Having goals can help you live the life you want. It can give you a focus and some direction. This article outlines why setting goals can be beneficial for your wellbeing. It also discusses how your character strengths can be used to assist you in setting and achieving goals.
The benefits of goal setting
Hope and optimism
Goals give you a focus and something to look forward to. Your life has a purpose, increasing your feelings of hope and optimism. Whether your goals are long term or short term, you are giving yourself a reason to get up in the morning. The link between hope and goal setting goes both ways. Thinking about and planning your goals can increase a feeling of hope and optimism.
This optimism can then boost your ability to achieve your goals. It will also assist you in planning more goals in the future. A person with hope is able to define their goals, know how they are going to get there and are motivated to achieve them. Furthermore, hope will help a person work through any complications and so not give up when things get difficult.
Taking control
If you set and achieve daily goals, this will add up to some major goal accomplishments at the end of the year. And it's all your own work. Happy people take control of their lives, rather than just drifting or let others make the decisions. Recognise the feeling of control and empowerment as you establish and then accomplish your goals.
Imagine you have a deadline at work (something you cannot control). However, how would it be if you made the decision to meet that deadline ahead of time? Or if you are the sort of person that tends to go over deadlines, making excuses all the way, turn this around and work hard to meet that deadline.
Recognise how much you can do. Even a shift in attitude can give a feeling of mastery. Being able to overcome hurdles and developing a more constructive attitude to the things you cannot control is a great confidence booster.
Flow experience
By setting yourself regular, meaningful goals you position yourself to encounter more flow experiences (a concept defined by Csikszentmihalyi). A flow experience is one where your whole consciousness is absorbed with a particular activity. Thoughts of time and other needs (such as hunger) are forgotten. Positive psychologists generally agree that the more flow experiences a person has, the happier they are. Goals give us something we can actively get involved with, which is an essential ingredient to a flow experience.
To achieve this state it is important to have a clear purpose. So clearly defining your goals is a good start. Also, you will want to choose a goal that is challenging for you, but is not out of your depth. If it is not challenging enough, you will almost certainly become bored. It is worth reviewing your goals on a regular basis to help keep you motivated.
Furthermore, try to obtain regular feedback so you are aware of how you are doing. Support from others can be a good idea, else make sure you track your progress in some way. Goals and the flow experience have a good relationship. By setting goals we enhance our chances of experiencing flow. By experiencing flow, we are more likely to achieve our goals.
General wellbeing
Having goals in our life is good for our wellbeing. It provides us with an opportunity to go on a journey which we can learn from and enjoy. It helps a person appreciate their capabilities, gives life a purpose and increases optimism. As such, it can reduce stress and help reduce the chances of developing depression. Carrying out goal-related tasks gives a person focus and increases happiness. Support for the benefits of undertaking intentional activity comes from research by Lyubomirsky, Sheldon and David Schkade.
Goal setting and your strengths
When setting and working on your goals, consider how you might use your personal strengths to help you achieve your objectives. It is worth knowing what your top strengths are as these are the ones that are most effortless to use and so drawing on them should be a great motivator.
Consider how the following strengths may assist you when setting up your goals:
Curiosity, creativity and love of learning may assist you in your brainstorming. This may be useful when you are considering which goals to set, how you are going to achieve them and ways to overcome potential difficulties.
Bravery can help you reach for those huge goals you've never quite got off the ground. This strength will enable you to act, in spite of your misgivings.
If persistence is your strength, then you are sure to achieve the goals you set yourself.
Having humour as your strength will enable you to laugh if things go wrong, as you see the lighter side of life.
Prudence can help you set the right goals as you are able to consider whether the goal you think you want now is one you will want in the future. Being authentic means you will remain true to yourself when setting your goals. It ensures you are doing them for yourself and not other people.
Another way you can make use of personal strengths when setting goals, is to actually set a goal dedicated to developing a particular strength. For instance, you might want to work on being kinder, so decide to volunteer at an organisation that helps other people.
Alternatively, you could use goal setting as an opportunity to nurture a particular strength, although the strength is not a goal in itself. For instance your goal is to write a novel. However, along the way you decide to exercise your gratitude strength and so make a conscious effort to acknowledge those people who assisted you in working towards your goal.
Whatever goals you set yourself, enjoy the process and think how they are benefiting you along the way.
Copyright Julia Barnard 2008
Julia Barnard is a professional counsellor living in Adelaide, Australia. She provides an online counselling service through her website http://www.makethechange.com.au, which offers counselling at a time and place that suits you. Julia also publishes a quarterly ezine and writes articles for the website aimed at enhancing wellbeing and promoting good mental health.
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