Purpose

This process guides you to zone in on specific goals that are derived from your Vision.

Instructions

• Read your Vision and come up with as many possible goals as you can. Each goal, if achieved, would advance you towards actualizing your vision.
• Now mark a few of the goals that seem feasible for you to achieve in 3 months.
• Improve the definitions of your goals according to the criteria below.
• Repeat the process for longer time frames, such as one year, 2 years, etc.
• Log these goals in your goals management system.

Motivation

Friedrich Nietzsche said something like: “Those who have a 'why' to live for, can bear almost any 'how'.” So it is vital to get clear not only about your goal, but even more so about your emotional motivation for reaching the goal. Otherwise, you are much less likely to stick to the path of action required to achieve your goal. So answer these questions:

• Why do you want to achieve this goal?
• What are the benefits you will gain from achieving this goal, or at least from trying to achieve this goal?
• What positive emotions will you feel once you achieve this goal?
• Which of your Core Values are you trying to satisfy by trying to achieve this goal?

Criteria for useful goal definitions

The acronym “SMART” stands for the following criteria that are recommended for effective specification of goals:

• Specific: A clear and specific goal helps you know exactly what to work towards. E.g. instead of saying "I want to get fit," a more specific goal could be "I want to be able to run 5 kilometers without stopping."
• Measurable: Consider what criteria can be used to measure progress towards your goal. This helps you stay on track as well as experiencing excitement when achieving milestones along the way. E.g. to continue the previous example, the measurement is how long you can run without stopping. The longer you can run, the closer you are to achieving your goal.
• Achievable: While it's good to set high standards, if a goal is impossible to achieve, it can demotivate rather than inspire. It's essential to ensure that the goal is realistic and you believe there is a good chance you can achieve it given your current circumstances, resources, and constraints. E.g. if you've never run before, setting a goal to run a marathon in a month might not be achievable, but setting a goal to participate in a 5K run in 3 months might be more realistic.
• Relevant: The goal should be relevant to advancing you towards your Vision. That sounds obvious at first, but sometimes we get confused. E.g. if my vision includes an experience of safety and freedom in life, then setting a goal of making $10 million might not be a relevant enough goal, as there could be easier ways of achieving the vision.