It’s easy to get stuck in a daily rut, sleepwalking through the days on autopilot and not accomplishing anything very meaningful. Day in and day out we drift from one mundane task to the next, and then before we know it, a third of our life is over. Well, it’s time to snap out of it and set some new personal goals.
Goal setting gives shape to our days. It helps us arrange our daily priorities in a way that leads to the desired short-term and long-term outcomes. As we meet each of our personal goals, we become imbued with a sense of pride and accomplishment, which then positively impacts our self-esteem. To learn more about the positive benefits of goal setting, read on!
Goal Setting and Mental Health
Each day, we wake up with an expanse of about sixteen hours to fill before finally hitting the sack. As the demands of the day tug and pull at us, it’s easy to lose sight of our goals and dreams.
So much of our self-worth is wrapped up in how we view our life’s accomplishments. If we begin to feel like we have squandered valuable time and haven’t achieved the personal goals we once dreamt of pursuing, it can take a toll on our mental health. We might stop caring about lose long lost dreams, or even become depressed about having given up on them.
Setting some new personal goals can make a huge difference in how you view daily life, which will translate to a much more positive attitude. Your days begin to have new purpose and then start gathering momentum, carrying you little by little to that positive outcome you envisioned. The positive effects of goal setting on your mental wellbeing is immeasurable.
5 Positive Benefits of Setting Personal Goals
When considering setting some new goals, think about the areas in your life that lack direction, where you feel rudderless. Think about things you wish to have more control over, but haven’t stopped to figure out how. Also take a minute to remember your passions, those hobbies or activities that have fallen by the wayside as daily life demanded all your time.
New positive goals might include improving your finances, going back to school or changing your career, creating a travel bucket list, or starting a family. Whatever goals you set for yourself should be driven be a desire to improve some aspect of your life.
Consider these 5 benefits of setting new positive goals:
- Motivates you. Nothing puts a spring in your step like having a new goal and setting out to conquer it. Your days become purposeful and productive because you feel energized and motivated to reach that goal.
- Gives you control. Daily distractions can consume our days, so by setting goals you put yourself back in the driver’s seat. Once you define the goal, you are then in control about how to prioritize each day, and how you spend your time.
- Improves self-esteem. Setting goals forces you to challenge yourself, and to also be accountable to yourself. No one is going to do the work for you, so when you follow through and meet the challenge, you feel better about yourself.
- Provides direction. Setting some personal goals can help sharpen the focus on what really matters in life, and that guides you toward achieving them. Instead of flailing around without purpose, your goals give you direction.
- Leads to better quality of life. Setting a new career goal might improve your future job prospects; learning how to invest may improve your finances; meeting fitness or dietary goals can help you feel healthier. All these things improve quality of life.
If you have found yourself squandering valuable time, why not make a positive change? Reflect on the ways you might want to improve something in your life and then set some new positive goals.
