MAKE YOUR INNER GOALS MORE OF A PRIORITY 1

At the start of a new year, people begin to set goals for themselves which they would want to achieve before the year runs out but most of the time, these goals are usually outer goals like career goals, financial goals, material goals, educational goals, travel goals, relationship goals and the likes which are easily identifiable and seem more rewarding than we would think of inner goals.

There are two sets of goals we ought to set for ourselves - inner and outer goals - but in most cases, we are more concerned about our outer goals. You can't speak of focusing on achieving your outer goals without first finding and achieving your inner goals. 

Setting and achieving your inner goals will help you meet your outer goals and knowing your external goals is dependent on how well you know your internal goals. 

WHAT ARE INNER GOALS?

Inner goals are the personal objectives we set for ourselves. They are related to our sense of purpose in life. They help us stay motivated and focused in achieving our set goals. 

Inner goals identify with our core values, passion and ethics and are more concerned with our personal growth and development. 

By taking the time to identify, pursue and achieve your inner goals, you can in the process identify your true potentials.

While outer goas are easily measurable with tangible rewards, inner goals are subjective and seem less rewarding but cause lasting changes in our lives than outer goals would.

When you have great inner goals, your outer goals become much more meaningful and satisfying. With inner goals, there is a sense of fulfillment and peace from the inside even when it seems like the outer goals are not coming true or slow to achieve.

WHY SHOULD WE SET INNER GOALS?

Inner goals are so important that setting them can be a powerful way to motivate ourselves and cause positive changes in our lives. By setting inner goals, we gain a greater sense of purpose in life giving our lives a sense of direction and a greater sense of meaning.

Setting inner goals connects us to our core values in life, builds in us a greater sense of self-awareness and also helps you identify your worth - knowing you are worthy of being loved, worthy of attention, time, worthy of making a difference in this world and all the good things God has intended for you.

While you may not have control over the outcome of your outer goals, you certainly do have 100% control over your inner goals.

EXAMPLES OF INNER GOALS

1. GRATITUDE : I can't speak or start with any other without first talking about gratitude. Until we develop a heart and a life of gratitude towards every good deed meted to us by God or by man, then we have a long way to go in life how much more achieving set goals.

Gratitude is an art that is mastered from the inside and developed over a period of time. The art of gratitude is being grateful for each moment in each day and towards every kind gesture - whether perceived as small or great.

Gratitude is seeing or finding reasons each day and every moment of our lives to be grateful for. It is celebrating every win of your outer goals each day even when it seems the journey is still far ahead or far from actualizing.

A sense of gratitude in our everyday life is being sensitive and mindful of every benefit that comes with each day and then become grateful or thankful even for the least benefit (as perceived). The Bible says in Psalm 68:19 "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Selah."

With a heart of gratitude, we can easily identify the benefits that God has graciously given to us each day. Waking up to see each day is a benefit. Having a reason to go out every day to pursue one goal or the other is a benefit and having a reason to be thankful or grateful to God for at the end of each day is a benefit God has bestowed on us.

2. DEVELOP A POSITIVE MINDSET : Having a positive mindset is milestone towards achieving great things in life. Imagine having an outer goal of gaining more financial freedom this year but you are already defeated with a negative mindset of not seeing how possible this is going to be especially with the prevailing circumstances that surrounds us such as the arsh economy we are into today but there is nothing that can't be defeated with a positive mindset. It may seem difficult but not impossible.

A positive mindset enables you to defeat every negative thought that tells you it is impossible and also enables you to forge ahead even in the face of difficult challenges when it seems like there is no way out.

3. DEVELOP A GROWTH MINDSET : A growth mindset is the opposite of a fixed mindset that holds you back from achieving success in anything or area you set your mind on being successful.

For instance, there are people who believe marriage is a scam and not as good as people portray it to be probably because of the experiences they may have had or seen around them and at such, they already have a fixed mindset that marriage is bad and can't be good or sweet.

But with a growth mindset, you begin to study books about how to come about having a good marriage and before you know it, you begin have a shift in mindset, you begin to see people with good marriages around and then you begin to see yourself having a good marriage now or in the future.

Imagine having an outer goal of building a healthy relationship this year with your significant other or with someone new with a fixed mindset of bad relationships, then you would never have it right in your relationship.

A growth mindset is believing your intellect, intelligence and thought pattern can improve and change overtime from bad to the good and from worse to the better as you begin to learn and practice. 

No wonder Proverbs 23:7 says "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."

The thoughts and the inclinations of our hearts shape who we are in reality. Our thinking pattern shape our actions so it is with having a fixed mindset about a thing or people.

Developing a growth mindset helps you take risks, strive for the best and motivates to want to achieve more because you are constantly improving and growing your mind by feeding it with knowledge every now and then.

4. DEVELOP A GOOD HABIT : Your outer goal might be losing some pounds thereby improving  on your weight loss journey and improving on your overall health. One way you to achieve this is by engaging in exercises everyday with at least at least a 20 mins walk or going to the gym at a particular time everyday but then comes the cold weather (a force out of our control) like we are experiencing now that would want to make you stay in bed all through the day or stay indoors preventing you from keeping up with your outer goal of losing some weight before the year runs out.

An inner goal of a good habit would be not letting the weather control us by having at least an indoor work-out if the cold is scary outside. An indoor exercise such as skipping, squating, lounges, planks of all variety, crunches and the likes that would also help improve on the weight loss journey goal for the year.

Developing a good habit helps you maintain a daily routine of pursuing you goals. It keeps you disciplined and consistent with pursuing your goals.

This year, focus more on your inner goal. Inner goals are important because they help us prioritize our personal development. They help us find some balance in life amidst all the ups and downs we encounter everyday. 

Quote for the day -  " The goal is to grow so strong on the inside that nothing on the outside can affect your inner wellness without your conscious permission."

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