The Importance of Having Goals

Having goals to achieve is essential for living a full and healthy life. When we live without goals, life begins to dim; apathy creeps in, and the autopilot (link to post “Are You Living on Autopilot?”) takes over. We find ourselves stuck in a "Groundhog Day" loop, showing little interest in things, and our energy begins to decline, leaving the door wide open for negative emotions to take hold.

During childhood and adolescence, life is full of goals: adapting to school, exams, progressing to the next grade, sports, and more. We set short-term goals that motivate us to make an effort and maintain curiosity to learn new things. Our curiosity runs at full throttle, and even though we may stumble, a small spark can reignite our enthusiasm.

As we grow older and move into early adulthood, we continue to set clear and stimulating goals: early career years, relationships, starting a family. But the spark of excitement doesn’t ignite as easily anymore—we need to add more fuel to get it going. Then, suddenly, it feels like everything stagnates, and the flame just won’t light. Work-kids-groceries-family, work-kids-groceries-family… every day on repeat. And what happens when we reach retirement? The kids are gone, there’s little or nothing to do, and the few goals we had start to disappear. Without goals, retirees often fall into apathy.

Our minds need to stay active to live a healthy life. Beyond that activity, humans always need a purpose to maintain a high spirit and energy, to feel happy and radiant. You might think that everything you already manage at home is plenty of activity—and you’re probably right. But… what’s your personal goal? Are you learning something? What’s the last thing you set out to achieve and succeeded at?

When we have families, we dedicate ourselves to them, especially to our children. It’s important for us to be good parents, and children naturally take center stage—as they should. But for that very reason, we tend to forget about ourselves. It’s not incompatible to have personal goals while also taking care of your family. In fact, it’s healthy for both you and them. If you’re happy, those around you will notice. All you need to do is reconnect with small, achievable goals that keep your mind engaged and excited about something meaningful to you.

Humans live longer and better when they have something to look forward to. Scientific research has shown that people who feel they’re aligned with their life’s purpose and achieve small milestones along the way live healthier and longer lives.

Let’s look at an example: Noelia has a husband and three children aged five to twelve. She works at a company and has very little time for herself, dedicating most of her energy to her family and household tasks. For the past few months, she’s been feeling overwhelmed, saying that her cheerful personality—something she was always known for—has faded. She finds it hard to laugh, joke, or even smile.

After a few coaching sessions, Noelia realized that she’s lost herself in her responsibilities and no longer recognizes who she is. She wants to go back to being her old self but doesn’t know where to start. So, we began working on small, achievable goals to help her escape the "everything-is-an-obligation" loop. Her first goal, something she’s really excited about, is to start writing down her beloved and highly praised cooking recipes with the idea of one day publishing a book or creating a blog.

To make her goal a reality, the first step was to decide when and how much time she could realistically dedicate to her recipes each week—something simple and manageable alongside her responsibilities. Just the act of doing something she enjoys with a concrete goal has brought Noelia’s smile back. She’s even thinking about using social media to start sharing her recipes.

Life isn’t monotonous, life isn’t boring, and life isn’t anything you don’t want it to be. Autopilot is what disconnects us from curiosity, opportunities, and excitement. If you want to reignite your spark and become the best version of yourself, reconnect with your curiosity, your desire to do or learn something new, and watch how life begins to take on brighter, more vibrant colors. Choose just one thing you want to do, set short and realistic goals, and tell me how you feel a month after starting—I’d love to hear from you!

Image by Freepik

Melinda Sánchez Coach

www.melindasanchezcoach.com