Three Elements of Clear Personal Development Goals

Goals breathe life into our dreams. Goals keep us aligned, propel us forward, and provide accountability. Goals help to make our dreams tangible and possible. If you are a big dreamer, it’s important to create realistic goals to achieve that audacious dream. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. Goals help create a plan that makes your dream achievable.

Establishing Personal Development Goals

It’s important to set measurable goals to move forward in life as an active participant and not a passive bystander.

There are three pillars to look at as you create your personal development goals. They need to be guided by purpose, supply direction to you and be made to last.

Goals: Guided by Purpose

Goals should be infused with, and guided by purpose. This is the first pillar one must address in establishing personal development goals. What do you wish to accomplish? The purpose of goals is to create a path to take instead of aimlessly moving around in life. The next question to ask is, “What is your divine purpose on this earth?”

Before you were born, God gave you a unique purpose that only you can fulfil. We might default to a general purpose of existing to love God and love others, which is definitely true. But there’s a chance God has designed you to accomplish something specific during your time on this earth that extend beyond general purposes of worshiping God, loving others and making Him known.

Personal development goals tap into your individual purpose. This might seem like a lofty subject and cause some anxiety. You might know even know what to eat for dinner, nevermind what your purpose is. Sometimes instead of asking, “What do I do for a living?” you should ask, “What am I passionate about?”

Not everybody is fortunate enough to be doing what they love for their job. For example, you might be a school bus driver, but your passion is writing books. However, if you combine your job with your passion it might look like writing a children’s book about a school bus driver.

Many people work to fund their passions. They might be in a corporate office during the work week, but on the weekends that money is being pumped into repairing homes for those in need in the community.

It’s okay to not be living our ideal purpose from the moment you wake up until you go to bed at night. Maybe you are passionate about helping others and landed a job as a social worker. Everybody has a different path they’re on. There is not a right or wrong way to live out your purpose.

The answer to what you are passionate about or who you want to be can give you clues about your individual purpose. If your goals are aligned with this, you are moving in the right direction. You just need to have the courage to start somewhere.

Finding Your Purpose

Prayer should always be our first response, not last resort. Nobody knows you better than your Creator. Ask God to reveal to you how he has designed you specifically, what good works he created in advance for you to do and to put people in your path that point you to your purpose.

This can be a frightening prayer, but God will reveal to you more about your purpose. He is a good father who wants to be near to you during this journey of discovery. Remember, where He leads you might not make logical or financial sense. This is where your faith and trust collide. Following God’s purpose for your life will bring the satisfaction that no paycheck ever could.

It’s okay to test different activities out to discover your purpose. You might want to look into volunteer opportunities or try new things that broaden your horizon. Maybe you are the next professional painter but have never tried your luck at art. You will learn as you go where God wants you and what He is calling you to do.

Purpose compels you forward. It’s more than a side hustle. It ends up consuming you! It will end up impacting all areas of your life. It’s time to find and step into your purpose. Everything we ever want is usually on the other side of fear. Don’t be afraid of what God is whispering to you.

Goals Give Direction

If you’ve ever found yourself in a dead-end job then there is a good chance you weren’t following goals guided by direction. It’s important to break goals down into short-term and long-term goals. Where do you want to be in life and when do you want to be there?

For example, maybe a goal you have is to be a homeowner. You would need to first decide when you want to be a homeowner by setting a realistic goal based on the amount of money you can save for a down payment.

In the short term, what do you need to do to become a homeowner? Maybe you need to cut out certain line items from your budget or pick up a second job to pay off your current debt. There are many small changes you can make to reach your goal by the deadline.

Let’s talk again about purpose. Maybe you feel God calling you into full-time ministry. You might need to research a school you can attend to get the proper certificates. Maybe you sense God is calling you to become a hairdresser to provide haircuts for the homeless. You’ll want to look into a school you can attend to become licensed.

It’s important to write down all your thoughts, goals and dreams. Keep them close to you and read your goals and dreams often – every day if possible.

Dreaming is easy. Anybody can dream. Executing the dream is where the true test is. Personal development goals require perseverance, courage, and energy. Even if you have to wait before beginning down a path, remind yourself daily of your goals.

Start big with your goals. Just think about if money, time, location, or talent weren’t hindrances to reaching your goals. It’s easier to accommodate obstacles when you have clarity on where you are headed.

If you don’t have a long-term vision, those obstacles can transform into goal-crushing roadblocks that impede your progress. Dream big, understand what your end goal is and maneuver around obstacles as they come. Let your purpose and God’s power make you unstoppable!

Goals are Manageable When Made Well

Don’t sabotage yourself right out of the gate by creating poorly made goals. Personal development goals should be created in such a way that you are positioned for success.

Setting a goal to “fly to the moon” is probably not realistic for the average person. Many big businesses use SMART goals in the workplace. You might be familiar with this method of goal setting. Smart goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound.

Let’s take a look at a scenario in which these all can be applied. Let’s say your passion is to be a life coach and help people take their next steps, but you are currently working in a corporate office. You might want to set a deadline on went to leave your office job and work backward to create a timeline.

For example, in the next 90 days, you must have three clients. Now, to get those clients you will want to create a marketing or networking plan to reach those three new clients in 90 days. Maybe you host a free webinar, attend networking events or start an email campaign to your contacts.

You want your goal to be feasible. It wouldn’t be realistic to set a goal of having three clients in one week while you are also working full time. It’s not fun to create impossible goals that will leave you disappointed if you can’t achieve them.

Time-bound is one of the most important aspects of goal setting. If you don’t have a date set, you could take one year to complete a goal that only needed one month. Setting a deadline is an extreme motivator. The more specific you can be when architecting your goals, the easier to know when you’ve accomplished that goal. You can also know when to adjust goals or make improvements to how you set goals.

Counseling Can Help with Goal Setting

It can be slightly overwhelming when you set out to create personal development goals. Don’t let that stop you, though. We can become so paralyzed by what needs to be accomplished that we don’t take any baby steps to get it done.

Counseling can provide accountability and keep you moving toward the goals and plan you develop. Counseling can even shine a light on where your obstacles truly lie and create an action plan to overcome each one.

If you want to stay on track and are serious about personal development goals, a counselor will help you stay aligned with your plan. Begin your personal development journey today and find a counselor to be by your side.