Balance in goals

[zeloc]

I decided to set some goals and have heard 2 different schools of thought on this. Several prominent self-improvement people advocate having balance in goals, even making sure to set goals in several different categories. I have also heard that a person should set one major goal, and there are plenty of examples of people who had one, obsessive goal. For example, Muhammad Ali and boxing, Tiger Woods and golf, Bobby Fischer and chess. I read about a mathematician who won the International Mathematics Olympiad who had not seen a movie in 3-4 years because he spent all his time on mathematics. There are many examples of these overwhelming obsessions, and Steve has written an article on how to develop an obsession. Where does the truth lie? Do some people do better with many different kinds of goals and others do better with one single goal? Are people at different times in their career better suited to one or the other?

[Shamou]

There are no universal and absolute in goal setting...it is highly personal and individual...

When I first met Mark Victor Hansen, motivator and author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and The One Minute Millionaire... he had 360 pages of goals that he wanted to achieve... he would work on goal setting while traveling by plane from one speaking engagement to another... which he did on a daily basis...

Personally, I had one main goal... and that was to find the ultimate woman of my dreams... she had to be intelligent, beautiful, ambitious, sophisticated, and above all have class... and lots of it...

I found her... and achieving that one goal automatically set up all the other goals that came naturally with it... which started with personal improvement... all the way to the trappings of the "good life" and its physical or materialistic implications...

So, it is for you to find out exactly where at both ends of this spectrum that you fit best... and, that, no one can decide for you...

The very best of luck to you...
.

[stayfly]

my advice is to set lot of goals in each major category.

Ali, Woods and Fischer could have all still achieved the same level of success in their chosen fields as well as achieved personal success in health, relationships, personal, contribution and all areas of life by setting goals across the board.

[Freelancer]

I prefer setting a direction where I am going and align my goals accordingly.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by Shamou

Personally, I had one main goal... and that was to find the ultimate women of my dreams... she had to be intelligent, beautiful, ambitious, sophisticated, and above all have class... and lots of it....

Freudian slip? Heheh.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Acting Like Godot

Freudian slip? Heheh.

Where is that spell checker when you need it the most...???
.

[realignedliving]

I think it ultimately depends on what you want to accomplish.

Scenario #1 - If you're happy about where you are in life, then a lot of more short term (3~6 month) goals across the board are probably what's best for you. You can improve your health, your finances, your relationships, and nearly everything else in half a year.

Scenario #2 - If you want to do something that's going to take a lot of dedication, effort, and persistence - write a best selling novel, compose a symphony for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to debut, become the star quarterback for an NFL team (okay, I know nothing about sports!) - then it's best to have one long term goal and channel all of your efforts into that. Doing this would require a lot of short term goals to keep the other areas in your life from spiraling downwards (ex: you can't write for 12 hours a day and lose your health and friendships for "the cause" of getting a novel published).

It's mainly like Shamou said, it's individual and entirely a personal preference. If there's not an overwhelming desire to accomplish something massive that would require immense dedication, then you might be better off doing #1.

[justfiverules]

Veloc,

My 10 yen - Create a simple (< 1 page) vision in writing which guesstimates your desires in the major life categories such as career, relationships, wealth, health, hobbies.

Then pick 1 that seems to ring true for you, focus on it and let time and experience carry you along. Things will change. Stuff will happen. Course correct as you go.

[tylerlloyd]

Not to make this sound like a broken record, but as some of the others have said, it is very much up to you.

There is no one right way.

Also, consider the concept of "balance" itself and its implications. I actually wrote a post about it on my blog earlier today if you want to check it out: The Balanced Life: Reality or Myth?

Maybe that will get you pondering in the right direction.

[Ilya]

Zeloc,
If you have to ask, then, most likely, you do not have your obsession.
So, at least for now, I'd advise you to go with balanced goal list. One of the goals on this list may be to develop the obsession.
We admire the geniuses who had only one dream in mind, but we forget that they have developed their obsession spontaneously. And we do forget about their tragic destinies.
If the most important goal will become clear to you, you will know. And then you will be able to align all other goals in relation to the one, if you want to.

[stephencp]

This reminds me of the story of the woman who told a piano great after a concert that "she'd give her life to play like him" to which he responded " I did...."

Obsessions are often thought of as such by those who don't have them. If you are Tiger Woods, you're probably doing what comes naturally. Is he forcing himself to practice every day because he is "supposed" to? (Granted, his father may have forced him when he was little....)

Stephen
Power-Book Library: Free personal development, success, inspiration and motivational classics

[johnths]

I recently purchased "The Fifth Discipline" by Peter Senge - it's a good read, if you have not read it yet, do so.

Peter talked about having a personal vision. To him, a vision is an something concrete which you reach out for. And that something concrete should be all-encompassng - in other words, it should cover the social, emotional, family, personal, material... etc... aspects of life. It's from that one personal vision that you set out measurable goals in order to attain the VISION. Besides personal vision, he talked about several other facets of personal mastery which are enlightening and at the same time, realistic and plain truths in all of us. For instance, he talked about the facet of CREATIVE TENSION - knowing the gaps between the current reality of what you are and what you want to achieve; and you progress only when you push yourself to what you want to excel in. That, in retrospect, is CREATIVE TENSION.

So, if you ask me, setting one goal or goals, it should be having a clear personal vision, and then setting the GOALS to attain that PERSONAL VISION.

JT
Training, Engaging the Adult Learners

[John Hill]

Very few people are obsessive over just one goal, doing so might limit how much you enjoy your life. Often the realization of one goal leads to the next goal but it is up to the individual to decide on how many goals to pursue at the same time.

Having numerous goals allows you to open your mind a little more and sometimes achieving one goal can help you mentally to achieve another unrelated goal.

I have a number of goals but also believe in setting your intentions, since simply setting intentions allows new goals to form in your subconscious mind.

John

Attracting People.com