Monday Meaningfulness: Finding Purpose Through Goal Setting

I used to think that I need a central sense of purpose or meaning in my life before I could set meaningful, long term goals. After my recent foray into future success goals, I think the opposite is true:

Setting intuitive, long term goals can reveal important clues to what you find meaningful, and may even help you discover a deeper sense of purpose over all.

How do you set intuitive goals? It’s not as hard as it might sound.

Remember the “gotta get” goals meme? It’s a lot my approach to that.

Fire up your imagination, and project yourself into a blissful, satisfied and successful future. Look around. What do you see? What things around you, in that future, make you smile? What things make you feel satisfied?

What you see (or don’t see) will probably vary at different times, and there’s no pressure here. No worries about what is possible, or what you think you want, or what you think you should want. Just calmly, quietly let the image of a satisfied future develop around you.

Come back to the now, and bring those images back with you.

Write down what you visualized in that future.

Tada. Intuitive Goals! These goals aren’t necessarily things you need to plan to work on achieving, or even that you expect to achieve. They are just how you intuitively imagine success in your own life.

So, what meaning does that reveal?

Look over those goals. Chances are that they reflect the things you find most important in life. As you review them, try not to focus on individual people, jobs, or items. Look at the general pattern of relationships, actions, and values.

Here’s my list from the meme as an example, rearranged into categories.

1. Write at least one fiction book (this was about expression, not publishing)
2. Publish a book of my own artwork. (this one was about the feel of the book, the layout, the graphic design)
3. Be an inspiration: model grace and dignity for others
4. Be (and stay) in beautiful shape.
5. Be involved with a band.
6. Be recognized for what I do for others.
7. Be part of a family. .
8. Find financial independence
9. Travel, Experience, and Indulge in Cultures (including my own) “ I dont want to spend my life isolated and insulated, I want to immerse myself in the world around me.”
10. Leave room for where the journey takes me … and unknown, undiscovered goals.

A couple of things jump out at me.

• 1-5 are about expression and aesthetics - written, visual, physical, musical, spiritual.
• 3, 5, 7 & 9 are about relationships/groups: Family, band, culture, interactivity. (part of the financial goal seemed related to community, as it was originally written)
• 9-10 are about open horizons. (inspiration. no limits)
• 3 & 6 are directly about being a role-model and inspiration to others. 1-7 are indirectly related to the same thing.

So.

Put it all together and you get this Truth of My Life:

I find meaning in aesthetic self expression that inspires others,
creates connections, and broadens horizons.

And … Wow.

That really is a damn good summary of what moves and motivates me.

What do you think? See anything I’ve missed there? Want help looking over your list? Just drop me a note in the comments, and we’ll see what pops out at us.

MindTWEAK: Meaningfulness, large and small, already exists in each of our lives — we just need to learn to recognize it.