If you’re anything like me then you have a burning desire to know how to do things the right way! This list of the different types of goals is here to help us better understand what we should be striving towards in order to live the most amazing life possible!
Goals are our motivation and the drive that pushes us forward in life, we create them in order to change something in our lives. The act of creating a goal for a purpose, in itself helps us find purpose!
So what types of goals are there?
Goals can be split into multiple categories, such as business or personal, but we’ve gone a step further and defined them into 13 unique categories to cover almost every aspect of life. By defining what we are striving towards, we are many steps closer to achieving it!
The 13 different types of goals:
If you would like to know how to set and achieve goals and what the best tools and techniques are for making them realistic, measurable, and achievable, then be sure to visit our goal-setting category page, where we have everything you need on goal-setting and more!
Now that we know what types of goals there are, it’s time to explore them and look at a hundred and thirty great examples of the types of ambitions you could be striving towards if your goal is to live an amazing life!
Personal goals
Personal goals are development goals that apply directly to your individual life or lifestyle. They are linked to your ambitions, stemming from your desire to change or achieve something. Like all goals, they are created from purpose to create purpose, which motivates us into taking action.
10 examples of great Personal goals:
- Becoming a lifelong learner
- Building fantastic friendships & relationships
- Cleaning up your habits
- Creating a good exercise routine
- Traveling the world
- Starting your own business
- Increasing your willpower & discipline
- Learning a new language
- Master managing your finances
- Picking up an instrument
A goal can be defined as an aim, design, end, intention, intent, objective, object, and purpose. Which means creating “what one intends to accomplish or attain”. What distinguishes the word “goal” from the rest is the implication that suggests it is something only attained by prolonged effort and hardship.
Setting good personal goals will determine the direction your life takes, the better the goals the more likely you are to succeed. Even if you don’t accomplish them in the exact way you intended, just moving in the right direction is a big leap forward in life!
Career goals
A career goal is something you specifically create to improve or further your chosen professional occupation. It has a very large impact on life, simply because of the amount of time you will be dedicated to your chosen profession.
Understanding the impact career goals can have, it is essential to create the type that steers you in the direction you want to go while leaving room to develop the other aspects of your life.
10 examples of professional career goals:
- Find a career that allows freedom & stability
- Create your own business
- Shift into a remote working position
- Progress to a leadership position
- Become an expert in your chosen field
- Build an excellent professional network
- Detach your time from your earning capability
- Discovering the happiness of pursuit
- Gaining recognition within your industry
- Finding a role where it doesn’t feel like work!
When it comes to setting professional development goals, can be a little trickier than other types. Start with what you want out of the experience, and once you have that desire in mind, break it into smaller parts until you find the goals that perfectly match your wants!
Fitness goals
A fitness goal is the type of goal specifically created to improve your physical condition. Their objectives are to create sustainable routines and habits that lead to weight management and good health.
10 examples of great fitness goals:
- Walking 5km+ a day
- Incorporating a yoga practice for strength and flexibility
- Hitting the Gym three times a week
- Learning how to handstand
- Building a strong core a.k.a six-pack vibes
- Weightloss
- Incorporating a healthy diet
- Improving endurance
- Pick up a sport
- 100-push up challenge
As with all goals they should be realistic, actionable, and sustainable, while also attached to a reasonable timeline for measurable results!
Getting in shape and getting your health in check is one of the best things you can do for yourself! You can join a gym, start hiking, go for a couple of yoga classes or make use of home fitness apps like Future Fitness, the options are endless and it’s the type of decision that will keep rewarding you for years to come!
It’s also worth learning how your body works and reacts, businesses like check my health are valuable resources for understanding how your body, specifically works.
Self-development goals
Self-development goals are created to further yourself as an individual and become the very best version of yourself. They are aimed to increase your capabilities, growing your skills, and maximizing your potential.
10 examples of Self-development goals:
- Build a great career
- Cut out social media
- Master the art of communication
- Kick your procrastination habit
- Grow your confidence
- Become world-class at something
- Figuring out what’s important and discovering your own values
- Becoming universally attractive
- Accept your flaws
- Build a winning mindset
In a sense, all goals have the nature of personal development at their core. Learning how to create ones that work for you as an individual is where the key to success lies. The journey of self-development is a long one, but having the right goals to keep your company makes it easier and a lot more enjoyable
Spiritual goals
A spiritual goal is the type of goal specifically created to improve your state of mind and connection with the universe. They are not linked to religion but instead focused on improving the inner workings of your human experience.
