5 Successful Steps to Set Bold and Purposeful Goals
Do you have big goals that you want to pursue? What keeps us from actually taking the steps and actions we need to achieve those goals? Let’s take a closer look at the 5 Successful Steps to Set Bold and Purposeful Goals.
“Are your goals aligned with your purpose?” Because if they are aligned with your values and where you feel led to serve, then this will lead to more meaningful and sustainable success.
If they aren’t aligned, we may not be as motivated to actually do the work toward them – because, let’s be real, anything we do takes effort.
Together, let’s explore how aligning your goals with your purpose leads to more meaningful success.
We’ll dive into what it means to draw out your deep-rooted why and why that is an important ingredient in all of this. We’ll also touch on why setting bold and purposeful goals and dreaming beyond limitations actually matters.
Love podcasts? Me too! Click below to listen to the Podcast on this topic.
5 Successful Steps to Set Bold and Purposeful Goals
A bold goal is highly rewarding and can push you to grow, and learn new skills. It gives you motivation to work on other goals, provides a sense of pride, and builds your confidence in the face of bigger, more challenging goals in the future.
Bold goals place you on the path to thinking about the big picture and having a long-term vision about your life and business.
They lead to focused decision-making and prioritization. These goals jump-start your creativity and increase your energy levels towards achieving your full potential.
With that said, let’s explore the 5 Successful Steps to Set Bold and Purposeful Goals.
Connect your goals with purpose
The first step to setting bold goals is to connect them with your purpose. This involves a deliberate effort to align your business goals or personal goals with a deeper sense of purpose or values because this can bring more fulfillment and satisfaction in the pursuit of success.
What does purpose mean to you? What drives you? What values or principles do you hold dear? How do you want to make a difference in your own life or in the lives of others?
Big and small businesses have a purpose statement which sets clear intentions for what they want to achieve. So should you.
What are your core values? These are the fundamental beliefs that guide decision-making and behavior. It’s important to align your goals with these core values because it brings a sense of authenticity and integrity into your pursuits.
My goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon seemed a bit selfish on a personal level, but when I dove deeper into my values and purpose, I realized there was a bigger goal.
I wanted to know that l was capable of doing hard things, but also being a role model to my own kids on goal setting and how to take a goal from start to finish with hard work, discipline, and unwavering commitment.
My core value was teaching my boys how to dream and go after that dream… as well as showing them they don’t have to lose those dreams when they move to adulthood. That sounds like a pretty good purpose, right?! It sure made a positive impact on their lives.
Can you link your goal to purpose now that you’ve thought through what purpose means to you and what your core values are?
If you value community, maybe your goal and strategic initiatives could be to build a network of people (in real life or on social media) who are interested in the same things you are. Maybe a monthly meetup or club to do an activity together.
This can develop a deeper sense of connection and motivation toward your goal.
Aligning your big goals with purpose helps you gain intrinsic motivation. People with purposeful goals find joy, and fulfillment and achieve remarkable success in the process of pursuing them.
A higher purpose which entails not focusing only on external rewards or validation, keeps you going when the going gets tough.
If you haven’t really done this part before, then I encourage you to pull out a journal, take some time to reflect, and have a brainstorming session.
Write a list of your core values. Write a list of your priorities for this season. Then check your goal and see if it aligns. What purpose does it serve alongside your core values and priorities?
The success rate of people who write their big goals down is higher than those who don’t. When setting goals, use the popular goal-setting framework called SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. An effective goal is a SMART goal.
I dive deeper into aligning your values and purpose in episode 239 of my podcast:
Find your WHY for Setting Bold and Purposeful Goals
There is power in the WHY. You won’t last long pursuing specific goals that take time away from other things unless you have a strong reason to do so.
The WHY refers to the underlying purpose, motivation, or reason that drives all your actions and aspirations for your goal.
When you understand and embrace your WHY, it can have a positive impact on your journey toward achieving your goal. It can fuel persistence, resilience, and passion for what you’re doing. It will keep you going when you want to quit in times of challenges or setbacks.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… We weren’t promised heartache-free lives. We weren’t promised lives free from obstacles.
Economic, social, and financial conditions change, and challenges and setbacks will come… but knowing why you’re pursuing the goal you are can reignite your determination to keep moving forward and find a way around the roadblock.
Embracing your WHY strengthens your resilience. You will develop the necessary skills to bounce back from failures or obstacles more readily because your motivation is rooted in something deeper than external motivation.
In life, you need a growth mindset. This means you understand that your capabilities are not limited but can be expanded by learning, effort, and exposure. It makes you willing to take risks and embrace challenges.
Having a clear understanding of your WHY ignites passion and commitment in your life. When your goals are connected to a meaningful purpose, you’re more likely to invest your time, energy, and resources wholeheartedly, leading to sustained effort and progress.
Ultimately, aligning your goals with your WHY leads to more sustainable progress. You’re not just chasing fleeting success, but rather you’re building a path that resonates with your values and fulfills your sense of purpose. It’s a driving force that propels you forward.
I wanted to quit on myself so many times when I was pursuing a Boston Marathon qualifying time because the training program was HARD.
