A couple weeks ago, I participated in a brainstorm of areas in which one might want to have clear long-term goals. Career, Personal Development, Relationship(s), Finances, Fitness, and Travel were the categories that immediately came to mind, but, as with any brainstorm, I thought we might have had a blindspot or two, so I’ve been scanning the internet for others’ ideas. From an assortment of credible to dubious sources (see below), I have gleaned a list of the primary areas that one might want to consider when coming up with life goals. In no particular order:
1. Health (Physical/Fitness)
2. Financial
They won’t singlehandedly enable you to retire early, but my Cheapskate Reviews might save you a few bucks here and there.
3. Career
Elsewhere, I’ve discussed personality and career satisfaction, particularly for INTJs and INTPs.
4. Relationships (Family/Friends)
Some sources broke this down into multiple categories, one going so far as to have a separate category for spouse, friends, family, co-workers, and God. If you’re single and want to know the best place to live for meeting other singles, check out this post.
5. Exploratory
I’m using this as a catch-all category for a variety of other categories that are related to each other but are never quite the same from one source to another. One lists “Artistic/Creative.” Another lists “Fun/Creative.” Yet another lists “Travel/Fun.” Whatever your preferred flavor (adventure/travel/pleasure/recreation/fun/creative/art/intellect/education/personal), the general idea seems to be that exposure to new ideas, people, places, etc. is healthy and worth aspiring toward over your entire life.
6. Greater Purpose
For some sources, this category is strictly religious or “spiritual,” while others had a category for “public service” without mention of religion at all. While we are all aware of the importance of separating church and state, here I am lumping the two together. I believe that as long as you feel like you are a part of something greater than yourself, you can find greater fulfillment in your life.
Several sources had some form of Psychological Wellbeing (Emotional/Attitudinal/Mindset/Behavior) as a category, but I kind of think it is really just the sum of the other categories. A couple sources also had a category devoted to the home or “living environment” but it was far from a consensus pick. All in all, our initial brainstorm was not too far off the mark, nailing four out of the six, and touching upon a fifth twice (“Personal Development” and “Travel”).
Sources
- “15 Key Life Categories” by Joel Frankel
- “A Goal Setting Plan for Your Success,” Effective-Time-Management-Strategies.com
- “Organizing Your Life Goals,” Rachel Ray Show
- “Personal Goal Setting,” MindTools.com
- Plan To Live
- “What Do You Want To Do with Your Life? Your Life Plan To Find Your Answer” by Hans Glint (pdf)
- “What Is a Life Plan?” Journey to Fullness Inc.
