Long-term Goal Setting

When I define long-term goal setting I am referring to goals for the next few years- really ultimately where you see yourself ideally in 5 years. When setting long term goals for yourself it’s important to ask yourself these questions: 

Do my goals align with my values? 

As a successful entrepreneur told me “How you do everything is how you do anything.” If your goals don’t align with your values then why would you ultimately want those goals?  This really comes down to what do you value in life? This can include helping others, making a difference, spending time with family and friends, etc.

Are my goals going to create the life I want? 

This is key! When setting goals really think if by achieving X to get to Y, is Y really were you want to be? Often our goals are very single-minded and can be confused with passions. For example “if I get a better job that pays better I will be happier…” this is entirely false because you will still be working for someone or a company and may have more money, but probably not enough money to create the life that you want or you will be sacrificing your time for money. For example, a better goal would be “I want to build an asset to become financially free, so I can spend time more time with my family and travel the world”

How do I plan to achieve my goals? 

So many people have big dreams and goals but no actual plan to achieve them. Without a plan, they are simply just dreams. It also brings about the question are you willing to do the work to achieve your goals? Success never comes without hard work, determination, sacrifice, and consistency. It really comes down to how determined and how bad do you want to achieve your goals. A successful entrepreneur also said “The key to success is follow-through”  Setting daily habits or tasks to achieve your goals is key. You may have to do several small tasks or develop habits (which you may not see results immediately) before you can ultimately reach your bigger goals.