9 Personal Goals to Help You Live a More Fulfilled Life
We all have room for improvement. Setting personal goals gives us the opportunity to evaluate where we are in life and take steps towards a brighter future.
Goal setting can feel intimidating. Once we decide what we want to accomplish, we open up the opportunity for failure. But trying and failing takes more courage than never trying at all, and we’ll ultimately be better people because of it.
If you’re unsure of where to begin, here are example goals to start inspiring you to find the right challenge to set for yourself.
Discover the Personal Goals That Are Right for You
While many people wait for the new year to set personal goals, it’s never too late or early to work on improving yourself. Setting personal goals gives you the opportunity to focus on one area of your life where you’d like to see growth. There’s many methods out there for setting and sticking to those goals.
You can use the power of manifestation or you could set a SMART goal (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound). You could set a short term or long term goal. Or you could set a goal for your personal life or you could focus on improving yourself professionally.
There’s no limit to what you can choose to focus on and how you’ll choose to achieve your goal. Do a bit of soul searching and figure out what you can work on now to get closer to the version of yourself you want to be in the future.
Here is a list of potential personal goals to get you inspired.
1. Read More
Works of fiction. Poetry anthologies. Self-help guides. Non-fiction. Textbooks.
It doesn’t matter what you choose to read. The act of reading makes us better writers and communicators (even if it’s showing us what not to do). Reading a fantasy novel can give us an escape from our daily grind. Diving into an educational text could help open your mind to something new.
So whatever you want to read, actively set aside time to read it.
2. Spend Less Time On Your Phone
The mindless scroll is a time waster at best and a depressant at its worst. Social media gives us a great way to connect with people, but it can also do damage to our self-perception. With relatives sharing articles of the latest tragedy on Facebook and influencers posting unobtainable standards, it’s easy to let social media get you down.
And it’s not just social media. No one needs to spend that much time on Candy Crush. So set limits on how much time you can spend on certain apps. Better yet, turn off your phone at a certain time each night. Get back your circadian rhythm and your sanity.
3. Call Your Family More Frequently
Unfortunately, we all too often realize how little time we spent with someone after it’s too late. We’re reminded during holidays that “we should get together more often!” and then we forget to follow up.
Make a point to contact your family and friends more often. Even if you can’t be there in person, a quick phone call, text, or handwritten letter speaks volumes.
4. Improving Your Work Life Balance
A lot of us have difficulty turning off our work brains. When we’re only one text away from our boss, it’s extremely difficult to truly walk away from the office.
But you have to.
Don’t spend your life making yourself always available to work. Because then you aren’t available to the people who truly matter.
5. Eat More Mindfully
Eating mindfully does not mean “go on a diet.”
It could mean a lot of different things. For example, it could mean no more potato chip snacking while watching Netflix. Or it could mean eating more slowly so you can savor the flavors. Alternatively, it could mean looking up where your food comes from and trying to buy locally and sustainably.
Too often we don’t have time to think about what we put in our bodies. We’re too busy running off to the next task to truly be mindful eaters. We need to just grab a quick lunch and go. We’re too tired to make anything elaborate for dinner. But if you dedicate a bit of time to eating mindfully, you’ll get to enjoy the food you eat and feel good about your choices.
6. Take Yourself to the Next Level Professionally
Feel like you’ve been stuck at the same job for a while? Want to fast track your upward trajectory?
Adopt a growth mindset and take the next step professionally. Whether you decide to shadow someone with an adjacent position in your office or you take classes at night to learn more about a different field, make time to take your skills to the next level.
7. Learn to Love Yourself More
Couldn’t we all use a little more self-love? A little more patience for ourselves? A little more kindness when we look in the mirror?
Take the time to engage in self-care that makes you feel joyful. Dress yourself in ways that make you feel confident. Give yourself time to rest and recharge. Compliment yourself on things you do well.
Loving yourself more gives you the opportunity to engage in even more meaningful personal growth.
8. Push the Boundaries of Your Comfort Zone
It’s easy to get stuck in the same old pattern. But if you actively try to do something new once a month, you’ll be shocked by how much you’ll learn about yourself.
Maybe you uncover a passion you never knew you had. Maybe you learn new skills that help you to be a more well-rounded individual. Or maybe you completely fail, but you have a great story to tell at parties. You never know what’s waiting for you just outside your comfort zone. Go find it.
9. Spend More Time Outside
Nature gives us a chance to reconnect with ourselves and the earth. When looking out at the sky on a mountain overhang, the problems you thought were huge will seem small. It gives you a sense of perspective and helps you see more clearly.
While spending time in nature could mean going for a run, it doesn’t have to involve exercise at all. Just choosing to work from your laptop in the park or your backyard could improve your mood drastically.
While it takes some time management skills to set aside an hour for a light walk, it can make a huge difference.
Set and Achieve Your Personal Goals on Your Terms
Achieving your life goals doesn’t happen in a day. And you probably won’t even get it done according to your year plan. Personal development takes time, but it’s a journey worth taking. And the first step you need to take to reach your goals is determining what they are.
As long as you approach the task with determination and a plan, there’s nothing that can stop you from achieving your personal goals.
Author, Artist, Photographer.
Sarah Margaret is an artist who expresses her love for feminism, equality, and justice through a variety of mediums: photography, filmmaking, poetry, illustration, song, acting, and of course, writing.
She owns Still Poetry Photography, a company that showcases her passion for capturing poetic moments in time. Instead of poetry in motion, she captures visual poetry in fractions of a second, making cherished keepsakes of unforgettable moments.
She is the artist behind the Still Poetry Etsy shop, which houses her illustrations and bespoke, handmade items. She is the author of intricacies are just cracks in the wall, a narrative poetry anthology that follows a young woman discovering herself as she emerges from an abusive relationship.
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