10 examples of good spiritual goals:
- Meditate 20 minutes a day
- Become a Yogi
- Develop a gratitude practice
- Practice solitude
- Build a daily self-care routine
- Create a Journalling habit
- The practice of mindful observation
- Spend time in nature
- Intentional digital disconnects
- Establish a cleaning routine
A good spiritual goal is one that creates the opportunity for you to reflect and grow, by incorporating multiple practices into your daily routine, becomes the equivalent of prayer, and enhances your ability to communicate with the universe.
They should be structured around habits and practices that will grow you as an individual and deepen your understanding of the self
Financial goals
A financial goal is a type of goal specifically created to improve your financial situation. They can be divided into short, medium, and long-term goals, all with aim of creating financial independence and opportunity.
Depending on where you are in your life, you will have different needs and ambitions. The key to setting achievable financial goals lies in the motivation behind them. Here are:
10 great examples of good financial goals:
- Pay off all your debt
- Create a diverse portfolio – Become antifragile
- Buy a house
- Invest in your education
- Save 30% of your income
- Retire by 40
- Create passive income for yourself
- Earn enough to make a difference to others in the world
- Become location independent
- Travel the world
As with all goals they should be realistic, actionable, and sustainable, while also attached to a reasonable timeline for measurable results!
A great way to improve your personal finance goals would be to check out our section on building your business or growing your wealth. We have some great high-quality content on there, from investing fundamentals to learning how not to lose all your money in the crypto markets.
Status goals
Status goals pertain to our desire to compare ourselves against other people. While it may not be the healthiest of goals to set if you are striving to shed ego and reach personal enlightenment, it remains an undeniable part of human nature.
The act of comparison might be negative, but competition is not, and striving to be the very best is also a praiseworthy pursuit.
10 examples of status goals:
- Becoming world-class at something
- Mastering communication
- Building a successful business
- Financial independence
- A trophy partner/s
- A successful career
- Higher education
- Charity
- Establishing a social organization
- Activities that create positive public recognition
Our desires are what lead us to take action. Instead of striving only for things like money, power, or cars, try to find things that you will enjoy pursuing. The type that makes you a better person and the world around you a better place as you achieve them!
Relationship goals
Relationship goals are types of personal goals that pertain to our interactions with others. They govern the way we conduct ourselves toward them and determine the eventual outcomes we achieve based on our actions and choices
In this section we will be looking specifically at romantic relationships, other interpersonal goals will be covered under Social goals in the next section.
10 great examples of relationship goals:
- Finding a partner, or partners that align with your views and beliefs
- Creating interdependent relationships where you are able to grow together
- Learning to set boundaries
- Understanding unconditional love
- Mastering the art of seduction, while keeping your soul
- Overcoming selfishness
- Keeping the romance alive
- Building something where the sum of 1 + 1 is greater than 2
- Mastering love languages
- Understanding what’s important to
Relationships can be tricky, and the most important relationship you will ever have is with yourself! Set some good personal goals that will grow you into the right type of person and the rest will work itself out!
Social goals
Social goals are the things we want to achieve through our interactions with others. Our familial ties and friendships and colleagues are what determine who we are as a person, and social goals are the type of personal goals that improve the results we get from these connections.
10 great examples of social goals:
- Master communication
- Develop self-confidence
- Volunteer for something
- Practice public speaking
- Participate in social clubs
- Get involved with a charity organization
- Participate in community meetings
- Start your own hobby-related group like a book club
- Create a hiking group
- Join a gym or sport club
Social goals are about establishing a connection with those around you. It is a way of making friends and creating a support network for yourself within your local community. In today’s digital age people tend to create a distance between themselves and others, and while participating in online forums and communities is also a great way of networking, it doesn’t make up for having a good foundation set in real life.
Educational goals
Educational goals are personal goals that are specifically created to improve your knowledge and understanding within a particular field of expertise. Becoming a lifelong learner is a key element to living a fulfilled and happy life!
