When you wake up in the morning, are you excited to get out of bed and take on the day…or do you reach for the snooze button a few times?
Putting your need for extra sleep aside, do you generally have a positive mindset about what your situation will be in an hour? A week? A year? Five years?
If you aren’t living with a sense of purpose or direction, I imagine you feel a bit stuck. Maybe like you’re just running in place and not really making any progress, and you may feel like this is just how your life is going to be.
Well, here’s the thing: it’s never too late to set some goals and make a list of the things that you want to accomplish in your life. You already have all of the equipment you need to do it. In fact, your brain is wired to set and seek to achieve goals. Doing so will give you a sense of purpose in life.
I am a strong supporter of writing all of your goals down to make them concrete and intentional. This also helps bring your goals out of a passive state and into an active one.
This can help you design your life so well that you have no regrets at the end of it for not living your life a certain way. It is too easy to stay inside your comfort zone, and doing so is likely to lead to regret down the road.
In this post, I am going to share 100 long-term goals with you that can help you wake up each morning with a sense of enthusiasm about making progress in your life.
These goals will be broken down into categories so you can focus on the area of your life in which you feel complacent and are ready to make an earnest effort to change.
Want to set goals you can actually achieve? Then watch this video that provides a quick overview of SMART goals with 21 examples.
Career Goals
1. Do a Career Assessment
When you do a career assessment, you’re taking your natural strengths and weaknesses into account when looking at your career aspirations.
You’re taking the time to recognize your starting point before planning your career. Some questions to ask yourself are:
2. Ask for More Responsibility
One way to get ahead and exercise more of your potential is to ask your boss for more responsibility. If you’re then asked to do an unfamiliar task, take the opportunity to learn something new.
Doing this will also prove your dedication to your company, which may result in a promotion or raise
3. Become a Mentor
The best way to learn is to teach–and you can realize the gaps in your own knowledge when you are mentoring someone else. This will encourage you to continually gain more knowledge and be a lifelong learner.
Having a mentee will help you feel fulfilled as you help them through a journey that you have already endured. Teach them what you have learned, and you’ll learn from them in return.
4. Find a Career You Love
Are you working at a job that is stable, easy, predictable, but actually makes you miserable?
Explore the possibilities that are out there to find a career that you are truly passionate about. Apply for jobs that really interest you–even if you don’t think you’re qualified.
Getting the interview experience is always helpful and you may meet some people along the way who can help you out by giving you valuable advice or practice.
Even if you don’t end up getting a new job within a few months, make a goal to go on at least two interviews for jobs that sound intriguing to you. Who knows, you may get lucky and get hired at the job of your dreams.
5. Join a Professional Association
A professional association aims to escalate the interests of those who are employed in a particular field. Joining a professional association can turn your everyday job into a profession, and can help you establish your expertise in your field.
When you are a member of a professional association, it will indicate to your employer that you’re committed to your field and professional development.
6. Become an Expert in Something
If you have extensive experience in a particular subject, your employer will value you, which will improve your chances for advancement in your career.
Becoming an expert requires seeking higher education in the field and maintaining a high dedication to learning, along with gaining practical experience. If you become an expert in a very specialized field, you could have a high income potential.
7. Become Your Own Boss
Many people want to be in a position where they don’t have to answer to someone else. Having control and the ability to make your own decisions in your professional life can lead to freedom, a higher earning potential, and possibly the creation of a legacy.
You can become your own boss by starting your own business, buying out an existing business, or working your way up to being a CEO.
8. Turn Your Passion Into a Career
What is something you would love to do, even if you didn’t get paid for it? If you can incorporate your passion into your career, then going to work will feel like a privilege each day.
Most people show up to work only to earn a paycheck, but if you can put in the effort to turn your passion into a career, you will be successful no matter what.
9. Create a Strong Personal Brand
Google yourself. What comes up? These results are the first impression that you give off to potential employers. Is it a good one?
