3 BENEFITS OF LIVING A GOAL-CENTERED LIFE

Many people live care-free lives with no strict policies or outlook for the future. This is their idea of reducing everyday stress and making life less serious. Success then becomes whatever possessions society identifies, which mostly goes along the line of getting a degree, getting married, buying a home, having children. Regardless of how you obtain these, as long as you have them, you have become successful. Think about it, are these success to you? What happens when you arrive here? Life becomes exciting for a little while and then it begins to feel static because you had never allowed yourself to dream past these things, or you may just accept that you have arrived and stop evolving with the rest of the world. Know that what doesn't grow, dies. Setting goals, as easy or common as it may sound, is a significant aspect of succeeding in life. Here are three reasons why you must begin to live a goal-centered life.

• IT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY WHAT SUCCESS IS TO YOU

When you set goals, it forces you to think about your life and what you would like to achieve or become. Yes you will plan for the house, marriage, and kids, but you also begin to see the possibilities of achieving more than that. Your goals will give you an idea of your strength and weaknesses and open you up to other opportunities that will customize what success is to you. One goal leads to the next, and the next leads to an unexpected opportunity that pushes your goals and achievements beyond your initial house, car, and marriage idea. These things then become little tokens of the actual success you've realized. A life without clear goals become chasing after the wind and limits you in comparison to your potential.

• IT STRUCTURES YOUR LIFE

Those who live structured lives guided by their goals are generally focused, productive, and are good managers of time and resources, which are all good skills that lead you to success. Your goals will determine the company you keep, and what you do with your time and money. Not having goals allows you to live a free and spontaneous life but the downside to that is, you could feel like you're accomplishing things but they may all be far less than what you can actually achieve, or you may spend all your tie and resources on things you didn't plan to, only to find out it is not what you truly set out to be or do and this could lead to unhappiness or settling for less than your potential.

• IT HOLDS YOU ACCOUNTABLE

How do you know you are progressing? How do you know you will become successful? Checking off those goals is one way to know you are progressing and on your way to success. But more importantly your goals will hold you accountable for what you plan to do vs. what you did and how beneficial they were to you. Goals caution you when you are on the wrong path and guide you back to your higher purpose.

Goal-setting is common, easy, and important but many will see it as daunting and irrelevant. This year as you desire to see progress in your life, make sure you are setting goals, and not just any goals, but SMART Goals.

Goals that are:

S - Specific (narrow down to small workable chunks with enough details)

M- Measurable ( How do you know you have achieved this goal? Quantify)

A- Achievable (Set realistic goals. challenge yourself but make sure you can achieve the goal)

R- Relevant (Can lead to a result that will add value to your life)

T- Time-bound (Set deadlines and monitor your progress)