G is for Goals

Goals are important in all aspects of life - self-improvement is no exception. We all have goals even if we don't take the time to fully define those goals. These are often simple statements such as "I want to travel (more)" or "I want to be happy" or even "I want to be a better photographer". Don't fool yourself - these are goals. They are vague and only half realized, but they are still a goal.

When you're trying to decide on what your goals are for self-improvement it helps to be specific and to narrow down those goals. Being happy is a great goal, but it's kind of hard to figure out how to achieve that. For me, I just thought about what makes me happy. Like taking joy in the little things. So I broke that down into finding one thing every day that makes me smile. It's a small easily achievable goal that brings me towards the more vague goal of being happy.

I know that I will not always be happy. Things happen and I'll have bad days. I'm going to have to deal with loss and disappointment, but that goal of always finding one thing in a day to make me smile is possible even in the face of the greatest tragedy. This, to me, is the definition of a happy person - someone who can always find even the briefest point of light on the darkest of nights.

Defining your goals is one of the most important things in self-improvement. Trying to be a better person is a great thing, but it's not exactly a tangible goal. How can you tell if you've achieved this goal? The only way to know is by defining your goal down into something more that can more easily be measured.

What does being a better person mean to you?


For me, it means that I am the kind of person that can be kind and forgiving in the face of anger. I am the kind of person who does what they said they would do. It means that I am open and accepting of other people's ideas and philosophies even if I do not agree with them. - Well I could go on and on, but each of these things helps me better measure and plan my journey.

Goals can be vague, but break those big things down into more measurable little goals. I must sound like a broken record now, but it's all about the little steps. Actually that reminds me of one of my favourite poems. I think I'll leave you with that.

Little Things - Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney

Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.

So the little moments,
Humble thought they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of Eternity.

So the little errors
Lead the souls away
From the paths of virtue
Far in sin to stray.

Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Help to make earth happy
Like the Heaven above.