Look at the information you share on social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook to ensure they are sending a consistent and positive message. Control the narrative of your online reputation, because that is the first place potential employers will look to find information about you.
10. Expand Your Professional Network
Having a strong network of professional contacts will widen your opportunities for employment and provide you with additional professional resources.
Networking is an effective way to keep up with job opportunities, trends in your industry, and help you come up with new ideas. But don’t limit your networking to people who are only inside one organization or industry.
Expand your network by focusing on things that you’re passionate about and your values. Be open to things outside of your area of expertise and create new bonds on your own terms.
11. Achieve Job Satisfaction
You spend so many of your waking hours at work, you ultimately need to be in a position that makes you happy. When you are satisfied with your job, you will be more loyal to your company, which will offer you a sense of security.
Also, your employer will notice your willingness to take the extra steps to achieve goals for your organization and you will take more pride in the work that you do.
12. Become a Lifelong Learner
Earning your degree does not mark the end of your life’s education by any means. With the rapidly-evolving technologies that businesses deal with and the shifting methods of business operations, you need to embrace lifelong learning.
Become committed to seeking opportunities for continuous growth and development. Continual learning is not just a long-term goal for students; it is imperative in today’s economy in order to compete with globalization and other potential employees.
13. Influence Your Industry in Some Way
Lead your industry to excellence in some way by being innovative and challenging the status quo.
Come up with new product or service variations to fill the market gaps, or use your unique knowledge or potential to shape and influence the industry’s direction.
14. Learn a Second Language
Bilingual employees are in such high demand. This is a goal that will not only improve your professional life, it will also improve your listening skills, memory, and problem-solving skills. With all the available learning language software apps, anything is possible.
Financial Goals
15. Master Basic Personal Finance
Once you’re living on your own, you need to be able to understand and manage your finances. Schools often don’t offer formal education to teach you how money works or how to be responsible with it.
Make it a “top priority” goal to learn about personal financial management and how to earn money and have it grow for you. Having strong financial literacy could mean the difference between working into your 80s or retiring early.
16. Find a Reputable Financial Mentor
Find a financial mentor to help you achieve your financial and investment goals. This doesn’t have to be a professional–it can be someone that you know who has managed their money well and can offer advice.
17. Join a Local Investment Club
These clubs focus on purchasing investment real estate or investing in other assets.
While it is possible to manage your money alone, working with like-minded people and being able to learn from their mistakes could save you time and costly mistakes.
18. Generate Passive Sources of Income
Having multiple income sources is a smart way to protect your financial health, because if one source stops, you already have other means of making money established.
You can generate passive sources of income that don’t come from a traditional 9-5 job, such as rental income if you invest in real estate, interest from investments, or income from a personal side business.
19. Invest in Real Estate
Gaining wealth through real estate investments is one of the foundational tactics practiced by a high percentage of wealthy individuals.
Because our land supply is finite, yet the population continues to increase, investing in real estate is profitable because its value will continue to grow with time.
20. Develop a Good Credit Score
Establishing a high credit rating is important because it demonstrates your financial responsibility to banks so they will lend you money. Lenders use this number to assess their risk in allowing you to borrow this money and the likelihood that they’ll get their money back.
When you can borrow money, you can buy a house or a car, or use it to earn money, whether that’s in investments or starting up your own company. Either way, a good credit score is important to your financial success.
21. Understand and Grow Your Net Worth
Understanding and tracking your net worth (what you own vs. what you owe) is an important factor in developing your wealth.
As you track your net worth, you will be motivated to make informed investment decisions that will increase your wealth throughout your life. Take the time to input your assets and liabilities into a spreadsheet so you can take control of your financial future.
22. Do Not Accrue Debt
Yes, you will probably get a loan to buy a house and a car that will cost you some interest. However, paying interest on a merchandise credit card is avoidable.
Do your best to pay your credit balances in full each month in order to avoid these fees. This leads me to my next life goal…
23. Live Below Your Means
Spending less money than you make is a guaranteed path to financial security–and you can still enjoy life while doing this.
