There was great excitement in the world of archeology recently with the apparent discovery in Israel of the tomb of Herod the Great, he of Biblical fame. What I find fascinating about the discovery is that archeologist, Ehud Netzer, spent 35 years on the project. Starting in 1972 he ferreted around the man-made hill known as the Herodian until he uncovered the tomb a few weeks ago. Now that is dedication to a long term goal!
Some people are able to work well with long term goals. They can visualize themselves some years in the future (although seldom as long as 35 years), and they plan their lives to move them toward their goals.
But some people I have coached struggle with the idea of setting long term goals. Some people find it difficult to imagine themselves far in the future, others don’t like the idea of committing themselves to being in a certain place five or ten years down the line, and for some there is just not enough certainty in the present to be able to set realistic goals long into the future.
While it is good to have long term goals so that your life doesn’t meander aimlessly through the years, if you set long term goals only because you feel you ought to have some or because you are forced into doing so, it is unlikely you will achieve those goals. For goals to be achievable we need to be fully committed to them, and goals we have established because we have been told we should have them are not goals to which we are committed.
Long term goals are like a compass point that set a direction for your life journey. But if you are unable to commit yourself to a single direction, you might want to consider “stepping stone” goals.
If you have ever crossed a stream by hopping from boulder to boulder, you will know that what happens is that you stand on one stone and then look around for the next stone you can jump to. And once you have made the leap you then start looking for you next step.
Stepping stone goals are like hopping through the stream of life in short bursts, deciding where we want to be and then looking around for our next step. They represent a shorter term commitment of perhaps only a couple of months to a year. These short term goals are easier to plan and achieve for those people who find long range planning difficult. Although using stepping stones means it is unlikely that our life will take a single direction, at least they provide short term direction against which we can plan and measure our daily activities. They also allow for flexibility when you have reached the goal to look around and decide where you would like to go next, which might be a natural continuation of the journey you have been taking or a completely different direction altogether. We are not all like Ehud Netzer, able to set a single life goal, and we don’t all have to. Rather adopt a goal setting method which is more in keeping with the kind of person you are, and you are more likely to achieve your goals.
To learn more about this author, visit Jonathan Payne's Website.
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Jonathan Payne
(Visit Jonathan's Website)
Jonathan Payne has spent years studying
and working with human behaviour and has
facilitated numerous seminars in personal
effectiveness. He is a management and
executive coach, a professional speaker, a
facilitator of workshops and seminars for
businesses in effective performance, a
personality profiling practitioner and a
regular columnist in the local press.
Jonathan holds memberships of the National
Speakers Association of Southern Africa,
Coaches and Mentors of South Africa and
the Association of Psychological Type
International.You can contact him at jo
nathan@livingways.co.za
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