We all have goals and plans that we want to achieve. Goal-setting is most notably popular at the beginning of the year with new year’s resolutions. But let’s be real, most of us have left resolutions behind! Since they’re all about dreaming big without much follow through, resolutions create the illusion that goals are disappointing. In fact, I recently had a conversation with friend about how she doesn’t really set goals, especially at the start of the year. This got me thinking about how I’ve abandoned resolution trends for more plausible goal-setting strategies. Still, setting goals empowers you to take action and move in the direction you want to go. With that said, let’s dive into some powerful and practical goal systems that can assist you in achieving your goals.
Effective Goal Systems
When you think about goals, you may think that they’re plans that you want to achieve. But have you ever thought about creating goal systems? Goal systems establish an approach that will get you to where you need to go. Think of systems as stepping stones on your journey that lead you to your final outcome. Typically, when I create goals, I split my objectives into multiple categories from self-care and short-term goals to professional objectives. From there, I make sure that my list of intentions are in plain sight to keep myself focused. Although I’ve created long-term goals and short-term goals, I’ve always had a tendency to dive in without a roadmap and you can imagine how messy and disorganized that can be!
As a result, I’m always on the search for effective approaches that I can apply to my life. This leads me to the inspiration of this blog post. After coming across a video by YouTuber and entrepreneur, Ruri Ohama, on goal systems for 2022, I knew that I had stumbled onto gold!
In this video, Ruri discusses two types of goals, which are output-based goals and input-based goals.
Output-based goals are what you hope to achieve. It’s your goal’s outcome. This is the most common type of goal-setting as it focuses on what you want.
Some examples of output-based goals are:
- Quitting your job to become your own boss.
- Getting more fit.
- Moving out.
- Traveling.
Input-based goals focus more on how you can achieve the outcome of your goal. This is the stepping stone approach, which provides realistic methods for getting you to where you want to go.
Examples of input-based goals are:
- Researching niches to specialize in, saving up money to put towards your business, and networking on LinkedIn.
- Going on a walk 3 days a week and lifting weights on the weekends.
- Researching rental rates and putting aside some income for future rent.
- Determining where you want to travel and what your budget will be for your trips.
After learning about output-based and input-based goals, I’ve realized that I always lean towards output-based goals and never utilize methods to achieve what I want. That’s not to say that I haven’t manifested my dreams in the past year, but having a roadmap like input-based goals or short-term goals would benefit me. It’s time to try out a little experiment!
Applying goal systems to my intentions
When it comes to my intentions, I like to update my goals on a monthly basis like I did in my coffee time post in 2021. I have my fair share of long-term goals, but short-term goals help me see the bigger picture in smaller increments. Let’s try applying Ruri’s goal systems to some of my upcoming intentions.
Output-based goals for 2022:
- Be present.
- Grow freelance business.
- Go on mini adventures.
I’m keeping my list of intentions short, mainly because I’m working on some projects behind the scenes and it’s hard for me to think too far into the future.
Input-based goals for 2022:
- To be more present, I intend to practice meditation, journaling, and taking breaks away from the screen.
- For growing my freelance business, I plan to research lead generation, get familiar with email marketing, and create a certain program for a certain crowd of people. (That’s as vague as I can get.)
- To achieve mini adventures, I would like to explore the trails in my neighborhood and go on bike rides to various coffee shops.
And like all goals, if I want to achieve my objectives, then I need to take action and put in the work. I love the concept of manifesting my dreams and making change happen. But sometimes the pressure I put on myself can be way too much. I’m sure many of you can relate! That’s why I really appreciated the sentiment shared in Ruri’s video: It’s okay achieve 50% of your goals.
Using the 50% Rule in 2022
We tend to feel let down or guilty if we don’t hit every milestone we set for ourselves, but the truth of the matter is that life is unpredictable. It’s really unfair to expect ourselves to achieve 100% of our goals with the uncertainty that life has to offer. So why not aim for hitting 50% of you goals? In 2022, I would like to be gentle with myself and go at my own pace. If I don’t hit all of my goals, that’s okay because I know that I’m doing the best that I can right now. And that’s good enough for me.
So whether you’re interested in short-term, long-term, output-based, or input-based goals, I hope that these powerful goal systems can assist you with achieving your objectives in 2022. What about you? What are some of your goals for 2022 and what are your plans for accomplishing your goals?
Feel free to comment below with some powerful goal systems of your own!
As always, stay safe, healthy, and good luck on your journey,
Harumi
You’re right, Harumi! To have an output, there must be an input. So yes, we need to focus a bit more on the input to achieve our desired output!
Nice post!
Thanks for the comment, David! Input plays a huge role in our overall outcome.
I like the 50% rule. It takes away the pressure. Thanks for that thought.
It does! I’ve been applying the 50% rule and it makes me feel so much better about what I can do. It’s all about being gentle and compassionate to ourselves.
Years ago when I was involved in road racing there was a guy we called “Peter perfect”. He was very serious about preparation of the car and everything had to be perfect.
He was successful and won a lot. When he turned 40 he was starting to slow down a little, his reflexes slowed and his energy and dedication were not as good. He committed suicide when he felt he was no longer “perfect”.