It’s possibly a common mantra in this day and age to set goals. To have something to aspire to helps with motivation and in turn provides feedback and a metric to know that we got there.

Goals are a great idea, for all those reasons above, boo yah!!!

However, what if my goal was to master my craft and become a manager? What happens after you’ve become a manager. The goal is complete, it was a jolly big goal, so what next? Once the metric has been achieved what do we then feel?

Working through Mark Mansons book ‘The Subtle Art of not Giving a F%$k’ he quickly reveals a nuance that we might miss. In his book you could almost miss it, he makes a small but powerful point.

Examining our values

Deep in the nuance of goal setting, there are short term goals and long-term goals (seems straight forward right); however, depending on the values we’ve built for ourselves may find these goals and their metrics lack substance.

“I became manager, my value to be recognised as peak in my career, I’m there, Woo Hoo. But but, what now, there is lots more to life and my career even”

Perhaps there is deep joy is in the journey after all.

Short term goals are great at being tactical, but could they at times lack the substance to keep us going?

“I’m going to go bike riding twice a week”

After a month we’re there, the goal has been reached, we mark it off complete. 

Building on the goal

What if we were to add to the short-term goal?

“I’m going to nurture my health by getting regular exercise”

This goal is different, the value is about healthy living every day, it also gives scope for more and varied activities that also perpetuate regular ongoing metrics. When we’ve had a week of no exercise, we know that the goal was not reached. Note there is also still room for those tactical goals too 😉

“I’m going to improve my capabilities to communicate with colleagues, spouse, family”

“I’m going to build on my understanding everyday”

Don’t forget setting short term goals are great and we them, the nuance to all this is building, developing, and understanding our values so that in turn we create long term goals that continue and reward in all things.

What goal are you working on right now?