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10 Easy-To-Use Tools to Clarify Your Life Goals

ByTodd Rowley

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Making a better life for yourself—or your family—rarely happens by chance alone. Instead, you can identify and clarify your life goals with strong planning and a commitment to following dedicated steps.

Imagine having a plan, a kind-of road map, to shape your life's decisions. It doesn’t have to be a dream. Let’s make it a reality.

Start Small

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Overnight success isn’t the reality. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos famously said, “All Overnight Success Takes About 10 Years.” If anyone knows, it’s Jeff.

 

The key to shaping and changing your life is by starting small. Steps that are too big too early can sabotage your dreams before you start. 

 

Discover Your Values

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Many of us think we can easily identify our values. But many are incorrect. How we spend our time reflects our values. 

 

Oftentimes, the values we express verbally don’t align with our actions. This happens for many reasons, including schedules, family responsibilities, and other competing demands.

 

Set aside some time with your partner or a close friend and ask them what they think is important to you. How others view your values may surprise you, but it can also give you a new starting point.

 

Define Your Ideal Self

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Knowing who you are and who you want to be puts you ahead in the game of life. Every day is a new day to recreate and redefine yourself; from what you wear to how you speak, countless resources help you shape yourself into the person you want to be.

 

Consider the image you want to present to others, the knowledge you need to reach your goals, and the schedule you want to keep to help you achieve them.

 

Know Your Why

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Many people head off to work every day with a single purpose – a paycheck. Knowing your why, or the reason you set your life goals, helps shape your plans and actions. On an ongoing basis, evaluate your “why” and reflect on your behaviors – ask whether they take you closer to your goal and are true to who you desire to be. Your dreams and goals must be more than a paycheck.

 

What Are Your Long Term Dreams

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Do you find yourself reciting the common refrain, “I want to be rich and famous,” or, “I want to own my own business”? 

 

dvThat’s not enough. Take time to define what you truly want. If you want a business, define the kind of business and the reason why it’s desirable. Once you’ve defined your long-term dreams and goals, you can work backward to identify the steps. 

 

dvSimply put, you need to know where you’re going before you can plan the route.

 

Be Smart, Use SMART

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As you create your dreams and goals, use the familiar SMART format to bring them to life.

  • S – Specific 
  • M – Measurable 
  • A – Achievable 
  • R – Realistic 
  • T – Time-Measurable 

 

Using SMART for each step toward your goals and dreams will help you stay focused, and you can measure your actions toward each SMART goal.

 

Define What Brings You Joy

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Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do everything. We often get distracted from our goals simply because we take on too much. 

 

Make concerted efforts to narrow down your activities to two specific areas: those that move you toward your goal and those that bring you joy. Your life will begin to look different, and you may find a natural flow toward your goals.

 

Regularly Review Your Goals

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People rarely end their careers in the place they began. Even rarer for those with clearly defined goals and ambitions. But, it’s easy to get off track.

 

Schedule a day or half-day to review your goals. Ideally, set aside a bit of time each week to reflect on the previous seven days, then each month, quarter, and annually. Reviewing your goals regularly can help you adjust and change as needed based on your progress or changing directions.

 

Use Positive Affirmations

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Remember to give yourself credit and build yourself up. You’ll soon discover that no one will believe in you as much as you. Make it a daily practice to engage in positive self-affirmations. Use sticky notes and post them on your bathroom mirror and your computer screen—you will need the encouragement! Here are some you can try:

 

Journal Prompts to Find Your Center

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Journaling can be a huge help for finding clarity. Here are some prompts that you can use to find your way.

 

Todd Rowley is a copywriter and content writer. He’s an unabashed introvert, an only child with a curious spirit, and a lover of the Oxford comma. Originally educated as a Child and Youth Worker – spending more than 25 years in the field – he also dabbled in Religious Education and Communications Studies. After leaving social services in search of new adventures, Todd fulfilled a childhood dream by going on the road as a truck driver for a couple of years before settling down and focusing on his career as a writer. Todd writes from southern Ontario, Canada, where he resides with his wife, Susan. Discover more about Todd and his work at www.ToddRowley.com.