Every learner is told at an early age to set personal goals for themselves. They are told that the life they wish to live is solely based on their decisions and choices they make, and to make the right choices for themselves they must strive to achieve the things they want in life. In other words, it is extremely important to strive to achieve personal goals in order to create a pathway in life that they wish to walk through, and not one that is based on poor planning. However, they are told to set goals for themselves so often that the real value is overlooked. If the true worth of aspirations is deeply looked into, the meaning behind why pursuing goals is stressed can be clearly understood. Striving to successfully fulfill personal goals helps one in telling them what they truly want, help propel them forward in difficult times, and hold them accountable for failure. When one strives to achieve a goal, they are never left without a gain, and even if it seems as though one has not acquired anything, the rare skill of self-reflection, as well as the, seldom felt surge of motivation is always the result of pursuing an objective.
How often is it that a person wonders where their true happiness lies, believing that a fancy title with a fortune will complete that empty hole in their heart, only to find that the hole has only enlarged? This common mistake comes from the deprivation of self-reflection. When one does not reflect on their lives and find out their inner desires and what they truly want, compulsive decisions are made while supposing that the decision they made is what they essentially want. However it is very rare that it is indeed what they desire, and it only results in more dissatisfaction. Setting goals for oneself is a result of self-reflection when one thinks about what they really long for, they automatically make a goal for themselves and aspire to reach it. As they begin to strive to reach their goal, they are constantly self-reflecting and asking themselves if what they are reaching for is what they actually want. By constantly re-assessing one’s goals, they gain the benefit of introspection and self-reflection, both of which are crucial to making the right decisions and choices to create a life one wants.
Many have noticed the trend that when they want to achieve something, they work hard for a while, but then their motivation begins to wane. This is because of poor planning and the wrong insight. A proper goal comes with a plan on how to achieve it, and it also comes with the understanding that one must achieve the goal, and that they must work hard to overcome the obstacles and not back down when a hardship arises. The main reason that motivation wanes is that a person encounters a difficulty, and they feel that they are not able to continue. However, having a goal written down with a set date for accomplishment gives one something to work hard form despite the inevitable struggles. A goal is not something one just throws in the towel after they find themselves in a hard situation, it is an external representation of one’s inner desires. Desires are what people really want, and it automatically gives one the motivation to continue; a goal is a constant reminder of what one needs to accomplish. Motivation is the key to moving forward, and striving to reach a goal a person wants teaches them motivation, which does nothing but helps them in accomplishing it.
An important aspect of self-improvement is learning from one’s mistakes and always trying to exceed others and well as their own standards. A goal always includes a specific date on which one has acquired a certain amount of whatever they wished to accomplish. It is like a deadline for their own assignment. If a student does not hand in their work on the day it was due, they have to suffer consequences. However, if the teacher gave no deadline, why should the student be punished for not handing in his or her work? There is no punishment, however, there is also no gain. Without goals, one may only think of what they want, however, if they do not set a goal to achieve what they want, a month or even years later they will not get what they want because they never strived to achieve it. Goals give a person the accountability for failure. When one sets a goal for themselves to accomplish something in a given time, and they do not fulfill that goal, they are responsible for not fulfilling it. If they had not set a goal, they would have never achieved it. Setting goals not only gives one the liability for their actions, but it also strengthens their character in the sense that they try to improve themselves and work harder to achieve what they want.
Setting goals are one thing, and striving to achieve them is another thing. Setting goals is a result of self-reflection, however attempting to achieve them reinforces this skill because one is frequently contemplating on how much they wish to still pursue their goal. Striving to achieve goals also gives a person the motivation to continue chasing their ambitions, because goals reflect what a person really wants and one wishes to acquire what they want despite the struggles. Goals also give one a sense of self-improvement because they feel the need to persevere in order to accomplish their goals without fail. These are the main reasons why striving to achieve one’s goals is important and shows the true value of goals that are often ignored.
Here is a talk on how to expand the scope of your ability to reach even the most impossible-seeming goals:
