Why is it important to have a goal in life?

Why is it important to have a goal in life? If you have no target to focus on how do you know what you are aiming for! Having goals is not just for those of you who want to be successful in business. Everyone must have goals in order to be successful in life too! It pushes you to be better! You want a life that you can be proud of and have no regrets, when you are laying there on your deathbed.

Sorry to be so blunt……but when people, who are dying, are asked what they regret the most about life? The most popular reply is regret for the things they didn’t do, not for the things they did do! So how do YOU want to feel at the end of your life? Do you want to feel fulfilled or have regret?

Feeling stuck

Many of us are just trying to get through the day performing our daily tasks. We end up slave to our daily routine which is repeated over and over again, which is when we feel like we are on a hamster wheel. We go through the day aimlessly and over time we feel stuck and sometimes this can lead to depression.

Imagine you are on a treadmill, it doesn’t matter how fast you are going, you are never going to get anywhere. Just like in life, even if you are keeping busy all the time it doesn’t mean you are getting anywhere. If you feel like this, it’s not your fault, it’s because you have no sense of direction, you need to have a goal to aim for.

One of the reasons why goal setting is unbelievably important!

One of the reasons why goal setting is unbelievably important is because of our RAS, our “reticular activated system”. This is part of the brain which is like a gateway to our mind. It filters out the millions of information that is going on around us and only lets us see the things that are important.

This is where goal setting comes in, if you have goal to be healthy and fit you are setting your RAS to spot things and opportunities that apply to this goal. Your RAS will allow things that align with this goal you have set. You are programming your filter.

For example, maybe there’s a pair of earrings you really like, and then suddenly you start noticing people wearing them everywhere. Have people only just started wearing those earrings or have they always been around. They have most probably always been around, however your RAS has received the signal of how important these earrings are to you and that’s why you have now started noticing people wearing them.

So what does that have to do with goals? Well if you set a goal to focus on , what do you think will start showing up? Your RAS will help you, and work with you. Having goals will bring opportunities to you, your RAS will start noticing things relating to your goal and will highlight opportunities. Just be careful you don’t focus on the negative, it will bring more focus to whatever you focus on.

The benefits of having a goal

• Having a focus – something to aim for, activates your RAS
• Can help you prioritise tasks – what matters?
• Having sense of purpose – feeling like you are making a difference.
• Feel a sense of achievement – release of dopamine (feel good hormone).
• Can measure your progress – comparing yourself to you last week.
• The process can be exciting – while chasing results and then when you see results.
• Stops you comparing yourself to others – you may have different goals, you may be at different stages of your journey, focus on your goal!
• You own it! – Taking ownership means taking responsibility, having an invested future in it. Being accountable.

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Having a goal and making it a project!

So go out and get a goal, or call it a project! What goal will make you feel energised, and satisfy you? What is meaningful to you? Get interested in a project that is worthwhile to you. Something that you feel excited to be working on!

We are built to have something to work towards otherwise we end up feeling lost, aimless, and have no interest in what we do.

Dr. Maxwell Matz, described in his book “Psycho-Cybernetics”, a man is like a bicycle. It “maintains it’s poise and equilibrium only so long as it is going forward towards something……..trouble is you are trying to maintain your balance sitting still, with no place to go. It’s no wonder you feel shaky.”

So like a bicycle, man needs to be moving forwards. We are built to constantly have goals to strive towards, problems to solve, obstacles to overcome. Otherwise we become lost, and have no interest and wander around aimlessly and purposeless.

“3 R’s” to setting goals

Every month I enjoy the chance to review, re-adjust and refresh my goals. I call it my “3 R’s” to goal setting. Most people set goals at the beginning of the year and forget about them. However having this monthly review session, gives me a chance to keep check that I am heading towards my goal.

Review – gives me a chance to assess how my month has gone. It usually feels like I haven’t done much, however looking back in my journal I always have many wins to celebrate! This gives me a booster. Re-adjust – is look at what isn’t working, so that I can make adjustments rather than keep heading in the wrong direction. Refresh – is wiping the slate clean and starting afresh. What do I want to achieve this coming month? Look at what’s important for this month.

The importance of monthly review

The importance of a monthly review is that our priorities can differ from month to month. What matters during December, eg. family time and Christmas, will differ to January’s goal setting and new starts. So respect that you can’t be working full steam ahead every month on the same thing.

Always give yourself grace. Setting your monthly goal and focus enables you to feel confident that you have everything covered. You won’t feel guilty and distracted when you are with your family. You have it scheduled in and therefore can be fully present. You know work will be back on the high agenda next month.

From experience, if family time is not scheduled in, there is the possibility of resentment from either side. You could feel guilty about not doing work or your family could feel pushed aside and unimportant when you are working. This is about setting boundaries and is another important topic altogether.

Daily Intentions

I think it is important for me to mention that your monthly goals are different to your daily intentions. Daily intentions are 3 things you must accomplish that day no matter what. Therefore when you set them make sure they are achievable. Do not set these like a to do list. They are your priority and must be completed by the end of the day in order for you to say “it’s been a great day”. Do not set unobtainable intentions or you are just setting yourself up to fail, and feel bad because of it. That is not what we are doing here. It’s about pushing you to do your best.

To summarise

Having goals is important for everyone who wants to have a life where they can say “Yes I did my best”. Not one where they say, I wished I had tried that! It gives you a focus and keeps pushing you forward to improve yourself and grow. If you are not growing and improving yourself you could end up stuck. This may go unnoticed for a while, however eventually you become resentful and may become agitated or even depressed and withdrawn.

I have shown you how the Reticular Activated System (RAS) works. Set goals and use it to gain an advantage to achieve what you want. Make use of your mind and let it be your radar by helping you seek out opportunities opened to you.

Keep on track every month by using my “3 R’s” – Review, Re-adjust and Refresh, and you will start to feel empowered that you are heading in the right direction in life.

Setting daily intentions gives you 3 small wins every day and it will encourage you to keep going and do more.

Having goals helps you look forward to the future, if you are not looking forward you are not “living”.

This leaves me to say, enjoy the process, and make this an unforgettable year!

Keep Living Agelessly,

Kath xoxo