Your Goals v Other People’s Goals

Some people are naturally goal oriented and others less so. It all depends on how your brain prefers to organise you and the activities you take on in the world.

I don’t think it’s always necessary to have a fully articulated goal in order to achieve something worthwhile. There are many habits we can adopt and use in order to keep track and move forward that don’t necessarily involve formal goal setting.

Goals and goal setting frameworks are also imposed on us at work and that’s a mixed experience for most of us.  At work, for much of the time, we’re working towards someone else’s goals. We can accept that if the exchange is fair; I’ll meet your goals and you’ll reward me fairly.

This exchange isn’t always enough. Sometimes we have to pretend that we’re just as energised and inspired about these external goals as the people who handed them out. So, I can understand how people can get goal weary. Jaded about the idea and the process.

But because so many of our goals aren’t really ours, I think it’s important to have a think about the things we really would like to do or achieve. Not because we’re short of goals - we’re not! Not because we’re not driven enough - we are!

It’s because it’s good to have some personal goals. Some things just for ourselves in a sea of other people’s goals.

These are goals that we don’t have to achieve in order to get something from them. These are goals that get us started. Things that inspire us to take a first step or start to explore something or look at options or consider doing something very different.

In reality, no one is in full control of their goal outcomes. Events outside our control affect how things pan out and there’s only so much we can do. But if we have set a goal, we can make a start on something.

Regardless of the outcome, something will have changed and possibilities will have opened up.  Goals in this context are kickstarters.

Start on something and you don’t know where it may lead to. Don’t start, and you know exactly where you’ll be.