Moving into the New Year of 2020 I have been in conversations with people working on personal goals for the New Year. In my book Living More Than OK, I give one chapter to dreaming big and setting goals. For the recent past years, my main goal has been to finish my long range goal of my PhD in psychology. As I started this year I received notice from Capella University that my dissertation was approved for publishing and that I met requirements for graduation. This was an amazing feeling as I never thought I would finish. The event also made me think what next goal is the right direction for me.
There was so much physical and emotional energy tied into finishing my dissertation that now I need to regroup mentally and move forward. As I regroup mentally I reflected on a short article in the most recent issue of Success magazine. The article was Always Looking Forward 3 Goal-Setting Myths by motivational coach Simon T. Bailey. He was trying to reframe thoughts on goals by looking at a few myths about goals.
The myths of goals he mentioned were: “The Goal is the Destination”, “Goals are Fixed Once they’re written down”, and “I need to wait until I can apply a particular framework perfectly”.
With the first myth, “The Goal is the Destination” his reminder was that we sometimes don’t perfectly reach our goal. Changes occur in life and maybe we reach a point where a better option occurs. In my case I did reach my goal of the PhD, but it took longer than expected with the twists and turns of life. Many times I wanted to give up but I had a Mentor professor who encouraged me to not give up. I went so far as posting a sign “Never Give Up” to remind me.
The second myth “Goals are Fixed Once they’re written down” reveals the important of re-editing goals as time moves on. Be open to shifts that require a change in your goal. He does bring out the point that it is important to write goals down but be open to making changes as needed. This reminds me of Dr. Jim Bright’s work on Chaos Theory of Careers in keeping an open and flexible mind as we work on goals in our lives.
Then the final myth he considers is “I need to wait until I can apply a particular framework perfectly”. Is there an exact formula to reaching a goal? Some books and experts promote that, but waiting for the perfect wording may keep a person from never moving forward.
The important thing is to take time to think through where you want to go with your plans for the future in this new year. If you follow a religious faith take extra time in prayer to gain insights into which path to follow. With my PhD done that is where I am at now. What direction or plan does God have for me to move in now? There is a purpose for us in every season of life so begin to work on a goal to begin your journey in 2020.
Reflection: What is the most recent goal you have achieved? Did it change any from its initial version? What is a goal or goals for your New Year?
