At some point, I think everyone has goals that they set their sights on and want to achieve in their life. Some may be small goals, and some may be so big that they may seem like they should not even be mentioned because of how unrealistic they are, but are such goals ever really out of reach? And if they potentially are, should they not at least be attempted? After all, no one can ever really know how the future is going to turn out, right?
Goals galore
Everyone will have different things they want to achieve in their life, and that is part of what makes every person unique; what matters to one person will differ to another. Common life goals include being able to buy a house, to have a good job, to have a family, or even to just be happy with whatever they are doing day to day. These types of life goals are ones that I would say are part of society’s norms; they are the things that are usually fed into our consciousness as we grow up, on some level at least. Not everyone will have the same level of expectancy or even want when it comes to such goals, but they are the ones I would say are very common, even in today’s world where there are increasing opportunities for life to take you to unexpected and exciting places. If I take the example of a teenager wanting to become a doctor, that role requires a lot of self-discipline in terms of commitment to studying, revising, taking exams, doing practical work, and so much more. Once qualified, that person could potentially work wherever they want to, including in other countries, so the ability to explore the world is also an option. I have chosen this as an example because it is a goal that requires a lot of hard work in order for it to be achieved, but it is something that is attainable if this occurs, and it can produce different outcomes. It is also a goal that I think a lot of people may be interested in achieving, but dismiss it because of the high regard the role is held in, and the workload that is always going to be there; many people could think that they are not good enough to become a doctor, but if they looked deeper into what is required and how it can be achieved, they might find out that they are actually the exact type of person that would be suitable for the role.
To be inspired and inspiring others
One type of person that can have a huge impact on people is someone who inspires others. This is the type of person who can allow someone else to look at themselves and understand that they can achieve all they want to, or what they had previously thought they could not. In my opinion, this is one of the best type of people there is because of the positive influence such a person can have on others; they allow others to realise that they have the potential to achieve their goals and give them the hope that so many people can lack within themselves. By taking the example of the goal to become a doctor, a person may not believe that this is even an option for them, even if it is their dream. They may come from a background where roles like this are seen to be out of their reach, or they may believe they do not have the funds to go to medical school. By taking some inspiration from people who are already doctors and finding out more about their journeys could help someone to see that it is possibly not so unattainable after all. Perhaps sometimes life is only as difficult as you make it?
How can you achieve your goal?
So someone has a goal and are now inspired to try and achieve it, but how do they actually go about doing that? Finding out more about how other people have achieved the goal they have could be the first step to take. If someone is lacking in self-confidence when it comes to looking forward to achieving something that want to, I think it is always a good thing to find out more about other people because you may find that there are similarities in past histories. There are plenty of now famous people who have achieved so much in their lives, but did not always have it easy, and had to battle many obstacles to get to where they are now. Take JK Rowling as a prime example; I have often read articles on the Harry Potter author that speak about how she once had a lack of self-esteem and confidence, but she has now achieved so much and has more importantly, in my opinion, had a positive impact on millions of people. For many of these people, she has helped to define their childhood by creating such rich, vibrant and let’s not forget magical, characters and stories that will forever be in people’s hearts and consciousness.
JK Rowling is just one example of how aspirations and dreams should not be dismissed, because had everyone with a goal in their life done that, there would be hardly anything achieved in this world.
I think that not giving up on your goals is one of the biggest ways of trying to achieve them, because, after all, you have to be in it to win it. There is only so much that thinking and planning can achieve; by going out into the world and attempting to achieve your goal is, most likely, going to be the only way it has the potential to happen. By being the most informed you can be on a subject; for example, knowing about an organisation you may want a job with, or understanding as much as you can about a subject you have an exam on, can help you achieve any related goals you may have. I always think that knowledge is power, and being armed with enough knowledge on aspects that will help you achieve your goal can influence what you do to try and achieve it in a positive way.
At the end of the day, you are the only person who will know whether you have done all you can to try and achieve whatever goals you have in your life. Whether these goals include wanting to own a nice house, be a good parent, or pass an exam, I don’t think any goal should ever be underestimated. What matters to you as a person is what matters the most. Everyone has different opinions about what matters in life, but I personally think that the thing that matters the most is being happy. In this article I have attempted to talk about how people can at least attempt to achieve their goals and ways in which they could potentially go about doing so. I was inspired to write this article because I have always been aware that a lot of people live their lives wanting to have done something different to what they did, or eventually end up regretting not trying to do something differently, or in a different way. I don’t think it is ever too late to try and do whatever you want to in life, and I do think that life goals are never really out of reach; you just have to realise what they are, put a plan in action to attempt to achieve them, and never give up.
Sarah Keeping MBPsS MSc PgDip GDip BA (Hons)
Follow Sarah on twitter at
@keepingapproach