We all have to learn sometime – gear up and get out there!
Riding a bike is tough. Your parents, people who love you more than anyone else in the world, slap these feeble pads all over your body, put you on this crude, rude, evil looking thing called a bike, and then set you off on your way. You don’t really know what’s going to happen or where you’re going, all you know is that you are prepared for something bad and hoping for the best.
But you trust your parents, you trust the equipment, you trust that it’s been done before, you just plain trust that unless the world ends today, most things are going to turn out all right. So you hit the floor 15 to 20 times, you eventually get it down pat, and you’re cruising down your street as the new champion of your neighborhood.
This is sometimes how I feel when I run across goal setting type material and I really don’t have any major things to work on. I mean, how am I really supposed to understand and utilize this awesome goal information without having a thing to apply it to?
I have no shortage of projects or tasks or things to work on right now, but there was a time when I wasn’t so hip-to-the-square when it came to goals and making things work. As a matter fact, one thing I wish I had had at that earlier time was someone to give me some guidance when it came to where to start.
Well, that’s what got for you here today.
8 Types Of Goals As Universal Examples
The following are eight categories of goals that pretty much pertain to anyone and everyone all across the world – and I’ll say the universe since I don’t know any extraterrestrials. If you’re looking for direction when it comes to goal setting and where you should go from this point but you don’t necessarily have something to start with, consider doing one example from each of these categories every single month until you’re situated and are very familiar with the process. Here they are:
- Chaos – These are challenges, issues, and problems with relationships, dirty or unorganized areas of your house, books you don’t plan to read again, grime in the bottom of the freezer, or just plain old junk laying around the house or work that you don’t need anymore.
- Outreach – These are the goals that allow you to get up and show some concern, offer help, give thanks, or just recognize something in someone else. People contact at its best and brightest.
- Success – This is some deliberate effort on your part to do something that will enhance your level of success. Whether that is one small step closer to more wealth, greater returns, higher efficiency, or less debt doesn’t matter – as long as it’s something to take your success up a notch.
- Learning – Pick a topic or subject and get one step closer to learning more about it. This is a good goal category to pick up on those things you’ve always been interested in but never really thought you had the time to look them up. You do – do it.
- Fun – Something special, creative, entertaining, or just plain different for you. Let your mind be free and reward yourself for all of the other not-as-fun things you do every single waking moment of your life!
- Family – Do something extra special with, for, or around your family. Write one of them a letter, make a couple of phone calls, send an email or two, or take one of them out to dinner. Don’t be afraid to talk and have a good time already!
- Health – Here is where you get one step closer to living a healthier life. Commit to eating a little less fat, a little more green, 5 more minutes of exercise, 15 more minutes of sleep, 20 minutes less TV, 15 minutes more “outside time”, or one less stressful event in your weekly life.
- Faith – Here is where you get to the real core of your fuel and work on something that will enhance your spiritual life. 5 minutes of meditation or reflection, an extra prayer for 1 more person, say grace a few times in public, say a quick prayer when you get frustrated, or just make an effort to give another person a chance when they do you wrong.
Now I know I mentioned this is probably only useful to people that don’t know how to do goal setting activities, however I think this is a good list of goal types that everyone should incorporate into their activities regardless of how much they’re doing or how proficient they are.
For instance, I have a veritable metric-butt-ton of stuff going on at any given time now, but I decided to go ahead and take on the [Chaos] goal category in order to see just how applicable I can make it to my life.
Oh boy, let me tell you what. I started noticing all kinds of little things that needed touch ups or two here, fixes there, organization here, throwing away there, and general all-around un-Chaosing. I immediately set SMART Goals for cleaning out my car, cleaning out parts of my garage, cleaning under my sink, and getting rid of a whole bunch of stuff I don’t need from the recesses of my house’s dungeon – I left the magical dragon alone.
I don’t know whether there was some type of unconscious awareness of the physical chaos and this was causing a mental clutter before, but having these messes actually taken care of has freed up some of that tied up mental goofiness inside. It’s probably something best left unsaid and to be fully experienced by your own experimentation soon.
Here A Goal, There A Goal, Everywhere A Goal
Whether you’re a “Getting Things Done” (GTD) David Allen guru, an overworked high school teacher with 1,000,000,000 and 1/2 students, or just a plain old regular Joe like me that wants to do things just a little bit better, having some form of goal to work on (even if it’s just from the eight categories above) will focus your energies into a plainly visible path to achievement.
If you’d like a Job Aid / Cheat-Sheet that has all of this in one spot (along with the SMART and RED-E goal setting and achieving criteria added), then check out the SMART and RED-E Goal Setting Cheat Sheet.
We all have to start riding our bike at some point in time. We have the tools, we have the drive, we have the will to keep going, and we know it’s been done before… so let’s try to minimize our falling by focusing on what’s already available in preparation for what is to come. Get on that bike, put your feet on the pedals, and be the champion of your neighborhood.
What’s your most recent major accomplishment and how could a better understanding of it help your fellow readers here?
photo by Fort Rucker on Flickr