Accruing a financial safety net allows you to be able to handle an unexpected car expense or high medical bills. Pay yourself first (by putting money into your savings account whenever you get paid) and cut out any needless expenses.
24. Learn How Taxes Work
You can bring your yearly tax payments down if you know about deductions, exemptions, and credits that you may qualify for. While these laws change every year, becoming familiar with how taxes work can save you a lot of money.
Unfortunately, the United States has one of the most complicated tax systems in the world, and it continues to grow in complexity. Learning at least the basics of the system can give you an advantage and reduce your stress come April 15.
Health Goals
25. Properly Fuel Your Body
One of the biggest factors that will determine your health is the food you choose to put in your body. The impacts of eating poorly will be detrimental to your future.
While there is always some conflicting information on what the most healthy “superfoods” are, I think we can all agree on what foods are not healthy. Cut out processed food. Eat fruits and vegetables. Limit your portions. Moderation is key.
26. Reach and Maintain Your Ideal Body Weight
It can be difficult to maintain your weight as you age, and even more difficult to lose it. However, your weight and waist size can strongly impact your chances of developing a wide variety of chronic diseases.
A healthy body can take on many shapes and sizes, but one thing that they all have in common is a healthy diet and exercise.
27. Accept Your Body
No matter what shape or size your body takes on, do your best to be as healthy as possible and aim to wake up and feel good about yourself and your body every day.
28. Be Physically Active
The benefits of being physically active are enormous. Your body transforms when you exercise.
Your breathing, heart rate, and circulation all increase, which can provide your body with more benefits than most drugs ever could. Not only will physical activity positively impact your body, it will also impact your brain function.
29. Do Strength Training
I have to admit that the weight area of my gym is pretty intimidating, and oftentimes, I avoid it. I don’t really know how to use the machines and I don’t want to look foolish in front of the regulars.
However, I know when I do lift weights, I am doing the best thing to create a body that will last well into old age. Lifting weights ensures that your bones remain strong, as your brain sends signals to your body that it needs to keep growing, rather than the alternative of degenerating.
30. Learn How to Relax
When you are able to relax, you can gain of control your thoughts and get yourself into a calm state of mind. This is especially important for those of us who live a stressful life.
Some methods of learning how to relax include practicing deep breathing, yoga, listening to light music, doing progressive muscle relaxation, and practicing mindfulness.
31. Learn to Cook
Having control over what you eat by knowing how to cook it yourself is one of the best ways to ensure proper health. While it is probably easier in your busy schedule to grab all three meals each day on-the-go, preparing healthy meals at home is much more beneficial in the long run.
Plus, in addition to giving you health benefits, sitting down and eating home-cooked meals with your family is an important contributing factor in raising a happy and successful family.
32. Learn Self-Defense
The benefits of having self-defense skills goes beyond being able to protect yourself in dangerous situations.
It will also help you improve your physical health, increase your confidence, improve your reaction times, and teach you how to avoid dangerous situations.
33. Get Enough Sleep
The benefits of sleep are endless, from reducing stress to staving off chronic disease. Practice sleep hygiene to safeguard your mental and physical health.
Some of the aspects of sleep hygiene that I find to be the most helpful are using a sound machine to block out noise, turning electronics off at least two hours before bed, and having a nighttime routine that signals my body that it’s time to sleep.
When you get proper sleep, you’re allowing your body to repair itself and recuperate the energy and stamina that you need to conquer the day ahead.
It also means you get to wake up early and feeling well rested. There is a wealth of scientific evidence to support the many benefits of getting up early. Watch the video below to learn the 7-step process for training your body and mind to wake up at 5am.
34. Hydrate Yourself
Your body literally needs water to survive. Your cells, tissues, and organs use water to do everything from maintain your body temperature to lubricating your joints.
It is best to drink water to stay hydrated, although your body can get hydration from other sources as well, such as fruits and vegetables. But try to actively prevent your body from becoming dehydrated by drinking water consistently throughout the day.
