Some people believe that they must choose between wealth and happiness, as if they are mutually exclusive. That’s not so. Wealth and happiness flow from the same place of prosperity that all people who possess both these traits tap into.
This place resides within you and to access it there are some simple strategies for success that you can master to open the floodgates to lasting wealth and happiness in your personal and professional life.
Most people don’t plan to fail in the work or personal life but they shore do fail to plan. One of the most powerful strategies for wealth and happiness is to have a list of goals or objectives that you want to achieve.
The reason for this is real simple, your accomplishments, income, bank balance, lifestyle and even the decisions you make and actions you take that get results in your life will change for the better when they are connected to your work and life goals.
What’s Your Blueprint For Life?
I am convinced that by mastering goal-setting you can have a life of incredible wealth and happiness because not only has it happened for me but if you talk to anyone that has mastered it you will see the evidence of how it has helped shaped their dream life as well.
What having goals do is take your deepest dreams and imaginings of a better life and translate them into a blueprint to make them happen. The more specific your goals are, the easier it will be to achieve them.
I call this living by design rather than accidental living which is how life ends up when you don’t take the time to identify what you want to have, be and do in your life and work towards your dreams.
Goals can be broken up into two parts, short- range goals and long-range goals. Your short-term goals will be connect to your long-rang ones so that’s why you should always write down your long-range goals first.
If you don’t already have a list of your long-term goals then do it now.
My philosophy on goal setting is to keep it real simple and the way I do this is to keep the number of things I write down to a maximum of 6. The reason for this is that too many goals can cause us to feel overwhelmed and too few limits our horizons.
For me, working on six goals at a time is the sweet spot. For you it may be seven or ten, or even more, and that’s okay but if you want a number that is totally doable and realistic to achieve, then perhaps just stick to six goals for now.
Write down the heading of “Long-Term Goals” and underneath that list the top six (or more) things that you want to achieve over the next one to ten years. Make sure to include at least 1 goal for each of the main areas of your life which includes:
- Finance & Career
- Fun & Happiness
- Love & Relationships
- Health & Fitness
- Passion & Purpose
- Spirituality & Contribution
Once you have written them down take a moment to write down beside each goal an approximate due-date to accomplish it. The reason for this is that the difference between a dream and a goal is simply having a due-date next to it.
Next, write down your short-term goals.
These must be related to your long-term objectives. I tend to focus on 3 monthly goals for my short-term ones as this helps me to get laser focused and also see results within 90 days. It also makes it a bit more realistic as 90 days goes by quite quickly and is easier to keep top of mind on a daily basis.
Part of the fun of having a list of things you are working towards is the ability to check things off. I love this because it gives me a sense of accomplishment when I see things crossed of my list as completed. Nothing breeds success like success and every time you complete an item on your list, you become that much more successful in your psyche.
Also take the time to celebrate your wins. It can be as simple as giving yourself a pat on the back, blowing your own trumpet or giving yourself a treat. Regardless, do take the time to enjoy your victories as it will only inspire you to do more.
The Real Purpose Of Goal’s
Let me share with you something that I discovered about goals. The real value in setting goals has nothing to do with achieving them. The main purpose in them is who you become along the way towards their achievement.
In other words, if your income right now is $50k per year and your goal is to double that within the next 12 months, then that is an awesome goal. But the reality is that in 12 months time for you to have achieved this goal you need to become a $100k per year income earner.
You see, this is the power of goal setting. It motivates you to become greater than you already are because if you already had what you wanted then there wouldn’t be any reason for you to change what you’re doing or who you are.
A business coach who frequently helped me to get out of my comfort zone once challenged me to add a zero next to my hourly rate as a 6 month goal. At the time I was making $50/hour, so this was a big mental stretch for me and I couldn’t see any way that I’d achieve this target.
After much head scratching and brain freezing I still couldn’t figure it out. Then my coach asked me how I could leverage my time better to which I replied, “I could work with groups of people and get paid a higher rate for the same amount of time.” He laughed and said, “now you’re thinking in the right direction.”
That idea gave birth to me running seminars, workshops and group coaching sessions which saw my hourly rate skyrocket. Within 6 months I had increased my hourly rate tenfold and then some but the best part of all was that I had become the person whose hourly rate was now worth $500+ per hour.
That’s why I say that achieving your goals is really just icing on the cake. Learning how to mix all the ingredients and bake the cake properly is the real gift of goals. Just like learning to ride a bike, once you learn the skill you don’t have to think about it anymore as it becomes second nature. That’s why we set goals and work towards then – just so that we become naturalyl more skilled at making money, being happy or whatever is important to you.
The Secret To Lasting Happiness
Happiness is no different. You can set goals in life that will make you happier but happiness will never be lasting if it’s just about what you achieve. Because the moment you achieve any dream it dies and if you are like most people you’re ready to move onto the next desire.
In reality, this never ending cycle of wanting more is the root of everyone’s unhappiness. It’s an endless road of self-torture. Yet, that is our human nature so in order to not suppress that part of us it is healthy to acknowledge it and give it wings to fly.
Here’s the difference though. Never get obsessed about achieving your desires – instead learn to enjoy the journey that your goals take you on and don’t take them seriously at all. Seriousness creates tightness which creates stress and tension and who needs more of that in their lives?
Yes, be focused, committed and disciplined but understand that your happiness will come from learning to enjoy the journey and not get uptight about the destination. This is the real secret to life-long happiness.
Then whenever you reach a goal you can celebrate and rejoice but also if you do not reach your goal, still celebrate and rejoice what you did create and what you have already achieved – even if it’s different from what you imagined.
I call this the law of gratitude. By doing everything you can to get what you want and still being able to be happy when you fall short by being grateful for what you did achieve, then this help you stay at peace with your life instead of being crushed by it.
Goals are meant to inspire you, nothing more and nothing less… and happiness is a way of life and not a destination to be achieved. Keep working towards your dreams and know that if you can arrive at them with happiness in your heart, peace in your mind and more energy than when you started out – then you are on the right path.
