If you are anything like me, you have set hundreds, if not thousands of goals throughout your life, and while we achieved some, most of them probably fizzled away before they ever really got the chance to get started.
If that’s the case, then this is the article that’s going to change this bad habit for you. We are not only going to learn what personal goals are, but how to make them realistic, actionable, and attainable so that you never set an unachievable one again!
So what are personal goals?
Personal goals are types of 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.
But what is a goal then?
A goal can also 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.
Goals are more than that though, they are our motivation and drive and push us forward in life, by helping us achieve what we set out to do!
By the end of this article, you will know how exactly how to structure your goals in a way that you will be able to not only achieve them but enjoy the process of pursuing a purpose.
It really is about the happiness of pursuit, rather than the pursuit of happiness!
How to set achievable personal goals
Now that you know what a goal is, and what a personal goal is, all that’s left to do is figure out how to set great ones and achieve them too!
What are the 5 key steps to setting attainable personal goals?
- Start by understanding your desires – What do you want to achieve? and why?
- Consider the timeframe – Short-term, medium-term, long-term. Keep it realistic.
- Write them down – What gets measured gets managed.
- Break them into milestones – Being able to track your progress, drives perseverance
- Start right now – All you need to do is swap the words to turn one day into Day: one!
It all starts with desire, and the desire to start!
You will find everything you need to set personal goals in this article, however, we also have an entire section dedicated to the pursuit of achieving things, as well as a comprehensive article dedicated to setting business goals worth checking out!
Now that we know how to set attainable personal goals, it’s time to explore the tools and techniques needed to make them actionable and achievable.
What are the different types of personal goals?
We are going to break personal goals down into 10 major categories, each with its own purpose that relates to some aspect of living an amazing life!
The 10 different types of personal goals
What are some examples of these personal goals?
What are 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.
What are 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
What are 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 on the crypto markets.
What are Status related 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!
What are 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!
What are 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.
What are 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 readig 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!
What are 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.
What are 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!
What are 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 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!
Now that we know what personal goals are, it’s time to ask:
How do we set and achieve personal goals?
We start with the 5 W’s that you need to ask before setting any goal. Then go into the best techniques on how to make them realistic, measurable, and achievable.
By the time you’ve completed this section, you will know exactly what to do in order to achieve every personal goal you create for yourself!
The five “W”s of goal-setting are :
- Who: Who is involved in this goal?
- What: What do I want to accomplish with it?
- Where: Where is this goal going to be achieved?
- When: When do I want to achieve this goal?
- Why: Why do I want to achieve this goal?
These principles repeat themselves throughout the techniques, and preparing yourself by asking these questions, will double your results!
By using the right tools and techniques. We will now explore the 4 best goal-setting techniques around and how to apply them! These are tools to teach you how to make your goals realistic, actionable and achievable.
So what are the four best goal-setting techniques around?
What are SMART goals?
The SMART system stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. SMART/R adds the extra step of Rewards to the model.
The acronym was coined by George T. Doran in November 1981 with multiple additions and refinements being added to the model over the years! SMART goals are probably the most widespread goal-setting technique out there, laying the foundation for other models and helping millions set more achievable and realistic goals!
Strengths:
- Focusses on outcome
- Great for short-term goal setting.
- Considers external factors and restraints
- With the addition of /R to SMART/R, the problem of motivation is covered
Weaknesses:
- Can become vague when dealing with long-term and complex goals
- Don’t have much room for adaption and changes in the model
- Realistic and achievable can be misleading, largely due to the narrow focus of the technique
- The model provides a good practical application but does not address all the factors involved with goal setting
We have created a comprehensive article where can learn how to apply the SMART/R model to achieve your personal goals!
What are PACT goals?
PACT stands for Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, Trackable. The PACT system is the most outcome focussed goal-setting technique.
PACT goals use Output to determine Outcome. This means that they not only provide you with a system for setting goals but also provide you with an actionable plan for achieving them. They are focussed on achieving long-term goals by mastering short-term ones.
Strengths:
- Focussed on controlled outputs.
- Brings purpose into the planning.
- Creates a clear path to success.
Weaknesses:
- Potential to get too existential while planning
- Need to take care of achievability when planning out goals
- While comprehensive, can overcomplicate the planning process
One of the most determining factors of PACT goals is that they bring the question of purpose into mind. This connection alone makes it one of the most effective goal-setting tools around. Goals require purpose in order to be created, but end up creating a purpose for us as we pursue them, quite an interesting conundrum.
Learn more about PACT goals here.
What are CLEAR goals?
CLEAR goals stand for Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, and Refinable. It was developed to make up for some of the shortcomings of SMART goals.
The system was designed by Olympic gold medalist and author of a great book called The Responsibility Ethic – Adam Kreek. Just like the PACT system, they put a lot of emphasis on Output and are also adaptable, allowing for your goals to grow and evolve along with your life.
All in all a well-balanced model.
Strengths:
- Takes passion and drive into the equation
- Output and Outcome focussed
- An adaptable system that allows your goals to grow.
- Takes both internal and external circumstances into account.
Weaknesses:
- Creates a potential trap for overthinking and complicating your goals
- Not as direct as some of the other models
- Potential to struggle with trackability if used incorrectly.
The CLEAR system is a great stand-alone model that has an all-rounded outlook compared to some of the others. Be sure to get more information from our detailed breakdown of the CLEAR system in its stand-alone article.
What are GROW goals?
GROW stands for Goal, Reality, Option/Obstacle, and Way forward. It is traditionally used in sports and business, because of its focus on Output, as opposed to the SMART & PACT systems, which are aimed more toward Outcome.
The GROW system was designed in 1992 by Graham Alexander, Alan Fine, and Sir John Whitmore in the United Kingdom.
Strengths:
- Adaptable goals
- Takes external constraints into account
- Draws a direct line to the solution
- Big focus on outcome and execution of tasks
Weaknesses:
- Not focused on transpersonal or existential goals
- Potential to get lost in the bigger picture
- Does not delve too deep into the achievability of the goal
The GROW system is one of the best goal-setting techniques we’ve covered in this article. Especially when you are familiar with the other models and are able to apply your collective knowledge to the activity of planning your future success. Be sure to check out our full post on the GROW system.
So now that we know the four best techniques around
What is the most effective goals setting technique?
The simple answer is:
Whichever works best for you!
The 5 W’s, SMART, PACT, CLEAR & GROW systems are only tools and guidelines used to set your personal goals. They all strive to create a framework that teaches you how to most importantly, set goals effectively.
Once you’ve gone through them and learned enough to understand their intentions, it is up to you to create your own style that makes your goals achievable.
There is no such thing as a perfect goal. In the first place, the entire purpose of a goal is to inspire you into taking action and putting effort towards something, the techniques and examples that we have discussed here today are only there to help you refine the action you take and to make your desires more attainable!
You’ve now got everything you need to turn your dreams into reality!
Be sure to check out the rest of our content on goal-setting and learn how to create value for yourself and others!
TLAT is reader-supported, when you buy through the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate Commission. Learn More