35. Avoid a Sedentary Lifestyle
Many people have jobs that require them to sit at a computer all day. If you are among these people, make it a point to get up and walk around every hour–just for 5 minutes or so.
Sitting all day will negatively impact your metabolism, bone mass, immune system, and hormonal balance. When considering how long you sit each day, don’t forget to take into account the time you are driving or sitting down to eat–and the time you are sleeping.
36. Stay Up-To-Date With Medical Checkups
We are all busy and it is easy to lose track of time with your doctors’ visits if you feel healthy. However, it’s very important to catch diseases early if they occur, so make sure to go to your annual physical appointment. Which leads me to…
37. Don’t Neglect the Dentist
Get a cleaning twice a year to ensure your oral health as well. Your oral health has a huge impact on your overall well being, as gum disease can increase your risk of serious health issues such as cardiovascular disease and stroke.
38. Stretch Your Muscles
Stretching will increase your flexibility, range of motion, and improve your posture. When you're stretching, focus on your big muscle groups such as your thighs, hips, back, arms, and shoulders.
If you routinely use a specific muscle group while you’re working or during a leisure activity, make sure to spend extra time stretching those muscles to prevent injury.
39. Get Some Fresh Air
There are a lot of benefits to getting fresh air, both physically and mentally. Breathing in fresh air can actually make you happier, as the more oxygen your body gets, the more serotonin it produces.
An increase in oxygen can also help you digest food more effectively, which can especially help you if you are aiming to lose weight.
Relationship Goals
40. Make Lifelong Friends
Aim to make friends with people who encourage you to do your best and who help you live the life that you deserve. Your success in life is greatly dependent on the people you surround yourself with, and you have the power to choose who to spend your time with.
41. Be a Lifelong Friend to Others
In order to have those few people in your corner who will support you through anything, you have to do the same in return.
Be present in people’s lives when they are going through a hard time, even if you have to change your schedule a bit or go out of your way. People will always remember who stood by their side during times of hardship.
42. Cut Out Toxic Relationships
Having toxic friendships will damage your attitude and overall well being, which are both critical to safeguard. If you have a friend who always makes you feel a lack of confidence or that you’re not good enough, cut them loose.
43. Find Your Life Partner
Committing yourself to a compatible partner will ensure that you have a consistent source of love, companionship, and encouragement throughout your life.
Living life with a partner with whom you can raise a family and design your future can add richness to your everyday experiences and allow you to have more fun in life.
44. Be a Good Parent
Being a “good” parent can look very different to different people. But, making sure your children grow up in a safe and supportive environment in which they feel unconditional love and have positive role models in their lives is universal. Empower your children to follow their dreams.
45. Create Family Traditions
Having family traditions, such as cutting down a Christmas tree every year together or having an annual family reunion, creates memories for your loved ones to cherish.
While some small traditions may not seem important at the time, they work to create the foundation for a healthy family life where your children will grow up to continue these traditions as well.
46. Develop Empathy for Others
Having empathy means you can emotionally understand what someone else is going through because you’re willing to put yourself in their shoes.
The ability to develop empathy will prevent you from seeing someone suffering and responding with a sense of indifference. Empathy is not a universal response, so it is important to be particularly mindful of this trait.
47. Learn to Trust Others
We have all been hurt by someone else at some point in our lives, and it can be difficult to begin to trust other people again. However, it is important to work through this fear and allow yourself to be vulnerable with other people. You will only learn to trust by actually doing it.
48. Be Trustworthy
If you want to be able to trust other people, they need to be able to trust you as well. Live an honest life and follow through with your promises.
49. Learn to Apologize
Even if you’re not truly sorry for something you did, you can apologize for how it made someone else feel. Making amends with people is important, as it’s a way of showing respect for the wronged person. It’s also a way to prevent further misunderstandings.
50. Maintain a Healthy Sex Life
Prioritize sex with your partner and don’t let it take a backseat to work, chores, or dealing with the kids. You have to maintain this intimate bond to keep your relationship alive. A healthy sex life impacts your overall physical, emotional, and mental health as well.
