Goals: The Bridge Between Vision and Achievement
Jan 14, 2025
Are You Going to Accept Your Life or Design Your Life?
Goals: The Bridge Between Vision and Achievement - Achieving success in any aspect of life hinges on your ability to set meaningful goals and take deliberate actions to reach them. At the PMI Nashville Symposium, Laura and Barry shared valuable insights into transforming aspirations into reality through intentional growth strategies. This month, we focus on laying the groundwork for achieving your goals.
“People are anxious to improve their circumstances but unwilling to improve themselves; therefore, they remain bound.” - James Allen
In my early time with Maxwell Leadership, I learned about intentionality and personal growth. Growth is really an inside-out idea and concept. It’s all about self-awareness and how you interact with others personally and professionally. At the symposium, we talked about evaluating yourself in the eight core areas of development, how to unlock your dream, and deciding to succeed. This is like planting seeds that grow over time into a strong tree. Your intentional acts over time lead to great change.
I remember joining Maxwell Leadership and reading the 1st chapter in John's book entitled “The 15 Laws of Growth”, which is the Law of Intentionality. And I learned that we will either accept our lives or we will design our lives and that I needed to make a choice. This was a new concept for me. Up to that point, I had no idea that I could design my life. Much of my career had been in corporate America, and it was my understanding that it was my manager's responsibility to create my job description, find my path, and be in charge of my finances and my promotions. So, the idea that I could uncover what I was passionate about and what made me feel alive was a brand-new concept for me. I could determine my own “why”!
I've gone through this process myself, and I review this process at a minimum annually. Discovering your why is like discovering the fire inside yourself that illuminates the course for every aspect of your life. Again, I will ask you which one you will choose. Are you going to accept your life or design your life?
We will provide you with some of the first steps below to get you started on a path of intentionality for 2025.
The Foundation: Understanding Growth
Growth is not automatic. It requires intentional effort and a commitment to continuous learning. To achieve lasting success, individuals must prioritize personal and professional development. This begins with creating a Personal Growth Plan to guide your efforts, measure progress, and align you with your long-term aspirations. A strong foundation in growth ensures that your goals are achievable and meaningful.
Purpose and Vision: The Starting Point
Your purpose and vision serve as the cornerstone for every goal you set. Without clarity in these areas, your goals can lack direction and impact. To define your purpose, ask yourself these questions:
- What am I most passionate about?
- What makes you feel alive?
- What frustrates you?
- What would you do if you knew you would NOT fail?
These reflections will help uncover your "why" and guide you toward a life aligned with your values and core beliefs. Instead of reacting to life’s circumstances, take charge by clarifying your vision and setting intentional goals that reflect your unique purpose. Write it ALL down!
Goals are the roadmap that connects your Vision to your Accomplishments. Let’s distinguish between two key types of goals:
- Performance Goals: These are tangible, measurable outcomes—like earning a promotion, hitting KPIs or sales targets, or completing a marathon.
- Growth Goals: These focus on the journey, emphasizing the skills, behaviors, and learning needed to achieve performance goals—like improving leadership skills or developing a consistent workout routine.
Performance goals represent the destination, while growth goals represent the steps along the journey to a destination. Both types are essential for sustained success. Write it ALL down!
The Role of Motivation
Motivation is the engine that drives your goal achievement. Understanding the different types of motivation can help you sustain progress:
- Intrinsic Motivation: Rooted in personal satisfaction, joy, and alignment with your core values, this type of motivation is sustainable and deeply meaningful.
- Extrinsic Motivation: Driven by external rewards such as money, recognition, or accolades. While effective in the short term, extrinsic motivation is less enduring unless aligned with intrinsic goals.
Focusing on intrinsic motivation ensures your goals remain fulfilling and aligned with your core values, making the journey as rewarding as the outcome. Have you wondered why we don’t often stick to New Year’s resolutions? They often are not intrinsically motivated.
The Power of Hope and Reflection
Two often-overlooked components of goal achievement are hope and reflection:
- Hope: Hope fuels resilience, helping you envision success even in the face of challenges. It provides the strength to persevere and overcome obstacles.
- Reflection: Regularly reassessing your goals ensures they remain aligned with your values and purpose. Ask yourself:
◦ Does this goal reflect what matters most to me?
◦ How will achieving this goal enhance my purpose?
By integrating hope and reflection into your goal-setting process, you create a dynamic framework that adapts to challenges and keeps you inspired. Don’t forget - Write it ALL down!
In Closing
Turning your aspirations into reality starts with building a strong foundation—but it’s not always easy to do alone. By clarifying your vision, setting meaningful goals, and staying motivated, you create the groundwork for lasting success. I know how challenging this process can be because I’ve leaned on my own coach to get here.
Whether through 1:1 personal coaching or group coaching sessions, I’d love to partner with you to create a personal development plan that works for you. At Fun2GrowOn Consulting, we’re dedicated to equipping you with the tools and strategies to transform your dreams into achievements. Ready to take the first step? Let’s grow together.
What Fun2GrowOn Offers
Fun2GrowOn Consulting empowers individuals and teams to grow through customized services designed to foster clarity, accountability, and development:
- Workshops: Covering DISC assessments, leadership development, emotional intelligence, and goal-setting strategies.
- Coaching: Personalized and group sessions to promote career growth and sustained progress.
- Consulting: Tailored solutions for strategic planning, project optimization, and creating custom video training content.
With these tools, Fun2GrowOn equips you to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
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