Long Term and Short Term Goals
When you are setting goals for yourself, whether they are personal goals or career goals, make sure that you set both long term and short term goals for yourself. Having one without the other will make your pursuit frustrating and most likely, fruitless.
Your goals should be like a roadmap of your life. You would not want to venture into unexplored territory without knowing a little bit about where you are going, would you? The same concept applies in life. Although we can never predict the future and have to be prepared to roll with the changes, we will get to where we want to be much easier if we know how to get there.
This sounds simple enough, but most people go through life without any concept of setting short term or long term goals. They just drive aimlessly through life without really ever getting anywhere.
An example of long term goals would be:
Ÿ I want to work from home
Ÿ I want to have my own business
Ÿ I want to own a restaurant
Ÿ I want to be a millionaire
Ÿ I want to be married
These are all long term goals. You can go through your life thinking “I want to be married,” but unless you are open up to the possibility of meeting someone, you are not going to get anywhere.
Achieving these long term goals takes a series of short term goals. These short term goals are like the mileage markers on the side of the road. You continue to set short goals for yourself until you eventually achieve the ultimate goal.
If, for example, you want to own a restaurant as your long term goals, some short term goals would be the following:
Ÿ Get a job in a restaurant
Ÿ Find out about culinary college
Ÿ Enroll in culinary college
Ÿ Take some business courses
Ÿ Continue saving towards a restaurant
Ÿ Come up with an idea for a restaurant
Ÿ Find a location for a restaurant
Ÿ Apply for a business loan….
You see the picture, right? Each of the short term goals listed above was one step towards the long term goal of owning a restaurant. A person who continued on this path would, most likely, eventually achieve his or her dream of owning a restaurant.
This person may also have other goals that he or she wants to achieve at the same time. Another long term goal might be that they want to get married. While they are working towards one long term goal, they can also work towards another goal, as long as the goals do not conflict. A person who has a long term goal of owning a restaurant would have a conflict if their other goal was to work from home.
Setting both short term and long term goals can help you achieve what you want out of life. Following short term goals towards your long term goal is the best way to realize your dreams.
Tags: Goals