High Quality Goals

Goals are a good thing, apparently. We are encouraged to create them and make them SMART. If you've used the SMART approach, you'll know that M is for measurable. Typical examples we're given are often very measurable - a particular career position, a specific income, a home to be proud of, a premium car and so on.

There is nothing wrong with this except the danger that we miss our real goals. Suppose that you have a goal for a specific income, there will be a reason behind it. You are likely to have plans to spend the money in particular ways - car, house, holiday etc. What is the underlying reason you want these things?

Last year I listened to a speaker from an environmental lobby group. He explained the fundamental motivators that operate in his field. People will only take environmentally friendly action for one of three reasons: the feeling of security it brings; the status it confers, or a sense of personal fulfillment.

Let's borrow these categories as they are a useful summary of what psychology applies more generally (in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs) to human motivation. Ultimately, the reason for every goal we set ourselves lies within one of these three categories.

When we create the 'easily measured' sort of goal - car, house, holiday etc - we are using a quantitative focus. But the real reason we want these quantitative goals is for reasons of quality - which we could call qualitative goals.

Qualitative goals - such as peace of mind, sense of self-worth, meaningful work - may be harder to measure but they are powerful and inspiring. The curious thing is that people who think they are unclear about their goals are unclear about the quantitative sort while they are much clearer about the qualitative kind.

So how can we apply this practically?

The fundamental principle is to be honest with yourself about the qualitative goals you have. Then the choices you make about quantitative goals can be made intelligently to lead you closer rather than taking you further away.

Take a piece of paper and make three columns. In the leftmost, write down your qualitative goals. Then over the next week, note in the middle column against each goal what has happened to take you nearer that goal. In the right-hand column note what has happened to take you further from it.

The log you create by doing this will inform your choices about quantitative goals, so you can choose those that generate greatest inspiration because they lead directly towards your qualitative goals.