All experts in psychology emphasize that having vital goals is essential in order to have a full life. We need to have goals that encourage us to keep going and even overcome adversity.
What are life goals?
These are goals that we want to achieve throughout our lives . Some of these goals we will achieve soon, others may take us many years, and some may remain a mere wish.
In any case, these goals give us motivation and can change as the years go by and our situation varies.
Life goals can be of many types. For example, there are those who feel fulfilled by forming a family and those who do so by succeeding professionally. Some prefer money and material things, while other people have less tangible goals, such as being happy.
The important thing is that we have several goals . Thus we do not focus all our efforts on one thing and develop more on a personal level. In addition, if we only have one goal and we do not reach it, the feelings of failure and frustration will be much greater , which could affect us significantly on a mental level.
What should the life goals look like?
Each person is free to set the goals they want to achieve in their life, but what is advisable is that they are SMART . That is, specific (specific), measurable (measurable), achievable (achievable), realistics (realistic), time (programmed in time).
To find a vital goal that is SMART, we must ask ourselves a series of questions:
- S: what do I really want?
- M: how will I know if I have succeeded?
- A: what do I need to reach my goal?
- A: what can I do to reach the goal?
- T: how long would I like to have reached that goal?
Financial freedom and life goals
Although we are detached people and capable of living with little, we all need to have money . It is true that this does not bring happiness, but it can be of great help when it comes to achieving our vital goals .
For example, if my dream is to know China, its culture and its people, I will have to travel for a long time, so I will need money to be able to survive during the period that I am abroad.
The same goes for retirement. If my goal is to retire from work before reaching 60 and go to live on the beach, I need an economic mattress that allows me to live peacefully the years that remain without depending exclusively on a public retirement pension.
Hence, one of the life goals of many people is to achieve financial freedom , because this is often the first step to achieving other dreams .
Whatever your life goals, the important thing is that you don’t just focus on one mint and work towards them . You may or may not get them, so don’t forget that enjoying the journey is just as important as reaching your goal.