Do you have goals?  I always thought goals had to be long term and huge…what’s your 5 year plan…10 year plan…?  So in that light for most of my life I never really had many goals and thought something was wrong with me.  On the other hand I had quite a few short term things I wanted to get done.

The thing is, the definition of a “goal” is “aim or a desired result”, so we pretty much have goals of one type or another every day.

Look at your life.  What goals do you have?  Long term? Short term?  Ones just to get you through the day?  And do they excite you?  Do they seem “worth it”…worth the work, the money or the time?

If you have the same goals every day…get up, go to work, get something accomplished, come home, work out, eat…they are kind of the ones that make us feel like goals aren’t worth it because we’re stuck in a rut.  On the other hand, they are necessary.

But what about your other goals?  Do you have any?  Maybe your longer term goal is taking a specific vacation…the planning, the savings, the anticipation; or finishing college or training for a particular field; learning a new language; or maybe you want to buy a new home…that one takes a lot of savings, planning and anticipation as well!  Even taking a new class or going to a new meet-up can be something that moves you out of a rut and excites you.

Take a few minutes and write down all your long term goals.  Next to them write down how much time and money they will take to accomplish.  Consider the list.  Will these goals make your life better?  Is it really worth the time, money and effort it may take to accomplish them?  Will they move you along in a career? Or help you be a better person? Perhaps after looking at them you can take one off your list as being unnecessary and leave you space for something new that excites you more and adds more to your life. You can also reignite your passion for a goal by tweaking or adjusting it, or giving it more attention.

Then look at the shorter term goals the same way.  These are not the ones you do every day, but the others that take a little longer.  How do these stack up?  Give them the same test.

You can look at every day goals as you accomplish them.  Most of those will be yes, I have to do them – but sometimes you can either cut something out totally, delegate the tasks, hire someone else to do the work, or find some way to brighten up the everyday goals you need to get done.  I’ve turned music on when I have to unload the dishwasher and dance around the kitchen…there are always fun ways to do the mundane!

So, are goals worth it?  Of course!  But, make sure you aren’t hanging onto a goal because someone else said you should or because you’re just in a rut.  Give yourself the freedom to decide again.  Your life will be better for it!