Ever set a goal and not reached it? What happened? It somehow never fully got off the ground? All those beautiful plans, working out 2-3 times a week, for example? You might have a client workshop somewhere else, and not be home for your Thursday evening class. You might have prioritizes sleep because you got so little of it. You might have chosen to spend time with friends instead or gone to a business networking meeting.
If you find you have goals that are sort of around but never really gain traction, do some forensics if it fulfills these 3 criteria:
- Which area of your life is this serving? How well is that area of your life served by other things? How big is the need compared to other goals? How explicit are these goals? (analyzing where you spend your time and money in real terms can shed some light of what you actually do)
- Where did that goal come from? Is that something you want or is that a lifestyle trend you feel you should be following?
- Is the goal aligned with your values? Or is it serving one at the expense of the others? (and are you OK with that?)
Meaningful goals are aligned with our overall lives (moving them in a desired direction but not being completely opposed, or being everybody else’s idea of how we should live. They also serve the fulfillment and expression of our values. If a goal doesn’t do these things, ask yourself if you are chasing the right thing in the right places.
How do you do goal forensics? What do you discover and how do you then adjust?
Check out the values worksheet here.
Or go deeper and get the book.
Or ping me about how coaching might help.
Lior Locher 