How long did it take for you to reach your goals?

I have accomplished many goals, but it is important to always set goals for yourself so you are constantly challenged and raising the bar for yourself.

Hi Marc,

I think that this is a really interesting question. While my goals have definitely changed over time, I also think that it is good to have tiers of goals. I would say my broadest goal is of course to be happy and fulfilled. When we look at the professional as opposed to personal goals aspect of this, I have found that no matter what you do, being at a company where you enjoy the people and feel like you are making a positive impact at the organization makes you excited to get out of bed and go to work every morning. Then, within that, I look at career advancement opportunities at an organization and try to plan where I see myself in the next 5 years. Those goals are my long term goals and then I make shorter term goals in order to achieve that plan.

It took me awhile to figure out exactly what industry I want to work in - I work in accounting but that function is needed across most industries. I think while you're young, if you have the opportunity to explore different possible industries, that helps too to figure out where you want to be for the long term once you know the field you want to be in. For example - I work in accounting but have worked at a non-profit, at a retail company, and now at a tech company. I would say that, by far, working at a tech company has been one of the most exciting, mentally stimulating, and fulfilling jobs. The people are great and the job is fast paced and now I know I want to set goals that allow me to continue progressing in this industry!

The funny thing about goals is that they are constantly changing. I think the best thing to do is to keep assessing your goals and how you can keep making progress towards accomplishing them. Once you do achieve your goals, keep pushing yourself and set new larger goals. I three sets of goals; short-term (less than 1 year - less than 2 years), long-term goals (greater than 2 years), and ludicrous goals (...ludicrous). For example, right I got married, my wife and I set the following list of life goals (Boat, Baby, Bayshore, and Billionaire). Purchasing a boat was short-term, having kids was long-term (on the low end of the spectrum), buying a house on the water was long-term (high end of the spectrum), and becoming a billionaire is a ludicrous goal. I'll likely come up short on the ludicrous goal.However, if I aim and come up short of being a billionaire , I'll probably be a millionaire and live a good life. lifegoals

Hello that is an interesting question. When I got my engineering degree I wanted to become a chartered engineer. I live in the UK and a professional engineer can get the qualification and put C. Eng after their name. That was my goal in my 20s and I did before I was 30.

But I am still working 40 year later. Goals and plans are important. If you don't have a plan you can't change it. I have learnt to set goals and plan for the next 5 years. Further than that is too far in the uncertain future!

Hi, what a great question. In all honesty my main goal was always to work hard and try and be happy doing it. Goal setting is something that tends to be multi-faceted, home life goals, personal goals, fitness & nutrition goals, and sometimes just getting to the end of the week goals.

Over the years I have set goals of course, but I tend to add an element of flexibility to my goals, not carrying any guilt or drama if i missed my own deadline, just constantly reassessing and moving the goal posts.

Fundamentally if you set yourself a 30/60/90 day plan, and be prepared to be flexible with the outcomes, it gives you a strong foundation to them move to longer term goals, but don't restrict yourself to career goals, expand a little out side of that and set your self up for achievements over and above those at work. You'll be happier in the long run, and have more experience to offer.

Hi Marc!

Thanks for making me think! I never considered myself much of a goal-setter when it came to my career. I was a police officer, enjoyed being on patrol, and did not want to be a supervisor. I kept on eye on special positions that came open, but, other than that, stayed where I was.

I also can't seem to get into diet and exercise goals. . .

But, when it comes to finances, I've got it covered! I am 57, retired, and my house is paid off, 8 years after buying it! I pay my credit cards in full each month, and work with a financial planner to make sure things are on track. I never really said, "my goal is x-y-z" but knew in the back of my mind I wanted to quit working as early as possible. I invested from an early age, paid off bills starting with the highest interest rate first, refinanced my mortgage when rates dropped, etc.

I actually think it is odd that I can do this with money but not with fitness!

good question!

Hi Marc,

My goals are always changing as I grow, but I have a few concrete goals I want to achieve in my life. My recommendation, right down 1, 5, 10, 20 year goals you like to achieve and then build a plan to achieve them.

Example: if you want to be a VP in business in 10 years, then understand what it will take to get there? Build a path that you believe will be the best to help you get there.

Most important thing: Some times your goals will not be reach in the timeframe you want. So don't be disappointed about that.

There are short and long term goals! Don't be afraid to count the small wins on the way to your long term goals.

I find it helpful to set goals that will exist over different timeframes. For example, what does success look like for me in the next day, week, month, or year? It can be overwhelming to work towards huge, far away goals, so breaking it down into more actionable goals will make it easier to feel like you are making progress.

I don't think I'll ever reach a point where all of my goals are reached – life would be so boring! Whenever I hit large milestones I like to reflect on what is next. It's amazing how the goals I have now are things I couldn't have imagined 5 years ago. Keep working towards the things you know about today and you'll be amazed by what you can accomplish.

Hi Marc,

Goals are an ever-changing element in an individuals career which can relate to many different areas including job roles, responsibilities, personal growth etc...

For me personally, I have always set myself small goals i.e. take on additional projects outside of my role. The more you focus on gradually taking on more responsibility & challenging yourself with new projects, the more it will be picked up on and the opportunities will find you.

Through the power of LinkedIn, networking and focusing on increasing and publicising new projects and skills gained, I managed to reach my goal of becoming a manager sooner than expected which was within 4 years.

As I progress in my career I'm certain I will have new goals and the key really is just to remain patient and focus your efforts on constantly growing your strengths. The key is to always keep yourself constantly challenged.

Interesting question that I think really depends on where you are in life. From my perspective, I'm focused on having short term goals and long term goals. Short term goals could be as small as hitting my sales quota each month, quarter, year. Long term goals are much larger and in line with planning for retirement, career aspirations etc. For me, I initially hit a goal of earning $X by a certain age, when I accomplished that I changed the target to continually be shooting for a new number! I would say that while I feel I've accomplished a lot professionally and personally, there are still quite a few goals that I have in front of me, so it's a constantly evolving process in my opinion.