Balancing Short and Long Term Goals

This hub is about creating balance in your goals. Most people don't set goals at all, of the few who do, the majority are either good at setting their long term goals, or their short term goals. One of the keys to a successful life is to know where you are going, but have an eye on the steps towards your long term goals too.

If you are in the majority of people, who do not set any goals for themselves, then I suggest you check out this article about goal setting first. It's entitled "Managing your Money - dream and set goals", but it's a great first place if you are new to goal setting.

For the purposes of this hub, short term goals are to be considered up to 1 or 2 years and long term goals beyond 2 years.

As always, comments are welcomed and any links to relevant resources will be considered for inclusion in the links area.

Be the best you can be,

Dan O'Neil

Personal Development Blog Author and Life Coach

People who set goals frequently fall into one of two categories:

• Long term goals are defined and in place, short term goals are almost non-existent
• Lots of short term goals but no overall long term aims

The main challenge with the first way of planning your life is that your goals are so far off, they very rarely get worked on. People in this category tend to be good at procrastinating - some are very good at it!

The main challenge with the second way of planning your life, is that you have lots of things on the go and are likely to be achieving targets consistently, so there's often little or no thought on where you are heading in life. People in this category tend to be good achievers, but somehow never quite make it in life.

Obviously there are always exceptions to every rule and if your way of working is good for you, then I'm certainly not here to tell you that you have to change. It's ultimately your choice.

If you recognise yourself as one of these two types of people and would like to take control of your goals and your future then the following advice will help you.

Long Term Goal People (No Short Term Aims)

People who are good at setting long-term goals are usually good at being able to define a meaning or purpose for their life. The thing that is missing is the focus on the present and immediate future which is necessary to keep you motivated to continue progress towards your long term goals. For some people this habit of putting all their focus onto the long term is a way of completely avoiding responsibility for their present situation - I've been in this place myself, where I made various promises to myself that my long-term future would be incredible and then sat back and waited for it to materialise. Obviously this can never be - there has to be some action and that's where the short-term goals come into play.

There are some questions to be asked in order to move forward (examples below):

• What do I need to do today in order to make this long term goal happen?
• What do I need to focus on for the next few months to move towards my long term aims?
• What do I live for today (not next year or 5 years time, but today)?

I've known and worked with many, many people who live like this and it is normally very unpleasant. Some focus so far into the future they forget to live their lives at all and then the future comes and they realise it hasn't happened and give up on their dreams and goals. The truth is, they've made no progress towards their long term goals and if they continue in the same way, it's never going to happen for them.

Once you have put together your short term goals, you'll find that you will be motivated to take steps towards your big goals. They're not so easy to procrastinate on or make excuses about, because you know where you are going and you've got something to do right now towards the big picture.

Short Term Goal People (No Long Term Aims)

Starting from this position you are likely to already have good goal habits in place which will help you in the long run. The thing that is missing is a purpose or some good long term aims. For some people, this habit of setting short term goals can be more akin to using sticking plasters to cover over the cracks in their life. For example, if you are constantly chasing money and need to set short term goals to bring some money in to pay a bill etc. then this habit is likely to continue, unless you can set to work on a long term goal of getting yourself into credit and having more money coming in than you need. (Incidentally it's not good to have a goal to become debt-free because like it or not, you are focusing on the word debt and that is where you are likely to remain.)

Ultimately if you don't keep half an eye on a destination or long-term goal, you'll find that you'll do lots of things and have a rewarding experience, but then when a few years passes, you'll wonder what you've achieved at all. Long term goals don't have to be about money, big houses or cars, they can be about running your own successful business, starting a charity to help others, or writing a book or novel.

So spend some time with some big questions (a few examples below):

• What do you want from your life?
• Where are you going?
• What do you want to be remembered for?

Once you have some answers, you'll be on your way to creating a purpose for your life and setting some big, long term goals for yourself. Your great habit of setting and achieving short-term goals will really help you to break down these long term goals into chunks of short-term goals and actions. Having a great balance of the two means you'll be well on your way to creating a spectacular life for yourself and have short term focuses to keep you motivated and inspired to continue towards the long term stuff.

Conclusion

Ultimately, how you approach life is your choice and for some people, this type of balancing of their long and short term goals will feel inappropriate. Personally, I think and feel that in order to progress towards your ultimate goals and dreams in life, you need to have some steps to take that will help you attain them.

So if you're good at the long term goals, begin to turn your attention to the present moment and the next few moments to come and if you're good at the short term stuff, find out where you are wanting to go and make a spectacular life for yourself.