Far Goals: It’s the Hail Mary, the cross court shot, a trip to Mars. It’s something you know is impossible . . . today. But something that could be accomplished with enough time, enough practice, and a long term goal to get there.
I’ve had a number of far goals in my life. Each one seemed impossible at the time. There was always a nagging voice in my head telling me that I wasn’t good enough, smart enough, or dedicated enough. I couldn’t possibly reach it.
Yet, in so many cases, the impossible became possible. The far distant goal, came closer and closer, until I was able to reach out and grab it. Sadly, some of the distant goals in my life have eluded me. Some I can see, but there is a mountain or a valley in the way. Some are clouded with a mystery that requires a clue, a key, or a bit of luck. Some are on the other side of a river of fear. A shallow fast moving stream that looks so deep, so treacherous. I couldn’t possibly cross.
Think of the far goals in your life. Maybe it’s a bachelor’s degree, maybe a masters. Maybe the next goal in your life is a doctorate, maybe a leadership position, maybe the lauded CEO position.
Do you have a path, a bridge, or a plan to get there?
Dreams and good ideas are a dime a dozen.
Goals and SMART Goals are a start,
A good strategy is important,
But action is the key.
You must go.
Today.
Take the first step.
Visualize where you are going,
Create a detailed roadmap to get there,
Then put one foot in front of the other and step out.
Here is a tool to get you started. A Far Goals Worksheet.
Far Goals
Years ago, I was listening to a motivational tape by Zig Ziglar. He talked about setting long term goals and the need to write them down. He drilled into my head the need to take action, get started, and get the goals written down.
The first step was to put the vision on paper.
It was this single step that led to so many things. Once the goal was on paper, it was much easier to break it down into pieces or achievable steps. The easiest way to get your goals on paper is to download a goal setting worksheet.
Here are three different ones that will help you start your journey. These sheets are a great first step to get your dreams and ideas in writing. Each sheet has some brainstorming questions to get you started. My suggestion is to download each one and take a few minutes and fill them out. The combination of the three will give you a long term view of your life and help you plan where you want to go.
Far Goals Worksheets
50 Year Goals: This is a personal legacy worksheet. It includes five questions and it is a great precursor to the other two worksheets below. It’s a great way to brainstorm your life. Ask some of the big questions.
10 Year Goals: The worksheet makes it easy to see your long term goals, add in the areas to need to master, and then write out a plan to achieve them.
5 Year Goals: Here is a way to see how your goals line up with upcoming trends. Are you on the right path or are new trends going to make your goal obsolete?
With the three worksheets completed you’ll have a great starting point to refine your specific goals, add details, and create a strategy and action plan to complete them.
Next Step
In our next post we’ll look at adding specifications to your far goals using the SMART Goals framework. This will allow you to set specific boundaries, time parameters, and make sure they are realistic and actionable. In later posts we’ll create a strategy and action plan for completion. We’ll look at Deep Work and how mastery plays into the goal setting equation. Stay tuned.
Additional Tools
Once you have your goals written down, you’ll want to put them where you can see them. The Goal Setting Toolkit provides business sized cards to keep your goals front and center. You can keep them on your desk, tape one to your monitor, or put one on the refrigerator where you’ll see it daily. This is a helpful tool that will make the goal setting process easier.
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