Goal Setting: From External To Internal

Part of the human existence is having and (hopefully) achieving our own desired goals. I cannot imagine any possible human being not having a goal at any given point in their life; from something as simple as waking up at a certain time, to something as big as owning a house, and everything in-between. Having goals gives us purpose and drive — and makes us human!

The majority of our goals tend to be tangible things or actions we are trying to achieve. Maybe you want to lose weight or purchase a new car. Those are examples of external goals. And while we think those things will make us happy - I ask you to pause and ask yourself - how will achieving that goal make you feel?

It’s easy to disguise an inner goals with an external output. For example - “I’ll be more confident when I drop 10 pounds” or “I’ll be happier if I have a new car.” The ultimate goal is not the car…it is happiness.

Happiness, confidence, freedom - these are all examples of internal goals. Internal goals are far more subjective in nature and yet, somehow, tend to be harder to achieve. Why? Well, for starters, it could be the lack of results. Buying a new car - that’s instant! But saving for that car, now that takes time and self-restraint.

It doesn’t mean that the goal of buying a new car is a “bad” goal, but it’s important to reflect on the why’s and possibly, shift the perspective to what is actually behind that goal. Instead of, ‘I’ll be secure when I achieve x”, try to shift your goal inward; “how can I build on being secure today?”. That way, your inner goals like happiness or pride do not depend on the external situation happening to achieve them.

Here’s a way that you can put this into practice: the first step is identifying your goal(s). Once this is done, identify the one-word feeling behind the goal that best resonates with you. At that point, you have just identified your internal goal! Now, come up with a list of things you can act on today that would build upon that internal goal; what is the very least you can do? Those small actions will build over time into a strong foundation for your internal goal. Try this next time you are thinking about your external goals, and see if you can identify what your internal goals really are.