I had to get up early, train hard, train long, miss some events, and take time away from my family and the long training runs could take up to 5 hours. I had to say no to a lot of things, discipline my flesh, and fight for my speed.
But the why is what kept me going and helped me stick to the goal. I had a clearly-defined goal and l had to achieve that specific outcome. I didn’t want to quit on myself because, if I did, then I was quitting on my kids too. I brought them into my goal. I got them excited about it.
This helped hold me accountable to see it through. And, guess what? When I actually did achieve my goal, they were there at the finish line just as excited as I was because they were my why.
When you identify your WHY, it becomes a powerful tool to give you clarity and a sense of direction, which, in turn, makes it easier to prioritize a specific task and make decisions aligned with your values so that you can stay focused on what truly matters to you.
How do you truly find your deep-resonating WHY?
I have a simple exercise to help you dig deep inside of yourself that draws out the raw emotion that gives you the why.
Why do you want to hit the goal you have? Then ask yourself again.
Continue to ask why until the reason you have is deep enough to draw out an emotion for you.
What would change in your life if you hit your goal?
What wouldn’t change in your life if you didn’t?
This seems so silly, like when our younger kids ask us why continually until we finally say, “Just because it is.”
But it works.
Here’s an example of what I mean:
Now this is getting good, right?!
Draw out your WHY. Take time out to do this. It’s going to matter in the long term.
Break free from self-imposed limitations and have big goals
One of the Successful Steps to Set Bold and Purposeful Goals is to let go of any self-imposed limitations or societal expectations and set bigger goals for yourself.
Who cares if it is realistic or not, that’s not the purpose of this exercise. The purpose is to expand your vision and develop a positive mindset.
So here’s my million-dollar question for you:
If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you want to do? What would your goals be?
The sky is the limit.
Don’t skip the dreaming stage! And, after all, it can be a lot of fun if you let go of reality for a little bit and just dream about the what-ifs and possibilities life has to offer. Say it, see it, plan it, do it.
If I knew I couldn’t fail, I’d be the next host of SportsCenter. Truly, that was a huge goal of mine when I was in college, sports broadcasting was where it was at AND I would have been one of the first women to really break into it.
Or, better yet, I would be a star athlete for the WNBA. Sitting at 5 feet, maybe 2 inches, this was a pipe dream for me… but what if I had really truly believed I could do either of these things?
Can you see yourself at the end of your goal? Can you see yourself at the finish line? What does it look like? How does it make you feel? What’s going on in your mind at that point? Do you see it? Do you really see it? You need to emotionalize your vision.
Here’s why I want you to think this way. Our self-imposed limitations can create fear and doubt in us.
Past failures can create barriers to setting ambitious goals and taking bold steps toward our dreams. When we expand, it helps us to recognize and challenge those limitations we place on ourselves.
And it’s a great way to bring God into setting goals because those big, bold goals can’t really happen on their own, can they? We can’t necessarily do them without help.
It pushes us to allow God to lead and give us the strength to get to that next step and make significant progress in crushing our goals.
Oh, and by the way… had I hit either of those goals, God could have used me there. That’s something we look over or forget or maybe don’t even consider. Our goals don’t have to be mission work to be God-driven. God can use us wherever we are to serve His purpose.
Pursuing Goals God’s way means we let him lead us in them for his glory! And that can be right where you are today, in your work, in your home, in your community, or maybe on the literal mission field.
Where you are is the right place for mission work and making a big impact. All you need is to say yes to being used by God and take manageable steps in the direction He leads you.
Mother Theresa had a huge vision, and she allowed God to work in her to bring it to fruition. She didn’t do it on her own. But what if she hadn’t dreamed of a big, bold, and purposeful goal?
Walt Disney is also a favorite of mine because he didn’t let his limitations stop his vision, and now look at what he created.
When Disney World was opened for the first time, Disney wasn’t there to cut the red tape, but his wife said in reply to someone who told her it was too bad Disney didn’t get to see it, “He did see it, that’s why it’s here.”
There is power in vision. When you envision a future beyond your current limitations, it can inspire creativity, innovation, and a sense of purposeful action.
Another thing that can limit our vision is societal pressures or expectations and fear of what others think. So many doubters out there who can influence our goal-setting. Comparison can sweep in to keep us stuck. Expectations of what we should do or be can haunt us.
It can be a daunting task but let go of some of these pressures and lean into your core values, priorities, and what God has for you. It’s not about them. It’s about where you’re being called. Set goals that reflect that great place.
Embrace boldness in your goal-setting process. Have a positive mindset. Stretch your imagination, and set some stretch goals that you need help with. Pursue endeavors that are big and outside of your comfort zone. But make sure they align with your true passions and values.
Set ambitious yet achievable goals
It’s important to strike the right balance between setting ambitious goals that inspire growth and being realistic about what’s achievable.
The reason we dream huge in step 3 is so that we let go of all expectations or limitations to expand our vision.
From that, we take time out to pray, be quiet, and listen for what goal we really feel is for us in the season we’re in with the capacity we have. We all have our limits. God does not. There’s a balance between those two things!