51. Learn Your Partner’s Love Language
To be certain that your partner knows that you love them, learn what makes them feel loved. This could be the act of doing small gestures like leaving love notes around the house or it could be through physical touch.
This is an important conversation to have because while you may buy your partner a gift and think that it proves your love, they may just want you to give them your time.
52. Refine Your Communication Skills
Having good communication skills is essential for your relationships with both your friends and your family. If you have poor communication skills, your success will be limited in some key areas of your relationships, and it could lead to unnecessary issues with your loved ones.
Lifestyle Goals
53. Declutter
When your living space is full of unnecessary clutter, it creates stress and hassle. Get rid of the things that you don’t use or don’t need anymore and keep your working and living area clean. If you clean as you go, it will prevent you from accumulating a lot of junk that you don’t need.
54. Get Out of Town
Get away from your hometown on the weekends and explore new areas. This will keep you feeling refreshed and help you discover new things.
You need to break up your routine so it doesn’t get so mundane that you experience Monday blues and become depressed.
55. Choose Quality over Quantity
Whether it is furniture, plumbing fixtures, or clothes, when you invest in high quality items, not only will they make you feel good to own them, they will last longer than cheaply made items.
This will save you money in the long run because you won’t have to keep replacing things.
56. Say “Yes” to New Experiences
Try to say “yes” more often than “no” when people invite you to do things. While it is always easier to sit at home, especially if the proposed activity is something you are not too interested in doing, you never know how a new experience could benefit you.
57. Become Active in Your Community
Take your passions into account and research an area of need in your community. This may mean volunteering at a dog shelter walking dogs or helping people learn English as a second language.
Being active in your community will give you a sense of belonging and help you improve the quality of other people’s lives.
58. Engage in Self-Care
Stress can be detrimental to your health, so it is important to get ahead of the game by actively taking care of yourself. Set aside time every week to relax and do something that you enjoy. Having this leisure time will give you a buffer for the times that you feel stressed out.
59. Plan Your Life’s Adventure
Think about all of the things that you plan on doing “some day” and make concrete plans.
Maybe you want to climb a mountain or go on a big camping trip or even go skydiving. Make an actual plan for whatever adventurous thing that you have on your bucket list.
60. Set Aside Money for Charity
Donating to the causes that are important to you will not only benefit the organization, it will also benefit you. Knowing that you're helping other people is empowering and will make you feel happier and more fulfilled.
Attitude Goals
61. Look for the Good Around You
Get the most that you can out of each moment. Even if you are having a really rough day, try to focus on anything positive that happened or anything good that may come from your struggles.
62. Be Mindful
Practicing mindfulness means being present in the moment and accepting it without judgment. People often practice being mindful through mindfulness meditation, where you stop to observe your thoughts, emotions, and senses. Being mindful can help reduce stress and improve your overall well being.
63. Practice Gratitude
People who regularly practice gratitude reap great benefits by reflecting upon the things in their life that they're thankful for. Practicing gratitude will help you have more positive emotions, sleep better, be more kind to others, and even have a stronger immune system.
64. Compartmentalize
If you had an awful day at work, try not to bring that frustration home with you and take it out on your family.
This is part of living in the moment. It is important to learn how to know when to put aside the things that hurt you and focus on different parts of your life in order to gain some perspective.
65. Believe in Yourself
Two things will happen if you don’t believe in yourself: other people won’t believe in you either and you will not give your entire effort toward reaching your goal because you have already assumed failure.
Believe in yourself and have the confidence to try your best, no matter what you’re doing.
66. Push Through Challenges With Fortitude
Focus on the small things that you can do each day to overcome a challenge you’re facing. Like everyone else, you will need to correct your course of action at several points throughout your life, but don’t let setbacks keep you from making changes and moving on.
67. Never Compare Yourself to Others
Comparing yourself to others, whether it is about someone’s appearance, skills, or belongings, demonstrates a destructive attitude. When you do this, you’re often comparing their best qualities to your average ones. This is subjective and will make you feel inadequate for no reason.
