When it comes to living a life of fulfillment, identifying your goals is one of the most important things you can do. There are many goals we think we want to achieve. But, in reality these are goals that we were made to want, whether through our family, friends, peers, or the media. What many don’t know is that intrinsic motivation can unlock a spark in you that can take your goals (and your life) to a greater level. When you are aligned with the unique gifts you want to use or even share with the world, it will allow you to feel more connected to the people you are serving, even if that person is yourself. 

This leads us to the first step.

Step 1: How to identify your goals

Initially, identifying your goals may be easier than you think. We all have an idea of accomplishments that we’re drawn to. Whether they’re considered big or small, it doesn’t matter. The goals just have to matter to you. Catgorizing your goals into sections titled “Health”, “Wealth” and “Relationships” will make it easier to assess the multiple aspects of your life that you’d like to see improvement in. With that, when drafting your first list of goals, some questions you may want to ask yourself include:

• What does my ideal day/week look like?
• How do I want to feel mentally/physically?
• How often do I want to spend time with my family & friends? What does this quality time look like?
• What are some material posessions that will make my life better? 
• What do I want to contribute to the world?

Answering these questions will create a baseline of goals that you can then narrow down with step #2.

Step 2: Identify your “Why”

This is the most important step you will do on this journey to clarifying your goals. Why? Because not only does this step sift out the goals that you thought were important to you (but don’t hold any true weight). But, your “why” is what will carry you through those moments when you feel like giving up. The moments when you’re “too tired”, “too busy”, or too scared… your “why” will reignite your passion and be that guiding light towards the thing you want to accomplish, or the person you’d like to become.

There are a couple of ways to find the “why” behind each of your goals. Some exercises you can do include:

• Examining Past Experiences: Look back at moments in your life when you felt particularly fulfilled or proud. What were you doing? You can even do the opposite of this and ask yourself, “what are some experiences I despised and how does this goal help to best avoid these experiences in the future?” 

• Identifying Your Passions: Consider what activities or subjects energize you. What topics or causes are you naturally drawn to? Do they align with any of your goals?

• Considering Your Strengths: Reflect on your skills and talents. How do they align with your interests and values? Your "why" often connects to how you can best use your strengths.

• Asking Yourself Big Questions: Questions like "What impact do I want to make in the lives of others?" or "What legacy do I want to leave behind?" can help clarify the deeper motivations behind your goals.

Once you have completed this exercise, you’ll find there are some goals that have a clear “why” behind them, and others that just don’t resonate. The ones that you have a deep connection with are your core goals. These are the ones you’ll want to focus in on.

Step 3: Creating Goals that Shine

Many people have goals, but not everyone has effective goals. Reframing your goals into a S.M.A.R.T. framework will not only help clarify them further, but it will also make them exponentially more achievable. Simply follow the framework by asking yourself these questions:

S - is it specific?
M - is it measurable?
A - is it achievable?
R - is it relevant?
T - is it time-bound?

To learn more about defining S.M.A.R.T. goals, you can visit this helpful article from asana.

These exercises should lead you on a path to clarity when searching for the goals you wish to pursue next. But remember, a vision without a plan is just a dream. If you’re looking to take the next best step and map out the key actions items that will lead you towards your goal, check out this article here.