People often get a sense of purpose by focusing on their life goals. They then do something each day towards achieving their aims. This can give them a feeling of satisfaction and sometimes even a sense of peace.
There are many models for working towards your life goals. The following pages describe two of these approaches.
The Clarifying Your
Life Goals Approach
Healthy people aim to build on what they can control and manage what they can’t. They also keep focusing on their life goals.
There have been many books on this topic. One of the most influential was Alan Lakein’s 1970 book How To Get Control Of Your Time And Your Life.
Many of the ideas seem commonplace now, but many people found them helpful. Here are some ideas from the book.
Keep focusing on your lifetime goals – put these in a place where you can see these each day.
Clarify your A, B and C priorities – remember these may evolve over time.
The following pages show one way that a person can apply Alan’s approach. This can also help them with their priority management. A person can use this:
To focus on their life goals – such as clarifying their A, B and C goals together with the sub-goals under each category;
To focus on their priorities – such as the specific actions they want to take towards achieving their A, B and C goals.
As mentioned earlier, different people applied Alan’s ideas in different way. The next pages describe one framework that people use to focus on their priorities.
This is followed by a piece that describes how some people realign themselves and their daily actions with their life goals.
The Lifetime Picture
Of Success Approach
Everybody has different pictures of success. What is your picture? Looking back on your life when you are 80, what for you will mean you have had a successful life?
Many people say they want to have built a happy family and had a successful career. Some also recognise that success can mean having a sense of peace. It means looking back and feeling they have done their best during their time on the planet.
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. People often cover three themes when doing this exercise.
Positive Relationships
People may describe how they want to be remembered as a parent, partner or friend. A person may say, for example:
I want my partner and I to have given our children the opportunity to enjoy a happy childhood.
For example, I want them to say things like:
“Our parents were always there for us. They encouraged us, helped us to develop our talents and learn how to make good decisions.”
Positive Experiences
People often focus on how they want to enjoy life, pursue experiences and have no regrets. A person may say something like:
I want to have lived life fully.
For example, I want:
To have visited many countries … To have completed the book I promised myself I would write … To have made full use of my talents.
Positive Contribution
People often talk about wanting to make a positive contribution to the world. Sometimes this can lead to having a sense of peace.
This may involve them following their vocation or doing something that improves life for other people. So a person may write something like:
I want to have used my strengths to have done positive work that has helped other people.
For example, I want:
To have …
To have …
To have …
You may prefer to clarify your life goals in another way. Whatever approach you take, clarifying these goals can act as a long-term compass.
You can bear in mind these aims when making key decisions. When given the opportunity to take a new job, for example, you can ask yourself:
Will taking this step help me to achieve my longer-term picture of success?
As mentioned earlier, it can be useful to do one thing early each day towards achieving your life goals. This helps to provide a sense of meaning to the day. It also means you are doing something towards achieving your long-term picture of success.
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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