In the spring of life, we love to set new goals, raise our ambitions and set the bar higher.

This constant improvement is a good thing.

However, we may end up turning our goals into some lofty ideals that cannot be reached, either because we think they’re not really accomplishable or because we don’t know what to do after we’ve set them. Either way, we end up having a nice little archive of goals that we would like to reach but never end up reaching.

In this article, we will go beyond goal setting and look at a larger perspective that will allow us to be flexible, focused and truly be able to transform our lives.

Goals Are Milestones to a Greater End

Let’s review what “goal setting” really is:

You’re in a spot in your life and you want to reach the next level.

Whatever that goal is, you’ll one day end up hitting it and ask “ok, what next?”.

This is the constant cycle of “goal setting”. Again, constant improvement is good but only focusing on the current goal at hand can be counterproductive.

Here’s why:

Goals by nature tend to be short term. And by short-term I mean you’ll probably accomplish them in the next 1-2 years.

So if all your focus is just on hitting a short-term goal, do these efforts support or take away from the long-term vision?

Here’s a simple example:

If I have a health goal of gaining 20lbs of muscle and for the next 6 months, I workout and eat a lot of carne asada fries and junk food to reach my gain goal – I may have reached a goal but how did that affect my overall health for when I am 60 or 70?

Direction Puts Goal In Place

Since goals are just milestones to a greater end (outcome), we need to, therefore, define what that greater end is for us.

Going back to the health example:

The greater end of losing or gaining 20lbs is being vibrant and healthy.

Defining the greater end puts our goals in place and allows us to have direction in our life. It also opens the door for flexibility, accounting for things we cannot foresee or account for.

Direction looks towards a long-term path and works through milestones (goals) in a long-term, sustainable approach.

Excel in All Areas of Life

Now that we understand what goals really are and how the direction we take defines our goals, we just need to apply this principle to the areas of our life.

An area of life or area of focus are the distinct roles you play in your life.

Each person has different areas of focus and they are defined by that person’s state, duty and vocation in life.

For example:

A mother of a 2-year-old has different areas of focus in her life than a 21-year-old college student.

To give you perspective, here are my areas of focus in order of most importance (focus) to least.

> Future family

> Service

> Family

> Friends

> Me (Health, Work & Finance)

My areas of focus build on top of one another. For example, I cannot be there for my friends or family if I am not healthy. Likewise, I cannot grow a new family if I do not have an income or work to support them.

These areas of life help me define my direction when I look to set and hit the next milestone in my life. It allows me to focus on what truly matters, be flexible in my approach and force me to think of long-term sustainable solutions.

Take a minute and review what your areas of life are and what your ideal vision is for each. This will give you the direction that will further define your milestones.

Habits: The Unsexy Truth to Accomplish Anything

So far we:

• Understand how goals are smaller pieces to an overarching outcomes
• Have direction on where we want to go
• Defined our areas of life
• Set visions for each area of life

Now it’s time to get to work.

The only way we are going to move forward in the direction we defined is by taking action.

Don’t overthink, just start. Taking action opens the door in answering the question “what do I do next?” – especially if you do not have all the answers.

Taking action opens the door in answering the question “what do I do next?”

It opens the door to flexibility, allowing us to surpass our milestones faster and more fluidly.

This is why we set direction, NOT strictly-defined goals, before we started taking action.

Once you start taking action and open a new door, you’ll come across several OTHER doors (opportunities & possibilities) that you couldn’t have imagined prior to taking action.

How do we make “action” a long-term solution?

Simple – create habits around the actions you need to take on a daily basis that will allow you to work through every milestone and allow you to be closer to your ideal vision.

Schedule your habits in your calendar or whatever tool you use to map out your day.

The actions we take today will have a compound effect in our future and family’s future if done through consistent effort.

The actions we take today will have a compound effect in our future and family’s future if done through consistent effort.

Progress = Action x Consistency x Time

Excellence lies in the midst of our consistent efforts.

Excellence lies in the midst of our consistent efforts.

Therefore, make excellence a habit and continually reflect if the actions you are taking today help you support your ideal vision.

Set the Environment

We thrive or decay in our environment. In order to support your habits, you need to set the best environment that will support you in your daily efforts.

While we cannot control everything, let’s focus on the things we can influence:

• Mental
• Physical
• People

Here are some questions you can reflect on to help you set the environment to succeed:

Mental:

• Are the thoughts or self-dialogue positive and helping me progress? If not, who can I reach out to for help or how can I change them?
• Are the lyrics in the music I listen to hindering me or empowering me?
• Are the shows I watch / books I read for entertainment align with my values and ideal vision or contrary to them? Why do I watch/read them anyway?

Physical

• Am I taking care of my body in order to have a healthier life?
• Is my physical environment (home, office, workplace) clean, organized and helpful for me to thrive?

People

• Are the people I associate with supportive?
• Am I handing out with good influences that encourage me to grow or bad influences who are not yet mature enough to help me grow?
• Can I communicate my vision and ask for support from those who live/work with me?

Progressing Forward

As you build out your daily habits, work through your milestones, and progress towards your ideal vision – take little moments to pause and reflect. Appreciate the progress you’re making on your journey and continue to strive forward in excellence.

Do Good Work,

Raul