Some people are natural goal setters; it’s a part of their being as a person. Others learn how through trial and error; they learn how to set goals by doing.
Also, there are 2 kinds of goals
I wasn’t always a goal setter. It started my first day of my Freshman year in college. I had just moved into the dorms and everything was brand new; most significantly, my environment.
Before that, I hadn’t really considered what my future would look like or what kinds of things I wanted to accomplish.
I hadn’t envisioned anything for myself beyond a very limited possibility of what my future self might be.
But there I was first day of class, in a Psychology class, of all things.
I realized that this was my moment (as it is for every single Freshman): I needed to get this moment as this was a very important moment that would happen only once.
So I set about setting some goals for myself. The first one was that I would study and get As and Bs.
I studied all the time, and I took everything to heart.
Once I started setting goals, and reaching them, I kept going.
But in my mid-30s my goals started to shift from Doing to Being.
Doing vs. Being
What do I mean by that?
That they are different types of goals:
Doing Goals are those that are externally focused. Think ‘Bucket List’. These are things that are activity focused and have an element of outside engagement, whether it’s with other people or things or places. They represent our External Selves.
Being Goals are those that are internally focused. Think ‘Who do you want to become’? These can be tougher, but perhaps are more significant. They are also the goals we tend to focus on as we mature. They can be as tactical as course corrective on a behavior or as profound as fundamentally shifting how we engage with our spiritual life.
People need both in our lives to keep us focused on where we are going, but it’s important to recognize how they are different in how we approach them and how we meet them.
While Being goals aren’t included in a Financial Plan, it is important to recognize when they impact those habits and behaviors we have that allow us or limit us from implementing the changes needed to execute on a Financial Plan.
Next Step
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