The Journey Within: How Goals Shape Who You Are

Setting goals is not about what you get; it’s about what you have to become. Although this stems from a desire to accomplish something great, when you are setting a goal, you are stating that you believe you are the kind of person who can achieve that goal. This belief in self is powerful because all change starts from within. If you don’t believe in yourself, you won’t push yourself to chase your goals. Albert Bandura once said, "Self-belief does not necessarily ensure success, but self-disbelief assuredly spawns failure."

Once you have set a goal for yourself, the transformation begins. A goal, by definition, is the object of a person’s ambition or effort, which means that it is something that you have to work toward. This requires you to stretch yourself beyond where you currently are and become something new. If we never change, we will never realize our full potential. We must leave our comfort zone and become someone who goes after what we want.

So why do we set goals for ourselves instead of just striving to be and do better each day? Well for one, goals are measurable, so you know when you have accomplished them. Without defining your objectives, it is hard to track if you are heading in the direction you want. Another reason for setting goals is that it helps keep you motivated, whether personally or professionally. A goal is like a milestone, and once you have achieved it, you can look to the future and work towards the next goal. The idea of setting goals is that you continue to push yourself to accomplish more and more.

After you have set a goal and accomplished it, you should be proud of the effort you have given. You became what you needed to be in order to attain your goals. That is something that should be celebrated; however, if you stop looking forward to the future and setting new goals, your progress will become stagnant. Accomplishing a goal is not a “one and done” task. As you grow, so should your goals. Success is a continuous journey, but when you believe in yourself and you are willing to stretch yourself, you can accomplish great things.

-Meghan Slaughter