Ambition isn’t just about setting lofty goals, but also about having the drive and determination to work toward them consistently – even amid distractions or obstacles that tend to get in the way.
It’s about setting the right, realistic goals. Think about the current skills or talents you already have, the resources available to you, your knowledge base, and the time you have to spend working on your goals.
What season are you in? What demands do you have at home? At work? What can you give to this extra pursuit?
Once you look at these things, now look at the bold goals you just dreamed up and see which ones can fit into this.
I want your goal to be a stretch goal for you, something that puts a little pressure on you, something that seems a little challenging – like you couldn’t do it on your own – but not something truly unrealistic in the season you’re in.
When the goal is more near the impossible, you won’t stick with it long-term.
The other thing I want you to think about when picking a goal is that a big goal is okay! We’ll actually break it down even more.
So if one of your professional goals is to make $100K this year. Cool, that could be a stretch goal for you in your business, but we’ll break it down for you to see that it’s much closer than you think, with smaller goals that are stepping stones along the way.
You’ll need an achievable, doable plan of action without sacrificing everything to do so. A step-by-step plan takes the overwhelm out of the game. It means goals become more than dreams and long-term targets because they have due dates.
You’ll need to prioritize specific tasks, overcome procrastination, stay committed, track progress, have regular reviews, and course-correct.
I also share more about how to set realistic, doable goals in my free workshop, 3 pillars to setting and crushing goals in a stress-less, no-hustle way. You can register for free at https://redhotmindset.com/goals/.
The most important part here is that you choose a goal that strikes the right balance between ambition and achievability so that you’ll stay committed to the journey with confidence.
So go ahead! Choose that bold and purposeful goal you are interested in pursuing and create an action plan for it.
Measure your success beyond external metrics
I want you to throw out the notion that success means wealth or status. We need to take some time to define success on our own terms, what it actually means to us personally, incorporating aspects like personal fulfillment, impact on others, and alignment with our core values.
So challenge those traditional notions that success is tied to external metrics like wealth, status, or material possessions. This is narrow thinking.
For me, success means I have an adventure in my life, that I’m experiencing life as it comes rather than wishing away each day. It means creating memories with my family. It means feeling secure but not longing for more. Contentment with ambition.
It means that I truly surrender my life, my whole life, to Christ and allow him to be the driver. It means when people see me, they say, “All is well.”
What does success mean for you? Take a little time, grab out that journal again, and reflect on what success means in terms of personal fulfillment for you, in terms of growth, in terms of your overall well-being, and in terms of serving God.
What does success mean for you when it comes to having a positive impact on others? Consider how your long-term goals, actions, choices, key results, and contributions can benefit your communities, families, or causes you care about.
What does success mean for you based on your core values? When your core values and goals are in true alignment, what does that look like? Success achieved at the expense of your values is ultimately hollow and unsatisfying.
What does success look like for you as a whole person? What about your physical health, your mental health, your relationships, your work-life balance?
How does it empower personal growth in your life? Is success resilience, a sense of purpose aligned with your unique aspirations, becoming disciplined in your day to day? What does it look like?
By challenging traditional notions of success, you can define what it means to you on your own terms. This is based on personal fulfillment, impact on others, or alignment with your values.
This step will help you create contentment in achievement and empower you to find meaning and purpose in your goals and life as a whole.
Take some time out to define success for yourself this week.
Bonus Successful Step to Set Bold and Purposeful Goals
It is easy to let ourselves down, but we’ll fight harder not to let others down. Sharing our vision creates an urgency for us to actually finish what we say we are going to do.
Having a community whether it’s close friends, family, or colleagues is a powerful force, so let it work for you. I challenge you to share your vision with those who will keep you accountable, have regular check-ins, and stretch you to pursue your goals.
If you want some help with setting bold and purposeful goals, then check out Finish Line Goals.
If you’re sick of not sticking with your goals, or you’re sick of the hustle culture and want a different strategy, then my simple Red Hot Goals Formula will help you to create a personalized game plan that works for the seasons you’re in with the capacity you have.
You can work your goals into your lifestyle without sacrificing everything to achieve them. You can align your goals with your core values and purpose and make an impact. You can learn more and join us at redhotmindset.com/flg.
Having ambitious goals is important as it inspires your creativity, energizes you, and helps you to achieve your full potential. There are 5 Successful Steps to Set Bold and Purposeful Goals.
The first step is to connect your goals with purpose. This brings fulfillment and contentment to the process. Set SMART goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and can be achieved in a specific time frame.
The next step is having a passionate why that matters to you for you to take time away from other important things to do the work it will take to go after this goal. Even when things get hard you won’t quit.
Then you need to break free from self-imposed limitations and dream big goals. This helps you make positive changes in the world around you. The next step is to set ambitious yet realistic goals and create a purposeful action plan.
Lastly, you need to measure your success beyond external metrics. Define what success means to you and find meaning and purpose in your goals.
Remember to also tap into your community and find people to keep you accountable and have regular check-ins with you as you achieve your personal goals.
