I have an idea of what my goals are but dont know how to achieve them

[I joined up]

So after some detailed thinking I feel I know what my goals are , at least for the next 5-7 years.

They include some physical endeavors and academic endeavors. With the physical I will know when I have achieved them and the same with academic endeavours. There are set courses for these and they are usually prescribed by a 3rd party. In terms of academic endeavors I'm required to do certain things by the university, so I have a clear cut plan of what needs to be done and when.

But, when I move onto other things, such as wanting to pursue my hobbies overseas and still earn a living I'm lost of where to start planning.

I came to thinking of this because I was watching a Jay Z ( I find him quite inspirational now)and Oprah episode and he said he wanted to be a millionaire by the age of 30. ...I was left wondering how did he formulate his plan. He had the goal/destination but I wondered how people plan for something if there isnt a set path they must follow and if they dont necessarily know others who have been down that path.


Any help is most welcomed and appreciated

TIA
A lot of trial and error maybe ?

[jbsmith]

I believe there are two major forces at work when you set goals...

1. By setting the goals, linking emotional pleasure to those goals (and pain with not achieving them) and reviewing them frequently you are clearing your mind to think in line with these goals so that opportunities are always recognized instead of squandered. When we have no set goals there are opportunities all around us, but we don't recognize them because we do not understand how they relate directly to something we want. So, just by knowing clearly your goals this will help you "find" the pathway to get what you want.

2. Setting your medium to longer term goals should be enhanced by setting smaller goals (interim steps) on the way to the top of the ladder. So, what happens is that by setting the ultimate objectives you can plan backwards and at least set out on the right path. In my experience, you may only get your short-term plans 50% right as you learn and adapt along the way, but at least you are on the right course to more quickly find a way to get what you want.

Make sense?

Jeff

[Clint Cora]

Trial and error takes too long. Pretty well all successful people got where they are by learning from other successful people. You have to model yourself after those who have already succeeded in the areas you want to excel in. Learn from them since they already found the pathway.

Sometimes you have to pay certain people as in seminars and coaches but learning from successful people is the fastest way to achieve your goals. Remember that nobody really achieves success on his/her own.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by I joined up

But, when I move onto other things, such as wanting to pursue my hobbies overseas and still earn a living I'm lost of where to start planning.

Planning is easy. Execution is usually tougher.

Here, let me help you with your planning.

- What are your hobbies?

- Which countries do you want to pursue them in? Why these particular countries?

- What skills do you have, which you can use to earn a living?

[irfan]

Originally Posted by I joined up

But, when I move onto other things, such as wanting to pursue my hobbies overseas and still earn a living I'm lost of where to start planning.

IJU, I, um, joined up this forum very specifically to ask almost exactly the same question that you have. I like the idea of life-time goals in different categories, with ten year plans and yearly, monthly and weekly plans leading down to a daily action plan.

In theory. In practice, it's still a work in progress. I found, like you, that it's hard to set long term goals for activities that are constantly unfolding and evolving and don't have a clear end point. So, the best I could do for, say, reading was to have a life time goal like "I explore the world I live in through written fiction and non-fiction." I could then make a goal of making a list of books on Amazon that I wanted to buy, of having five new books that I wanted to read on my Kindle, of writing a short review of books that I read in my journal, and so on.

I still think it's good so that I can look at my daily action list and link it to longer term goals. It helps to link "I have to finish this thrice cursed RLF/PNPM-Rural report" to "I earn $70,000 a year" or something like that.

But I never found a way of setting a SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE life time or even a long term goals for hobbies and such.

Revising long term goals at frequent intervals to ensure that they remain relevant might be one way to go. But remember that life comes first, the system to organize it comes second.

[faraway]

Ths consideration may help:

Both IJU and Irfan treat job and hobbies as separate universes. May be that is why both have problems with setting goals: you don't attempt to build a wholesome picture of your future life.
When I was young, I was crasy about travelling, but I needed to earn my living. I took a job of a sales person in charge of sales to other regions of my country and, later, other countries. For ten years I enjoyed every minite of my life, combining my hobbi with my job. And that is why I never had problems with goal-setting. I had one big long-term goal - to reach the top executive position in my field.

[irfan]

Originally Posted by faraway

Both IJU and Irfan treat job and hobbies as separate universes. May be that is why both have problems with setting goals: you don't attempt to build a wholesome picture of your future life.

No, there is a lot of convergence between my goals in different categories. I travel a lot for work and love it. I love reading travel books. My work involves writing. I love writing.

I am really, really lucky to be paid for doing things that I would want to do even if I wasn't paid.