68. Be the Best Version of Yourself
Focus your energy on improving yourself every day, without worrying what anyone else is doing. This will help you become happier and free from an attitude of false comparisons. Check out these life goals worksheets to help you get started.
69. Adopt an Attitude That Portrays Events in Positive Ways
Your attitude about life determines how you interpret events. Adopt strong beliefs that will allow you to have a positive attitude.
For example, let’s say you just had your first client meeting for the day and it went poorly. You could either think, “I guess I’m off my game today and nothing will go well.” Or, “Every meeting is different, so the next one will be better.”
70. Create an Inner Vault of Positive Thoughts
Spend some time each morning reading some positive quotes or listening to podcasts that will help you maintain a positive attitude.
71. Avoid Negative Media
This may be tough because negative media is everywhere, but instead of spending your time watching the news, which is designed to suck you in, limit your news consumption to only business and industry news.
72. Ignore Complainers
Complainers don’t aim to see other people happy or successful. They will only bring negativity into your life.
73. Use a Positive Vocabulary
The words that you speak can program your brain how to think. In order to maintain a positive attitude, use a positive vocabulary. For example, don’t say, “I can’t” if you are having a hard time doing something. Instead, say, “I’ll figure this out.”
Leisure Goals
74. Engage In at Least One SOcial Activity a Week
Time slips away from us during the week, and before you know it, it’s Sunday night again. Make it a point to do at least one social activity every week.
75. Join a Recreational Sports Team
Join a recreational sports team. This will help you meet new people and get some exercise.
76. Discover Your City’s Culture
Go to local museums and plays to explore the creative and cultural side of where you live.
77. Take a Vacation
If you can, take one big vacation each year. This doesn’t have to be out of the country, but at least take a week to go somewhere that you have never gone before.
78. Find a New Hobby
Always be on the lookout for new hobbies that might interest you. Having a hobby can build your confidence because being skilled at something and learning new things is very rewarding.
79. Find a Creative Outlet
Are you musically inclined or good at art? Or maybe you love to dance. Find a way to spend time doing whatever it is that you find the most joy in when it comes to being creative.
Personal Goals
80. Attend a Personal Development Seminar
Attending a personal development seminar is a method of practicing continuous self-education. These seminars are designed to give you all the right tools and information you need to be successful in the shortest period of time possible.
81. Be Humble
Part of being humble is not having a sense of entitlement–you don’t think the world owes you anything. This leads to less prejudice and the encouragement of tolerance for others.
82. Don’t Be Afraid to Be Unique
Whatever you decide to do with your life, be proud of yourself, even if you don’t “fit in” with the crowd. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not, and don’t be fake just to suit others.
83. Improve Your Quality of Life
What is something about your life that really brings you down? Maybe it’s a long commute or the cost of living in your city. Whatever it is, try to address it to improve the quality of your life.
84. Maintain a Positive Reputation
Be civil and show restraint, both on social media and with personal interactions with people, as to never damage your reputation.
85. Increase Your Productivity
Get more sleep and manage your time better so you can do things more efficiently, both at work and at home.
86. Don’t Overthink Things
Overthinking is a form of fear that will lead you to find problems that don’t exist. It can easily become a barrier to finding a simple solution to obstacles you’re facing and it can deplete you of time and energy that you don’t have available to spend.
87. Be Flexible
The ability to adapt to situations is a huge strength that can help you through life. Learning to have the mental agility to be able to quickly formulate a plan B without dwelling on setbacks is invaluable.
88. Be a Role Model
You never know who is looking up to you at any given moment. Aside from being a role model for your children and those who work for you, make an effort to always demonstrate good behavior by showing respect for others.
89. Practice Forgiveness
When you are able to forgive someone, it can not only help you feel better, it can even lengthen your life. When you offer forgiveness, you are making the decision to let go of feelings of resentment or hatred.
