Setting goals are incredibly important for progressing in life. But the trouble is, how do you know you’re setting the right kind of goals?
And more importantly, how do you choose goals that align with your happiness?
Redefine How You Set Goals
Most people make the common mistake of choosing goals based on what Vishen Lakhiani, the author of The Code of the Extraordinary Mind, calls the culturescape.
The culturescape is the web of beliefs, habits, practices, and mythologies of society that tell you how you should live your life.
Your culturescape or belief systems will tell you
You should get that college degree…
You should get a 9-5 job…
You should get married…
And you MUST get 2.5 kids and 2 cars in the garage.
So, don’t make the mistake of setting goals based on what you “should” be doing or what society has programmed you to want and desire.
Instead, the best way to choose goals that align with your happiness is to ask yourself The 3 Most Important Questions.
The 3 Most Important Questions to Use for Goal Setting
- What beautiful human experiences do you want to have?
- What will help you grow and become the man/woman you want to be?
- In what ways can you contribute to others and the world as a whole?
These 3 questions will help you cut through the clutter, the noise, and the confusion of traditional goal-setting—allowing you to focus on the specific goals that will serve your happiness.
You see, most people make the mistake of setting what are called means goals… but they should be setting our end goals.
A means goal is something you do in order to get the experience you want to have.
However, an end goal is what you actually desire. But when you ask yourself these 3 Most Important Questions, you can cut through any means goal and find the most optimal path to your end goals. Whether they be experiences, ways to grow, or ways you want to contribute to the world.
By asking yourself these questions, you will set goals that serve your happiness and create a life truly worth living — a life that is extraordinary.