You would think that educational goals are strictly related to academics, however, this is a misconception, there is no restriction to the types of things you can teach yourself and in today’s modern age, all the information is at your fingertips.
10 great examples of Educational goals:
- Learn a new skill
- Pick up an instrument
- Learn how money works
- Develop a daily reading habit
- Take a short course or two
- Get a degree
- Master a trade
- Learn a new language
- Start a blog
- Learn how to Learn
A college or university is only a convenient platform where you enable yourself to learn. The responsibility to learn and grow your expertise still remains with you and is set in your mindset, not in any institution. There are plenty of platforms like Teachable, Podia, or Trendimi that offer affordable courses on a wide variety of interesting skills and hobbies.
Investing in yourself is the best investment you can make!
Productivity goals
Productivity goals are a form of goal created with the purpose of maximizing the amount you can achieve over a period of time. They are created with boosting results in mind and serve to combat procrastination or inefficient and distracting activities while active with a task.
Productivity goals help us determine what is important!
10 great examples of Productivity goals:
- Keeping a task journal for strategic planning
- Eliminate distractions
- Practice compartmentalization – Split a large task into smaller, manageable ones
- Create time-saving solutions for repetitive tasks
- Build an efficient & balanced routine
- Define how you view success on projects and tasks
- Create milestones
- Proactively use the right goal-setting techniques
- Simplify your schedule and eliminate unnecessary decisions
- Plan out your day the night before
By being proactive in our approach toward productivity, we are able to eliminate a lot of the distractions and repetitive decisions that take out focus off the important stuff.
Keeping the focus on results and refining the method and manner in which we undertake projects will allow you to eliminate procrastination and get the most out of your day!
You can also use incredible tools like ClickUp to help you automate a lot of the repetitive processes you may encounter in your life.
Adventure goals
Adventure goals are a little know type of personal goal that is created for the purpose of entertainment and to help grow your comfort zone through new experiences. They are aimed at providing you with interesting and unique encounters that will change your perspective and understanding of the world.
A life without adventures is a pretty boring life…
10 exciting examples of adventure goals:
- Travel to all 7 continents
- Learn to master a cuisine from each
- Jump out of an airplane
- Climb a mountain over 5000m tall
- Experiment with psychedelics
- Learn to sail
- Go on a multi-day white water rafting trip
- Take up surfing
- Hop on the next flight out with no destination in mind
- Join an MMA gym
Life is filled with amazing experiences, if we limit ourselves to only what we know it’s like putting on lenses that restrict your vision and make you colorblind. Step out of your comfort zone, take the road less traveled, and learn to enjoy the happiness of pursuit as you experience life at the moment.
After all, life is the greatest adventure of all!
Life goals
Life goals are the most important type of personal goals. They are created specifically to make the most out of life, and by accomplishing them you are creating a purpose for yourself!
There is no point to existence other than that which we choose to assign for ourselves. The key to living an amazing life filled with wonderful experiences, good relationships, and incredible adventures all boils down to what you desire out of it.
10 Fantastic life goals to have:
- Master mindfulness
- Read a 1000 books
- Design and build your dream home and environment
- Become a lifelong learner
- Forever remain a child at heart
- Travel the world
- Achieve financial independence
- Improve the lives of those around you
- Learn what love is at the deepest level
- Be patient, Be gentle, and most of all Be kind!
Life goals are the one type of personal goal where you don’t need to hold back, don’t put a ceiling on your growth, and don’t let anybody else do so either! Create a purpose for yourself that will keep you motivated and driven. The type where even if you don’t achieve them, you will be happy just enjoying the journey.
Check out our article on 7 secrets to mastering life to get some inspiration and insight into making the juice worth the squeeze and creating an incredible experience for yourself and those around you.
Make the most of your life, you only get one!
How to achieve your goals
All goals are created with the purpose of changing and improving the circumstances of your life. They are a method of getting you from point A to Z. The next part of the journey is learning how to fill in the other 24 letters in order to get you where you want to be!
We have some great content on goal setting, from setting and achieving personal and business goals, to the best goal-setting techniques and tools.
Be sure to check them out and make your goals Realistic, measurable, and achievable, by using goal-setting models like:
Now let’s create some purpose to help find our purpose!
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