Making this mental shift allows you to replace negative feelings with feelings of understanding, compassion, and kindness.
90. Learn to Forgive Yourself
It can be hard to forgive yourself, especially if you are experiencing guilt. However, it is damaging to keep yourself locked in a place of self-hatred for something you did wrong.
91. Learn How to Manage Your Time
Strategic time management helps you get more work accomplished in a shorter period of time. This will open up more free time for you and prevent you from struggling to meet deadlines or working overtime.
92. Be Proactive
Are you a go-getter or do you wait for things to come to you? Instead of being reactive and allowing outside factors to influence you, learn to anticipate problems, find new solutions, and carry out the actions that are needed to achieve your goals.
93. Engage in Continuous Self-Improvement
Each night, analyze what you did that day. How did you act? What did you accomplish? What could you have done differently? Aim to become a better person each day by controlling your actions and habits.
94. Identify Your Faith
Whether you are spiritual or religious, identifying your faith will help you feel a sense of purpose in life. It will also help you to see the bigger picture when things go wrong and have something bigger than yourself to turn to when you need some of life’s hardships to be explained.
95. Identify Your Strengths
Your strengths aren’t necessarily your skills. While you learn skills, you are born with your unique strengths. Figure out what these are and use them to your advantage.
For example, are you disciplined and open to new experiences? If so, you may enjoy a life of working independently and maybe travelling to do research or sales.
96. Identify Your Weaknesses
You won’t be able to live a fulfilling life if you’re ill-equipped to meet your goals. Everyone has innate strengths and weaknesses, and while you can certainly make an effort to improve upon your weaknesses, they could also serve as a barrier to something that you really wish for in life.
For example, let’s say you dream of making it big on Broadway…but you can’t carry a tune. Pursuing a life on the stage would probably leave you facing an unfulfilling life of dissatisfaction, so it’s best to embrace your inherent strengths and then work toward living a purpose-driven life.
97. Strengthen Your Skills
What skills come naturally to you or do you feel like you could use to benefit you in your life or career? Spend some time sharpening your skills and refining them to use them to your advantage.
98. Identify Your Values
People often don’t stop to consider the things that truly matter to them in life, but it’s hard to feel accomplished in life if you’re living in a way that isn’t in line with your values.
For example, let’s say one of your greatest values is family. What kind of life would you be living if you were always away from your family–either travelling because of work or not making an effort to sit down to dinner together each night?
If you identify your values and live in congruence to them, you’ll be setting yourself up to live a fulfilling life.
99. Live Authentically
Are you living the life that you want or are you doing what others expect of you?
This may sound like a vague goal, but studies have actually shown that the most common regret that people admit to on their deathbed is living their lives the way someone else wanted them to.
Rather, focus on living your life authentically every day, without allowing yourself to have the option of regretting the person you become.
100. Try New Things
How often do you decline an opportunity because you would rather sit around at home or it’s something you aren’t familiar with doing?
We’ve all been there, but if you want to live a purposeful life, you have to get out there and try new things.
People are meant to explore and seek adventure. Who knows, your favorite hobby might be something that you always figured was for “other types” of people.
Final Thoughts on Creating Life GOals
It is important to create goals for yourself to have a deeper sense of purpose and enthusiasm for life.
If you feel like you aren’t moving forward or don’t have a sense of direction, choose some of these goals to take on and apply to your life. Doing so will help put you back on the right track to success.
And if you're looking for more resources and inspiration, be sure to check out these articles:
- 11 Life Purpose Questionnaires & Quizzes to Take
- 4 Steps to Write a Life Purpose Statement (with 5 Examples)
- 41 Goals Memes to Inspire a Successful Year
Finally, if you want to take your goal-setting efforts to the next level, check out this FREE printable worksheet and a step-by-step process that will help you set effective SMART goals.
Connie Mathers is a professional editor and freelance writer. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and a Master’s Degree in Social Work. When she is not writing, Connie is either spending time with her daughter and two dogs, running, or working at her full-time job as a social worker in Richmond, VA.
