Setting goals can have a direct impact on your happiness and well-being. Goals give you a target to shoot for. They provide motivation and purpose. Without them, you can find yourself moving through your days on autopilot, not really taking charge of your life. When you set goals and achieve them, you derive a sense of pride and satisfaction. These emotions are crucial to overall life satisfaction. You can have a stronger influence on your happiness by mapping out your goals and going after them. Take a look at how it works.
Two Types of Goals
First, let’s take a look at two types of goals so that you can get a sense of which one has the greatest potential to lead to happiness. Intrinsic goals are those that come from within yourself. They satisfy your needs for competence, connection, independence, and growth. They don’t rely on the opinions of outsiders. These are things like learning new things, forming social bonds, and traveling to unfamiliar places. Extrinsic goals are the ones that stress rewards such as praise and recognition that come from outside sources. These types of things can be fame, fortune, or popularity.
Goals That Promote Happiness
You can probably guess that intrinsic goals are more likely to bring happiness. It’s true. Those things you desire because they will enhance your life and bring personal satisfaction are the types of goals that have been shown to lead to long-term fulfillment. On the other hand, extrinsic goals are based upon the views and values of others. They don’t necessarily align with what you find worthwhile, and they’re often accompanied by negativity and stress. The things that will truly make you happy must come from within. Keep this in mind as you continue on this journey.
Basic Goal Setting Tips
Reaching goals that are truly meaningful to you can bring great satisfaction and happiness. This type of success also leads to increased confidence and motivation to continue achieving additional goals. It’s important to set goals that are measurable, though. Vague objectives are simply wishes and usually go unfulfilled. Instead, you want to develop goals that are specific so that you have a clear picture of what you want. They should be measurable in order track your progress. Setting milestones is part of the process, as well. With each one you reach comes an opportunity for celebration and reward. Taking stock of your progress and making adjustments keeps you on track.
The entire goal-setting process will become easier with time. Knowing the type of goals that lead to happiness and how to go about setting those targets for yourself is essential to finding success.
