Do This Before Setting Your Goals: How to Analyze Your Meaning & Motivation First
Do This Before Setting Your Goals: How to Analyze Your Meaning & Motivation First
Do This Before Setting Your Goals: How to Analyze Your Meaning & Motivation First
As 2021 comes to an end and we look forward to a new year, there’s about to be a lot of goals talk over the next few weeks. Don’t just talk about it this year. Make this the year you create an actionable plan you like to accomplish your 2022 goals. I want you to create goals you’re excited about so you follow through!
Let’s recap. By now, you’ve brushed up on how to set SMART Goals. Then, you gave some serious thought about what you can commit to doing consistently each day. After that, you saw the value of taking ownership of your life in a no-excuses manner.
Ready for the next step? Good. Let’s talk about meaning and motivation today.
On Meaning
You’re not going to want to do anything at all—let alone consistently—unless it has meaning to you. This is your “why.”
- When you’re about to commit to a goal, ask yourself what it would mean to you. There are several questions you can ask yourself to discover your why:
- Why are you doing this?
- What are you hoping the result will be?
- Why do you want it?
- What does it mean to you to choose this path?
- What purpose does this serve in your life?
- How will this effort benefit you?
- How will this make you a better person?
- How will this change your life?
- Will this add meaning to your life?
- Will this add purpose to your days?
The key is to find a purpose that will drive this action. Without that meaning and purpose, you’re probably going to give up if/when it gets hard. So how do you stay motivated?
On Motivation
Before doing anything, we need to check our motivation. What is motivating me to write daily, for example? Answer: I want to see what happens when I stay consistent with my writing effort. Will my audience grow? Will my writing improve? My biggest motivation is to look back on day 91 and see what I can learn from this experience.
I had the same motivation when signing up to learn Reiki 1 as I did when I signed up for yoga teacher training. I wanted to deepen my personal practice and take care of myself better. Now, I’ve made these the central practices of my life. The more you question your motivations, the more you can identify these consistencies in yourself.
Self-awareness is beautiful!
I’ve found over the years that my motivation in embarking on any journey always comes down to answering the question, “What can I learn?” I’m always seeking ways to become better through learning. I also understand that I learn by doing. Having this self-awareness helps me build on the proper motivation. I work with my natural inclinations, not against them.
Are you doing the right thing for the right reasons? What motivates you?
Do you want this thing so bad that you’d be willing to put in the time and effort daily to work towards it?
This brings us to tomorrow’s topic: Effort…
ICYMI The First Posts In This Series:
- Here’s how to make SMART Goals to ensure success
- How to Take Your SMART Goals and Kick Them Up a Notch
- How To Take Ownership of Your Life