GoalSetting

Goal Setting: Why Bother?
Copyright © 2007 Howard Davis
All Rights Reserved

It has been said that 90% of any given population does not set goals in a purposeful way. I don’t know where that statistic comes from but it does agree with my own straw poll. So the question, “why bother?” is a good one and one that I periodically ask myself.

When I set goals, I set in motion the following chain of events:

I decide what I want to happen, or become.
I get clarity around that.
I become focused and generate energy to set things in motion.
I encounter obstacles.
I begin to attract others and resources that help me accomplish, or become the desired result, or…
I decide I don’t want to pay the cost, and really didn’t buy into that goal in the first place,
Which leads me back to the first question, what do I want to happen or become?

I’ve learned that the process is more important than the results. The process causes me to grow in a number of ways. The most important growth is in my awareness of what I want and why. This leads me to ask very important questions about who I am and my purpose in being here. Each time I go through the process, I live a more purposeful and directed life.

The contrast is that without consciously participating in the goal- setting process, I drift through life and stuff just happens to me. I become concerned only with my comfort and even that leaves a bitter taste because I know deep in my being that I was created for more than being comfortable.

My conclusion then is that goal setting is all about purpose. If you want to begin to understand why you are on this earth, start the goal-setting process, and continually ask yourself what you are learning about, what energizes you, and what makes you tick.

Howard Davis is a husband and father of four children, and the founder of Successful Family Chores - Putting FUN and ENERGY into everyday tasks. Sign up for our free bi-monthly newsletter to receive more parenting articles by Howard by clicking here.