Why is it that the excitement and
satisfaction derived from goal achievement is long-term for some
goals and fleeting from others? The answer lies within the nature of
the goals.
Many people think of goals in terms
of things to achieve, or more often, things to attain, such as a new
car, a new house, a two-week vacation in Hawaii, a promotion at
work, a bank account of a certain size, and so on. These are
"tangible" goals whose achievement can be defined and tracked with
numbers - the profit projection you must hit to earn the promotion
or the amount of commission you must earn, and the amount of money
you must put away each month in order to buy the house, take the
vacation, etc.
Have you ever worked hard to reach a
tangible goal - purchase a new car, for instance - only to find that
the satisfaction of the purchase and the excitement about the new
car wore off quickly once you took delivery? Chances are, the new
car didn't fit into a larger life plan.
While tangible goals are worthwhile,
it is the accomplishment of goals that reflect your core values and
desires - your life plan - that provides the long- term sense of
satisfaction.
How do life-plan goals differ from
tangible goals?
Life-plan goals have to do with your
personal growth, your relationships, your educational and career
aspirations, your health, etc. Maybe you want to get married or live
in a particular part of the country. Maybe you dream about traveling
and going on an around-the-world trek or leaving the sales world
behind to live in the country and raise sheep. Maybe you want to go
back to school for a special degree program or learn to ice skate or
speak French. Maybe you want to lose some weight and improve your
health and fitness. Perhaps you want to develop a closer
relationship with your family, church, or community.
If a tangible goal is not part of a
larger life plan, you are likely to reach the goal and find yourself
asking, "Is that all there is?" Buying a new house is another
example. You might have been highly motivated to do whatever it took
to close enough sales to earn the money for the down payment and
closing costs. Each sale brought you closer to moving into your new
home.
Once you bought the house and the
excitement of moving in and doing some decorating wore off, what was
left? Three hundred and sixty mortgage payments, insurance and
property tax bills, utility bills, credit card payments for the new
furniture, and the monthly bill from the lawn service that
continually promises grass will eventually grow in the back yard.
What happened to your motivation? Where's the excitement now?
Suppose, however, that buying a house
was the first step in a long-term life plan. You want to get
married, start a family, and maybe convert a corner of the basement
into a woodshop so you can grow your woodworking hobby into a
home-base d business. Then, you are likely to stay motivated and
excited. Buying the house is the beginning of something bigger.
When you decide to get serious about
goal setting, a good place to start is your life plan - a
description of where you are and where you want to be in the various
areas of you life such as career, family, health, education, and so
on. It can form a framework for and impart greater meaning to your
short-term and tangible goals.
Before you begin plotting your
journey, however, you should examine your core values. You may
discover that one of your core values conflicts with one or more of
your other core values. For example, you may want to have your own
business one day and "run the show" which will require working
ten-hour days, six days a week. You may also want to have plenty of
time to spend with your family. In that situation, stick with the
goals that reflect your highest priority values. You can change or
abandon goals that reflect low priority values and that conflict
with goals that reflect higher priority values.
What are your core values? Have you
identified them? Can you list them ... describe them? If not, perhaps
it's time to give the topic some serious thought. Think about what
is really important to you. What do you want to do? What do you want
to accomplish in you life? What do you want to be known for? To help
get you started, here is a list of some values to consider. If they
hold meaning for you, add them to your list.
-
Security: To have a
secure and stable job
-
Independence: To have
freedom of thought, time and action
-
Power: To have control
of others
-
Service: To contribute
to the satisfaction of others
-
Achievement: To
accomplish important things
-
Prestige: To be seen as
being successful, as having stature
-
Wealth: To earn a lot of
money
-
Family: To have time to
spend with my family
-
Friendship: To work with
people I like and be liked by them
-
Expertness: To become an
authority in what I do
Knowing what you value at your core
and building your life plan around those values will add lasting
meaning to the goals that become part of your plan. When you
accomplish those goals, you won't be wondering, "Is that all there
is?" but instead, you'll be energized by all there is.
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Sandler Systems, Inc. All rights
reserved.
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