The closer and closer we get to that all-too-familiar January month, the closer we get to feeling like we need to start setting some goals for ourselves for the coming year. Whether this impending month represents a good reason to set goals or not, it is a fact that goal setting is not always the easiest thing to do in the world (since it can be quite overwhelming at times), and it isn’t always apparent that goal setting is even necessary to begin with. As a life coach I think everyone knows where I stand on that topic, but as the reader you might still be figuring things out for yourself, and that’s okay!

On the topic of goal setting, recently I was featured in AZ-Lifestyle Magazine for an article on the subject, and thus I thought this would be a perfect time to share my answers in the interview so others can start to form some personal thoughts on how goal setting fits into their lives as well. As such, I hope you find the information below helpful, and feel free to comment below with your thoughts on the importance of goals in your own life!

1. Do you believe there is a difference between New Year’s Resolutions and Bucket Lists? Are there any pros/cons for either?

There is definitely a difference between New Year’s resolutions and bucket lists. New Year’s resolutions are usually temporary goals that people set for themselves that, more likely than not, do not actually get achieved. The “pro” for these is that Jan. 1 is a convenient date to engage in some introspection into one’s life, and people rarely engage in real introspection on a regular basis. The “con” for these is that if a date in time is what is motivating you to achieve your goal, I would question the foundation of that motivation, and might explain why so many New Year’s resolutions end in failure.

Bucket lists on the other hand represent one’s dreams in life. The “pro” here is that even if one never gets around to completing all the activities on their bucket list, having dreams is rarely bad (and makes us strive for more in life). They often represent healthy ambition, and thus there are few reasons not to have one. The only real “con” would be that someone could feel like a failure (or perceive their life as not being completely fulfilled) if the bucket list isn’t achieved towards one’s later years, and thus the list needs to be ambitious, yet realistic.

2. What is the importance of setting goals?

The importance of taking the time to set goals is mostly due to the business of life – that is, most of us don’t take the time to really think out and solidify what we want to do with our life. Life often just comes at us versus us being intentional about our actions. Setting that 1, 5, or 10 year plan (often with a significant other) can put us on that track to gain awareness around our life, and the more awareness the better.

3. Are there consequences to not setting goals?

The only consequences of not setting goals is in a greatly reduced chance that we will get what we want out of life. Take the career aspect of life, for example. Is there a chance that your friend will offer you a job that is extremely rewarding and fulfilling, perfectly tailored to you and your personality and skills, completely out of the blue? Sure, but I think it’s much more likely that if you set a goal to go to achieve your dream job, and take the right steps to achieve that, you will find yourself in a better place career wise than if you had not set the goal to begin with. If I was a betting man, I’d bet on goals every time :-)

4. Why is it difficult for some people to set goals?

It’s difficult to set goals again due to our busy lives, but also realize that goals represent “action” and “change,” both of which we tend to stray away from. Action represents us having to “do” something (and we humans would prefer rest over productivity), and change represents uncertainty (uncertainty being the source of so many fears in life). Thus, motivation and fear are essentially the enemies of goal setting, and those are not easy battles to win.

5. Are there different types of goals?

Sure there are different types of goals: career, relationship, health, financial, spiritual, etc. One of the greatest ways to start the process of setting goals is to classify them per the different areas of life that make up who we are. For example, if religion isn’t a big part of your life you might not have any spiritual goals, but most people have to work to live so “career” might very well be a classification on the list. The important thing: make the list “yours,” else it won’t connect emotionally.

6. How does one go about setting goals?

I answered this a bit in the previous question, but the process of setting goals is 90% taking the time to “just do it,” both from a logistical perspective (finding a good day and time to write and review your goals on daily/weekly/monthly basis), but also from a mental perspective (actually “committing” to focusing on goals versus just being spontaneous and unintentional about life). Really, the process of setting goals is easy – it’s essentially just getting your dreams and desires down on paper and considering the steps that it will take to achieve them. The hard part is actually achieving them.

7. When should someone seek help–from a life coach, for example–with setting goals?

I would say the biggest reason one would seek out a life coach for help with setting goals is if one of three things are happening: one, if you lack the awareness of your own dreams and need someone to help clarify those with you; two, there are obstacles in the way of achieving your dreams and they seem insurmountable; and three, you have both the awareness of your dreams and the ability to achieve them, but lack the motivation to do so. Also keep in mind that one definition of a life coach’s job is to help clients simply “create awareness” around their lives, and thus a coach can certainly be helpful in this process.

How often do you set goals for your life? If you are a spontaneous person, how can you add more structure (and goals) into your life in a way that adds value? Does adding goals ever simply get in the way? Please feel free to share your thoughts!