What Happens When You Reach Your Goals?
Ready for a thought-provoking blog? Well, I am! I’ve been giving this one a lot of thought recently. You see at the end of the day, our job as financial planners at Diversified, LLC is not just to help you set out your goals, but also to actually help you achieve them. We generally spend so much effort focusing on the steps to put into place to achieve one’s goals. Are we saving enough, do we have to adjust our investments, are we doing the right tax strategies? The list goes on.
The question of the day, however, is focused on a different part of the goal. What happens when you actually achieve your goals? I find it a fascinating topic and one not discussed enough. What I think we will find is there isn’t necessarily one answer for everyone and truthfully all goals aren’t equal. That said let’s go down the list of things to do/consider when achieving one’s goals.
Celebrate and Be Grateful
Celebrate– Man, if Covid hasn’t taught us this lesson then shame on us all. We’ve lived in a world the past 18 months where celebrating anything was difficult. If you ask me, take some time to celebrate these major milestones however you wish. They don’t happen every day and it feels good to celebrate your successes.
Be Grateful– There are a lot of things that have to go right to be able to accomplish your goals. We spend so much time thinking about accomplishing them, that I find not enough time is spent being grateful you’ve achieved them. The practice of gratitude is an extremely beneficial one in the science of happiness. I can’t think of a better time to put this practice to work than when you’ve accomplished a life goal.
Be Proud and Regroup
Be Proud– In a sense, this goes in line with celebrating, but be loud and proud about your accomplishment. It is something you should take a lot of pride in and that is O.K. If people around you can’t appreciate this, shame on them. You put a lot of hard freaking work into making your goals happen. You didn’t say a peep through it all, and now that your hard work has paid off – wear it like a badge of honor across your chest.
Regroup– Now that you’re taking time to appreciate and celebrate your successes it is time to regroup. This is a critical part as it is time to take stock of your life. This is where the biggest divide comes into play. Are you one that needs that next goal set to go after (kinda the way I am wired)? Or are you at the end of your goal-setting days and it is fully time to live in the moment enjoying the fruits of your labor? There is no real wrong answer here, rather it is more important to do what is right for you.
Think About What’s Next
The Next Goal– For those that aren’t done setting goals: this one is for you. There are typically two next goals I see people set, either small ones or massive ones. Let me elaborate. For some people having a little next goal keeps them motivated. They need to turn that energy into constructive outcomes. They certainly can be small little goals, but nonetheless, they are goals. Then there are the other half of goal setters. These are the individuals that set their sites really high. Accomplishing their main goals gives them comfort and peace of mind to take on a big bold risk or goal. This may be a big-time job, buying that dream second home as you’ve paid off the first, or something else you’ve always dreamt of achieving but never thought was possible. Point is – did accomplishing your goals provide you the confidence to go big?
Prioritize
Make Sure Priorities Are In Order– Some of us get so caught up in achieving our goals we don’t spend enough time on the people or things that are most important. Even if that isn’t the case now that you’ve arrived at your goal it is time to reflect and reprioritize. Take a step back and do a self-assessment. You’ve achieved your life goals, but are you living your goal life?
Look at things, such as are you spending your ideal time with the people you most want to be around? Are you as healthy as you need to be? Are you spending time giving back to your faith, charity, self, etc? These are the things I mean when I say it is time to do a self-assessment. Feel good that your goals are accomplished, but make sure that those boxes are checked that your life is where you want it. The good news is, if it isn’t, you now have more energy, time, money to focus on it, and/or you can even make some of these things your next goal.
Help Someone Else With Their Goals– I’ll leave you with this last nugget. If you’ve done 1-6 above you may find it feels better to give than receive. Are you in a position now that you can pay it forward by helping someone else achieve their goals? Let me tell you something as someone who spends a career helping and watching others achieve their goals. There is no better feeling than being part of that journey with someone else. It brings you closer to them and makes your heart smile.
That’s the Goal
The goal of any goal is to achieve that goal. The challenge is what lies next. We all have our own journey, but I think if you give some real thought to the 7 things I mentioned above you can be more purposeful on what comes next. Wishing and hoping you all achieve everything you set your mind out to accomplish. Remember we are always here to help.
As always stay wealthy, healthy, and happy.
If you prefer to watch our blogs, here is the video version: