Setting Personal Goals: Define Success For Yourself
When you go through the process of setting personal goals, make sure that you are the one to define what needs to be achieved to meet those goals successfully. Society, culture, family and friends may all have their own definition of success and those definitions can vary greatly. What matters is what you believe, not what others believe. So before you go with what society thinks, first stop to determine what is important to you.
The goals we set for ourselves generally stem from those things that bring us joy and a sense of fulfillment. They are shaped by passion, curiosity and the foundational principles on which we have been raised. Therefore, what we define as success is unique to each of us.
The experiences we have will always play a role in our definition of success. We are the sum of both our good and our bad experiences. If we see and admire someone who selflessly gives of their self to others, those traits become part of what we then call success. If on the other hand, we see someone who is outwardly successful by society’s standards, but has paid the price of that success with notoriety or loneliness, our own definition of success may include avoiding that which makes the other successful.
Our upbringing also helps to shape our definition of success. How many of you have thought to yourself, “I sound just like my mother or father.” Regardless of how we may have felt at the time our loved ones dropped those pearls of wisdom, we often find later in life that those wise words have become part of the corner stone of what we believe is right for ourselves and others. At times though, we find that our upbringing may hinder us or be behind a tendency of setting personal goals that are lower than we are capable of achieving. We may find that because others have not reached their own goals successfully, that they impose a belief that we will not succeed to a greater degree than they have. These are times to challenge those beliefs and recognize your potential of reaching a higher level of success.
Our emotions and feelings also play a role in setting personal goals and our ability to successfully reach those goals. While we don’t want emotion to rule our lives, it often provides us with the inspiration needed to reach our goals. Pride of accomplishment, joy in a task and even anger over a perceived wrong can shape what the goals we set.
In the end, the definition of success you will strive for when you are setting your personal goals is uniquely your own. Allow these parameters for success to act as guides for you along the path you take toward meeting the personal goals that you have set.
Warmest regards,
SherryD
So great to see this pointed out Sherry.
A woman I knew was greatly distressed because all her family (parents, and siblings) thought that property was absolutely the best investment, and they all owned some. She had no interest in buying property, but the fact that it worked for them plus the pressure they put on her because of that, made her very uncomfortable. It took a lot for her to stand up to them and be true to herself, and NOT buy a house because she knew it wasn’t a goal of her own.
This is also touches on the 5 main areas that we draw from to form our beliefs:
1. Evidence
2. Tradition
3. Authority
4. Association
5. Revelation
You’ll notice only one of those, 1. Evidence, has any bearing in fact.
It can be very interesting and revealing to look at what we want to do, and why we want to do it.
Belief Systems´s last blog ..Best Wishes for Your New World of 2010
Thanks for the tips, i will improve even more!
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What a great comment from Belief Systems. Its funny because it wasn’t all that long ago when I learned, much to my dismay, that the correct way of thinking about the purchase of a home is as a liability and not as an asset. It doesn’t become an asset until the debt owed is less than the market value or if it is producing an income for you as it would if it was rented out.
I agree with this woman that owning property is not always best for everyone. For myself, having the maintenance of my home taken care of by the property owners leaves me free to pursue other interests. It is especially great when they do the shoveling on those cold winter days.
Great article and good advice. So many of our beliefs (and therefor our actions) are on autopilot. We really never assess where those beliefs come from unless something inspires us to do so. And that inspiration isn’t always pleasant.
I also believe that emotions play a role in accomplishing your goals. You have to be excited and inspired to reach a goal. I have set a few goals for myself in 2010 some challenging and some not so this way I will feel accomplished no matter how many I accomplish!
Too often we put our lives on autopilot and never really get into anything. In order to make your goals, you have to participate!
How true Dave.
And don’t just set goals when a new year starts. Always be working towards your goals.
I m agreed with you Dave.Setting up personal goals are of huge importance for success in college as well as in general. Why? Because as humans we need explicit guidelines or else we might find ourselves lost in the wilderness of our own thoughts.
Without personal goals life can be an aimless journey lacking positive direction and achievement.A solid personal goal setting system is the key to effective time management and life planning.The definitive guide to personal time management and goal setting skills and techniques. Includes articles, tips, software and other personal development.
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Establishing goals is the bedrock of living an emotionally healthy life. If we aim for high goals, that is indication of ambition. And if we actually achieve these goals, that is a signal for success and determination.