Can you say that you are completely satisfied with the way you are working towards your goals? Hopefully, continuing to strive for the goals that you’ve set is bringing you joy and filling you with purpose.
But, maybe it’s not. Maybe you feel a bit lost and unsure. Perhaps you were being too ambitious when you started setting goals. Or maybe your life has changed in a way that you didn’t expect, like losing your job or a breakup.
Sometimes we just have to yell pivot like we’re in a 90s sitcom and start in a new direction.
Whatever the case, considering whether or not to change your goals requires a bit of thought.
Consider your goals
Consider goals that you have set for yourself in previous years. Did you achieve them? Did you adjust them? Or did you find out that you were overly ambitious about what you could achieve?
Perhaps you find some hidden gems in an old list of goals. Something that sparks inside you, giving you something new and exciting to strive towards.
Maybe you thought you’d work your way up to the top of a corporate job but you discover you’ve got a kick for sales. You love talking to people and you love competing against yourself to gain more commissions. It’s ok to remove the goal of becoming a corporate CEO.
Is it ok to change your goals?
Give yourself permission to change your goals. It’s highly likely that you haven’t carved your goals into a stone tablet, making them much easier to modify or just not continue working towards.
And if you haven’t changed your goals in a while, are they still what you want? Maybe you’re ready to let a few go to make room for new ones that better suit your needs.
This is your permission to change your goals.
Ask for feedback about your goals
Talking with friends, family or a coach can help you develop your goals. Close friends and family want to support you in your endeavours and can be a key ingredient in accomplishing your goals in life.
Ask them for feedback on your current goals, and rate your success on previous goals. While this can be daunting and a bit embarrassing, they are able to provide you with some first hand feedback on what they’ve noticed.
And who knows, they might even have a few new tips for you.
Brainstorm new goals
Even if you’re not sure what your next goal should be, write out a list of things you want from your life.
- where who you live?
- what kind of job do you have?
- do you even want a job?
- what kind of hobbies do you have?
- what do you do in your spare time?
- who do you spend most of your time with?
- where do you go for vacations?
- what kinds of food to you eat or choose not to eat?
- what kind of fitness activities do you do?
Now you have a list of things you want, you can create goals around them. If they seem too big to be a goal, break it down into smaller, more attainable goals.
I know I have more motivation and success when I can see that I am achieving my goals.
Change your goals into smaller steps
Take it further by infusing elements of those goal into your everyday life. When you use small daily efforts to work towards your dream life, your goals are front and centre in almost everything you do.
All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow.James Clear, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
And if you’re on the fence about pursuing a new goal, create a mini-goal to start exploring it. By starting small, you’ll be able to test the waters and see if this is something that you actually want to focus on.
And while you’re making smaller goals, it’s also a great idea to choose easy goals. Because easy goals can lay the groundwork for the big, audacious goals. Not all goals need to take months or years to reach. Some can be achieved in a matter of days. And those easy goals will help you gain momentum to start tackling the really life changing goals.
Set less goals
I used to set myself an exorbitant number of goals from all different areas of my life. And sadly it took me a few years to realise that doing things that way wasn’t working for me. I had to change my goals and change the way I chose my goals.
I thought to myself, why am I setting all of these goals when I’d probably have more success with a few well thought out goals? This led me to choosing a word of the year instead. It a simpler way to work on an overarching theme for a set period of time.
Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.
– Bill Gates
Change your goals
And if you’re not seeing the results you want, it’s ok to change goals. You change over time, so its only fair that your goals change over time too.
Your goal setting technique might change too. And I’m sure you’ve made a ton of goal setting mistakes.
Things change. And life happens. Alter the goals and plans you’ve set yourself as you see fit. Take some of these strategies you’ve learned about when it’s time to remove or adjust an old goal and add a new one. Or don’t.
