How to Set Life Goals, in 4 Steps

One of the most difficult things to accept is that life has the meaning that we want to give it. And even more difficult than that is to take the step and give ourselves meaning to our existence.

In this article we will see several tips about how to set life goals, based on simple guidelines that we can develop by changing daily habits.

How to set life goals, step by step

Our existence does not obey a predetermined objective, we ourselves must be able to transform our personal growth into a coherent and meaningful project (or at least, a chain of meaningful projects). But this is not an easy thing to do. Many times we feel lost or stuck, and as much as we fantasize about a world in which it is always very clear what needs to be done, the truth is that those kinds of decisions are up to us to make. Now… how to do it? How do we begin to organize our priorities and establish in a concrete way those objectives to be achieved? Let’s see it.

1. Delimit your values

First of all, it is necessary to take into account which values ​​are most important to you and that on a daily basis shape what you consider important. In this way, you will have an outline about what is “the skeleton” of those things that you value and want in your life, and those things that you want to avoid.

To do this, write down on a sheet of paper a set of abstract concepts that account for the things that matter to you: friendship, the environment, strong emotions, etc. Then, make a selection of about 8 or 9 elements and order them, placing in the first positions those values ​​that are most important to you.

2. Make a list of attainable long-term goals

Long-term goals are those that only make sense to set as objectives to be achieved in a matter of years, or that, even though they are never completely achieved, help us establish routines. For example, learning languages, getting in shape, meeting more people, traveling, etc. So, make a list of about 5 or 6 long-term objectives, those that excite you the most so that from this scheme you can later decide in an easier way what to do.

3. Concrete your plans

In this step to establish life goals you must operationalize the way in which you will achieve those goals, taking into account realistic ways to achieve it, on the one hand, and that this way of achieving them does not come into direct conflict with your values. For example, if one of your goals is to travel but one of your most important values ​​is environmental protection, it is worth considering how to travel without using the plane, given that this means of transport pollutes a lot. To do this, establish a strategy about traveling by hitchhiking, for example, or by bicycle, train, etc.

4. Subdivide your objectives into short-term goals

You cannot live only on long-term goals; It is important to divide them into shorter time frames to get excited about the results we are achieving week after week.

Therefore, based on those goals that you have set for yourself in the long term, segment small victories that bring you closer to them in a month’s time. Keep in mind that this step is only to keep track of your progress, and you shouldn’t obsess over it. Finally, with these short-term goals you can create calendars about what your progress should be over time, so that you create a commitment to yourself and don’t throw in the towel easily. This calendar will help you keep track of whether you are achieving your goals or not.

5. Review your life goals

Over time we all change, and it is possible that a life goal stops being important or makes no sense to you after a while. This is normal and is part of the process of growth and psychological evolution. Therefore, you must monitor your progress and pay attention to whether what you do continues to motivate you and awaken enthusiasm in you. If it doesn’t, abandon those goals without judging yourself, since that in itself is not a bad thing.

Bibliographic references: