Personal goals or objectives

What are personal goals?

Personal goals, also called objectives, are goals that a person sets to improve some aspect of their life. One of the fundamental elements is that results must be achieved over time, that is, carried out effectively.

Personal goals give meaning and direct actions towards the achievement of what has been proposed. For example, if we set ourselves a goal to learn a language (Chinese, German, French, English, etc.), we will have to take courses, watch movies, read books in the language and try to establish contact with people who speak that language..

In other words, personal goals need concrete steps to be achieved, which we must see as steps on a ladder: without them it will be much more difficult to reach the goal..

Together, personal goals or objectives help the growth and improvement of those who propose them, and achieving them implies high levels of satisfaction and self-knowledge.

Types of personal goals

We can classify personal goals according to the time it takes us to reach them. That is, there are short, medium and long term goals. In any of the deadlines, they require planning.

Short-term goals

Short-term goals are those that need a short period of time to be achieved, usually days or weeks..

• An example of a short-term goal is to write a letter.

Medium term goals

They are those that are met in a longer period of time than the short-term goals, although in the near future of several months. They require more effort to be achieved and can be separated into short-term goals.

• An example of a medium-term goal is to finish a research assignment or project.

Long-term goals

They are the ones that require the most time to achieve, in a period of several years. To be achieved, a lasting effort is needed and the achievement of short and medium-term goals for years..

• Examples of long-term goals are to finish a university degree, prepare for and pass a doctorate, reach Mars, find a cure for cancer, etc..

Personal goals can also be classified into lifestyle goals (lose weight, exercise several times a week, etc.), family goals (eat together every day, have a pet, etc.), and career goals ( being hired in a company, promoted to a higher position, etc.).

How should personal goals be?

Goals cannot be set in any way. In order for you to be more likely to achieve a personal goal, it will need to have the following characteristics:

It must be a concrete, specific goal

In the first place, it is important that the goal is concrete, that what you want to achieve is well specified. It can't be too general.

For example, a person wants to be more cultured. However, this is too general, you cannot take a specific action to “be more cultured”. Therefore, you must define even more about what you want to be more cultured, if in literature, philosophy, in scientific disciplines, etc. This way, you will be able to know what types of books to read and which courses will be most suitable..

• Another example: "being happy" is not a concrete goal, but an abstract one. If your goal is to "achieve happiness" you will not be able to define the actions you have to achieve to achieve it. However, a specific goal may be to "get a personal trainer job," "spend more time with the family," or "study medicine.".

Achievable and realistic

Unattainable goals are rarely met, and for that reason they must be logical and realistic, even if they take time. A realistic goal may be to enter a certain college, learn to play a musical instrument, or become an athlete..

Motivating

While goals have to be realistic, they also have to motivate you to achieve them. If you don't like music, “playing the violin” will not be a motivating goal. On the contrary, if you want to learn to drive, "get my driving license" will be a motivating goal..

They must be done in a certain time

You have to put in time to achieve the goals, and for that reason they are short, medium or long term. Medium-term goals include short-term goals. For their part, long-term goals include medium and long-term goals..

• For example, if a teenager has the long-term goal of studying medicine, he will have to have other short and medium-term goals: pass secondary school, pass university entrance exams, pass the subjects of each course, etc..

Measurable

To know if you have achieved your goals, they will have to be measurable and observable. This will bring you to reality and you will know if you are doing the correct steps, or if on the contrary you will have to correct them.

• For example, passing an exam, losing weight or playing an instrument are measurable goals, since we can easily check if we have achieved them or not.

Written

When a goal is difficult to achieve, requires effort or is important for a person, it is advisable to write it down, so that it is remembered and to commit to achieving it.

• Personal goals can be written in an App, in an agenda, on a post-it or in other places that can be easily accessed.

Examples of personal goals

Here you can see several examples of personal goals:

1. Do physical activity from Monday to Friday, one hour a day.
2. Learn to speak in public.
3. Learn Chinese.
4. Learn to play violin.
5. Learn to cook.
6. Making new friends.
7. Save money.
8. Finish high school.
9. Finish the university.
10. Learn self defense.
11. Volunteer.
12. Get up at 7 in the morning.
13. Overcome addiction to social media.
14. Write a personal diary.
15. Learn a programming language.
16. Learn to listen to others.
17. Read a book.
18. Finish an online course.
19. Learn typing.
20. To study abroad.
21. Get to the Olympics as an athlete.
22. Get a scholarship.
23. Get accepted into a music conservatory.
24. Buy a car.
25. Win a soccer competition.
26. Get a job.
27. Become a professional footballer.
28. Organize an event.
29. Open a business.
30. Make a video or movies.
31. Get 1000 subscribers on YouTube.
32. Learn to use a computer program.

Themes of interest

Objectives of a company.

Mission and personal vision.

List of human values.

Goals phrases.