Life long goals means a task that takes a lot of planning and preparation. Life long goals could be to get several degrees or to paly at an upscale venue where only the best is allowed to perform. Life long goals are reachable but these are activities that takes a lot of planning and often involve a lot of mentors in the process.
Most people do not take the time to write down their long-term goals, and that is a mistake. The exercise of writing down goals can clarify them for most people. It can help focus on what is really important, and what’s not. It can help to identify whether a person’s goals conflict with each other, or are mutually supporting.
One of the most important aspects of having written long-term goals is to help a person focus on what steps they are taking in the immediate future– even today– to pursue those goals. For example, assume that a person has as a long-term goal to own their own home-improvement business in 10 years. The question could then become what they are doing in the immediate future to pursue that goal. It could help focus their activities from the books and magazines they read to the charitable causes they volunteer for.
For example, a person who has as a long-term goal owning a home-improvement goal might realize that volunteering at Habit for Humanity was a great way to get skills to move towards that goals. I would recommend that everyone take in hour every year to update a written statement of where they would like to be in 10 years with respect to their business, family, health, and community activities.
This is a topic that is near and dear to the hearts of my readers, researchers, and website visitors. So much so that one of them were kind enough to share their own personal opinions. I don’t claim to be the best interviewer in the world, but I do promise some good, raw, and honest answers from normal people like you and me. I do my best to NOT filter these answers, except for the bad words and hateful speech.
With that little blurb out of the way, let’s dive right into the juicy bits of (potentially) life-changing insights.
Current Topic: Life-Long Goals
‘R’ = Richard N. Stephenson (me!) ‘I’ = Interviewee (anonymous by request unless otherwise noted)
[This interview is inspired and fueled by research done for my book: Staying Motivated at Work.]
R: What are some of the biggest reasons you would ever look into this subject?
I: Always having something to work toward keeps a person focused. It can keep you balanced and in-check. If, for example, you have a life-long goal of owning a house, you are going to focus on your finances, on having gainful employment, which may mean you go to college to prepare for a career. Goals like this can help define who you are and who you become, because they shape your actions and give you purpose.
R: Sometimes, I think this kind of stuff could really help people in life – what do you think?
I: Life-long goals can shape one’s attitude about the self, that is, who they see themselves as. A goal can become part of your identity, much like an occupation may be. It can also help to establish habits or routines, if the life-long goal requires daily commitment.
R: Could this topic help regular people like me and you be better at what we do?
I: There is a Bible scripture that says: “where there is no vision, the people perish.” It is innate to the human condition to need something to strive for, a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Without goals, life becomes dreary and mundane — even depressing. Part of the beauty of the American system, is that we live in a nation in which a person can “better” themselves.
However, the drive for self-improvement is not uniquely American, but rather completely human. Through “life-long goals’ a person develops the character traits of hard-work, perseverance, and endurance. Many gifts and talents, (for example: those related to music or athletics), can only be honed and developed through long-term effort and goal setting. If a person wants to achieve all they were made to be, they must keep their eyes on the distant prize, and work hard day by day to get there.
R: At the end of the day, who would you pick to be the best at doing what matters most regarding this topic?
I: A practical and unsentimental person can be good at creating ‘life-long goals. This person isn’t afraid to dream but sees the steps to make dreams a reality. They write down their dreams and then list the steps needed to get there.
R: If you had to pick who’s the worst at this subject, who would it be?
I: A child is not good at life-long goals. Children want immediate gratification. Tests have proved that immediate gratification does not work for the success of a task accomplishment. Children don’t think about the future and only think about what they have on the table at that particular time.
R: How could the average person plan to bring this topic into the stuff they do on a daily basis?
I: When I make a lifelong goal I try to calculate every thing that will ever or can possibly come in contact with the progress I’m trying to make to fulfill that goal. I try to be realistic about everything. I also don’t try to beat myself up if I see or feel that I’m not really making progress
R: Pick a time, pick any time… when should folks out there bring this idea into their lives?
I: Life-long goals can be viewed in two ways. A lot of people want you to make life-long goals when you are young, but I don’t think that that is a good time to make them because you rarely know what you are truly capable of or where you will be when you have to make big decisions. I feel like after you complete school or are near to completing school you have a better grasp on what sort of job you’d like to be working, what house and family you’d like to have, etc. So I think in your 20’s or maybe a little after would be a good time to make realistic life-long goals.
R: When is a time you feel this topic needs to be set aside or not even considered?
I: John just entered college and isn’t sure what his major should be. He would like to set some goals for the next ten years, but doesn’t feel like he can tackle this task until he figures out what he wants to do. He decides to give it a year and hopes by then that he will know what he needs to plan for.
R: Describe where you think most people could get better use out of this topic.
I: One of the best places to make life long goals part of the daily life would be academics because it’s always an excellent time to learn and educate oneself about relevant topics. Life long goals such as researching things relevant the person’s career such as science or biology would be not only beneficial towards the person but also towards society as a whole.
Life long goals such as consistently eating healthy, exercising, and looking after ones health is also beneficial and should be part of daily life, because it’s likely to increase the life span, decrease the amount of ailments, and at the same time put less stress on the health care system, if a lot of people did this.
R: What place is this subject just totally inappropriate for?
I: I believe the worst place would be in a hospital bed cause you never know what could happen to you. It would really suck to make a life long goal and had people try to support you and you pass away. That’s what I believe.
R: What kind of person would benefit from looking into this subject further?
I: I think that high-school students could use more help with life-long goals. This is true in the area of personal finance. So many adults today don’t know how to balance their money, live within their means, or save for the future. Most people would be surprised at how easy it is to have money for retirement if you just save a tiny little bit of every paycheck.
It would also help the high-school students not blame others for financial problems, unless they have severe medical issues. Personal finance could help high-school students with life-long financial goals.
R: What special tricks, tactics, or strategies could you recommend for us today?
I: First, one has to evaluate, honestly, what they want to do with their life. If that evaluation is something that is realistically attainable, then they should consider all the steps involved in making that life long goal come to fruition.
In that analysis, they can put together a plan that allows them to consider all relevant factors, such as cost, time frame, etc. They can repeat this process until they conclude it with life-long goals that are feasible and match their desires.
R: Give me an idea of something people should avoid in learning more about this topic.
I: Some people’s life-long goals may be to be wealthy, but doing so without regards to your personal life should be avoided. When someone is on their death bed, they don’t say they wished they had worked more. Rather they say they wish they spent more time with their family. Too many people are dying to get rich and neglecting true happiness.
R: If you had to do just one thing right now to get better at this subject, what would it be?
I: Start creating a list of short-term goals now. Short-term goals are easier to accomplish and you’ll feel like you’re making more progress towards your long-term goals as you complete them. The biggest part of that advice I should highlight is doing it now! Procrastination isn’t your friend!
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Thank you for reading this personal journey into becoming a better person and having a better future ahead of you. I hope you enjoyed this interview conversation and found golden nuggets you can immediately apply to your daily life.
If you want to get more productivity (and fulfillment!) out of your work, career, and life through being more motivated, then check out Staying Motivated at Work.
Please feel free to share your thoughts, comments, or personal life-changing wisdom below.