What are your goals? Do you have any? Or is that part of the problem? Goals are important at every age; they give you something to focus on, challenge you, and give you a feeling of accomplishment when you succeed at reaching them. Improving your mindset will help you reach your goals, but first, you have to know what they are.
Take out a sheet of paper and a pen and write down your top five goals for your life. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. Write down the goals that YOU want to reach, not that society expects you to want.
When you’ve finished, look at the list and prioritize it. Take your top goal -the most important one you want to accomplish -and make a plan to reach it. It doesn’t matter if this goal is big or small, whether it’s something as big as starting a business or as small as putting together a 1,000-piece puzzle. Make your plan and incorporate it into your mindset and self-improvement program. This is now what you’re striving for.
But what if your page is blank? What if you don’t know what your goals are, or you don’t have any? Well, your task now is to come up with some. Again, these have to be goals that are unique to you, not to the broader society. If you don’t want to ever own a house, don’t make that a goal.
Take out another sheet of paper. Close your eyes. Now imagine that time and money weren’t an issue. What would you do? You can do anything, anything in the world. Write down the first five things that come to mind. Next, write down five things that you enjoy doing and would like to do more of if you could find the time.
Compare the two lists. You’re probably going to find a significant amount of overlap. These are the things you really want. This is where your heart lies. Select a few of these things -three is enough to start with -and turn them into a concrete goal. “Travel more” could become “Take a cross-country trip in an RV next summer,” for example. Now make a plan to reach each of these goals. Start working on your plan.
Having goals is an important part of your plan to improve your mindset. You need the challenge and the effort to catalyze your mindset shift and personal growth. You also need them to live your best life. Working on your goals is a win-win!