for you, I offer a free 20 mins consultation.