Not sure what goals you want to set, or what goals would make you happiest if you achieved them? The tools I share below will help you both come up with goals and align those goals with your wants, needs, and hopes.
Tool 1: The Wheel of Life
The eight sections in the Wheel of Life represent different aspects of your life, each of which is a potential place for a goal. Reflect on your level of satisfaction in each life area and then, thinking of the center as 0 and the outer perimeter as 10, draw a straight or curved line in each slice. The new perimeter represents the wheel of your life. If this were a real wheel, how bumpy would the ride be?
Using this tool can provide you with lots of input on where you want to focus your goal-setting energies. If your career satisfaction is at a 3 and your money satisfaction is at a 7, which do you think should take priority in your goals?
*Physical Environment means your home, apartment, or other living and/or working situation.
(Prefer to do it online? Check out this Wheel of Life generator!)
Tool 2: Roles and Responsibilities Another great place to look for goals is in the roles you play in your life, and the responsibilities you have in those roles.
I sometimes think of this as “Jobs I Have To Do” (or “Jobs I Want To Do,” depending on how happy they make me). On a sheet of paper, list the “jobs” you have in life. Underneath those jobs, list the responsibilities you have as part of that job. If ideas for improvements or opportunities for growth show up, circle them. And consider whether the responsibilities you've identified make you happy or not -- if they don't, think about setting a goal to get rid of them.
If you’re stuck for jobs, consider the following areas:
Artistic jobs | Attitude jobs | Body jobs | Career jobs |
Community jobs | Education jobs | Family jobs | Financial jobs |
Friendship jobs | Growth jobs | Health jobs | Home jobs |
Justice jobs | Learning jobs | Parent jobs | Partner jobs |
Pleasure jobs | Public Service jobs | Spiritual jobs | Work jobs |
Tool 3: Strengths
Another way to identify goals is to look at your strengths and find ways to build on them. Are you a great presenter who loves being in front of other people? Then maybe set a goal around getting a wider audience. Are you amazing at selecting the right gift for people? Maybe you can find ways to do that for more than just your friends and family.
The point is to find strengths you have that aren't being utilized to their fullest and build your goals around bringing those strengths into the light. This is especially important for those of us whose strengths haven't been used for the last two years of working and isolating at home. It may take some creativity (and masks!) but now is a great time to start reclaiming and rebuilding your strengths.
Tool 4: Needs/Wants/Deficiencies
Another place to look for goals is in the areas where something is lacking.
The danger of this type of inquiry, though, is that it could lead you to pursue goals that are not what you want, but what you think others want for you.
Take a moment to consider the following questions, and be sure that these opportunities and desires are coming from YOU, and not from some source outside of you. These are about who you want to be, not who you think you SHOULD be.
What do I want (or want more of) in my life?
What feels like it’s missing?
Where am I least powerful?
Where are my biggest opportunities for growth?
Tool 5: Values-based goal setting
Very often, what we pursue in our goals ends up being a reflection of our values -- the ideals we hold deeply that serve as our operating system. Knowing what your values are going in, before setting goals, can deepen your goals and align them with your life in a powerful way. The biggest tool for doing that? Me. A big part of the coaching I do helps you to identify your values, figure out if you're living in alignment with them, and then make the necessary changes to feel like you're really alive.
Try a free sample with me. You've got nothing to lose!
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