Setting Goals, Part II: The Multiple Personalities of Goals

Some people require a high degree of detailed planning to function in their lives, other people completely revolt at the idea of constraining their freedom on mere speculation. Most of us fall somewhere on the spectrum between these two poles.

The fact of the matter is, most traditional approaches to setting goals resonate more so with those on the planning side of this spectrum. Goal setting, however, need not be this way.

For example, let’s invent a person and call him Bert. Bert prefers to create a detailed plan to travel from point A to point B. For Bert, goals are a tool for achieving a desired outcome and are strategically-planned in advance.

Now let’s make-up a second person and call him Ernie. Ernie wants to travel, too, but he does not want to necessarily limit himself to point B. Ernie would rather follow the open road and explore the new places he encounters on the way. For Ernie, goals facilitate the process of becoming and are opportunity-driven.

Both Bert and Ernie – and everyone in between – can benefit from setting goals and identifying actions to take right now to progress towards accomplishing them. The important thing is to utilize a goal-setting approach and strategy that resonates with your personality.