Different Types of Goals

Within the world of goals there are numerous kinds and they prove that one style of goal is not for every one. There is no true one size fits all when it comes to pursuing your own dreams in this life. What are the different kinds of goals and how can they help you? Let’s find out!

The Three Psychology Approved Goal Types

1. The Process Goals
   These are the kinds of goals that focus on plan execution. As a personal example, I am using this month to begin more serious efforts in weight lifting. Repeating the same actions each day where I take 30-45 minutes to lift every day is an example of a process styled goal. The focus is to create a habit that becomes the step toward success in your chosen goal.

2. The Performance Goals
   This style of goal is all about measurable results. Say you’re learning a language and reading in your target language every day. Perhaps at the end of the week you look at the new vocabulary you picked up. That’s something we can measure. Maybe you are writing a book and commit to a particular word count or page count per day. That’s another example of a measurable performance goal.

3. The Outcome Goals
   Outcome goals are the kind of goals that focus on the end point. Did you hit the goal weight? That’s an outcome goal. Did you finish your novel? That’s an outcome goal. Did you finally paint the apartment? Outcome. Goal. This style demands that we keep focus and can be great for those who want to tunnel vision on their desired outcomes and get stuff done.

Two Specific Goal Strategies

Whatever style of goal you utilize the most, there are numerous named goals out there that are ready made for you to drag and drop your specific goal details into. The two specific goals I am talking about are S.M.A.R.T. goals and E-E-E goals.

SMART Goals

S-M-A-R-T goals stand for:

• S (Specific) – They target a particular area and focus on building it.

• M (Measurable) -The results can be gauged or observed. This helps in keeping an eye on the progress after beginning plans.

• A (Attainable) – The goals are targeted and individualized. They take into account the fact that no single rule suits all, and are flexible. Your goals shouldn’t be something you can’t reach. Think of this step as the point in an exercise video where they point out the person in charge of doing modified steps. You can make it work for you.

• R (Realistic) – They are practical and planned in a way that would be easy to implement in real life. The purpose of a smart goal is not just providing the plan, but also helping the person execute it.

• T (Time-bound) – An element of time makes the goal more focused. It also provides a time frame about task achievement. Let’s say you have thirty days before a big business trip to learn a language. Daunting! But for the purpose of your business trip, doable. Give yourself thirty days to focus on the specific language around your career field and expand only if time allows. At the end of the thirty days you could have quite the grasp of your specific field of work in another language!

The second kind of goal is called the E-E-E Model of Goal Setting. It is a person-centered approach that describes the way a successful roadmap contributes to bringing about the change. First mentioned in a psychology journal (which you can read here), it states that goal-setting ensures success by serving three purposes:

1. Serves to Enlighten
   The model helps to provide meaningful insight into our abilities and weaknesses and thus our ability to prioritize our goals given our current needs and ability to tackle them.

2. Serves to Encourage
   It provides the motivation and courage to implement the goals and execute the plans efficiently.

3. Serves to Enable
   Goal-setting enables us to create and achieve balance between our current and our ideal self. By implementing the goals and succeeding with them, we regain self-confidence, social support, and can evaluate our achievements in a realistic manner.

No matter what your goals are, there are numerous ways to go about meeting them and succeeding with them. After reading the blog post, what goal styles resonated with you? How will you implement them? Whatever you set your sights on, let’s get excited. We live in a time where information about whatever we want to accomplish is readily available online. Let’s get to it.