Not all goals are equal. Some goals naturally need to come
before others in the hierarchy. Pursuing certain goals before you take care of
the basics is like putting the cart before the horse. First we taxi, then we
fly.
I learned from Dr. Benjamin Hardy three interesting ways of
looking at goals. There are what we call Keystone goals, Means goals and End
goals. In this article, we will look at each of these types of goals with
relevant to gain a better understanding.
What is a Keystone
Goal?
A keystone goal is described as one that has the greatest
bearing on the overall outcome of your life. While it is not the ultimate goal,
the achievement of a keystone goal sets you up to excel on all your other goals
easily. It can be likened to what Brian Tracy calls the ugliest frog in his
book Eat That Frog. There are certain goals which are big, scary, intimidating
and unsettling. It is easier to bypass them and look for others which are
slightly less intimidating. Brian Tracy says that if you can eat a frog for
breakfast, then there is pretty much nothing else that could happen in your day
which is worse off. He goes further to say that when you have more than one
frog to eat, you do well to start with the ugliest. While this applies to daily
chores, it can also easily be applied to your goals. Not all goals are equal.
Achieving a Keystone goal drives your motivation through the roof because you
tell yourself that there is nothing I can’t do if I have managed to get that out
of the way.
For many people financial freedom is a keystone goal. Until
you get to a point of financial freedom, there are many things which you are
not able to do for yourself or others. Financial freedom opens up all manner of
possibilities. You are able to move in whatever direction you will with a
degree of financial freedom. When you look at Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs, you realize that survival is only big at the beginning. As you move up
the ladder, you realize there are higher goals and ideals you want to pursue.
Achieving a Keystone goal, gives you the liberty to pursue these higher ideals.
Many of us in the developing world need to break out of the quest to survive
and begin to live at a higher level. For us, financial freedom is a huge keystone
goal to achieve. Do you agree? If yes, what represents financial freedom in
your circumstances? If this is not your cup of tea, what is your keystone goal?
Share and let me know in the comments below.
Means Goals.
Another division of goals are what we consider means goals.
Some keystone goals are means goals in that they pave the way for progress on
higher goals. A means goal is any goal whose achievement opens the door for
your ultimate goals to be pursued. As the name suggests, they are a means to an
end. Means goals are very important because without their achievement, we
remain stuck in first gear. They are also good at building momentum for greater
pursuits. Every day you accomplish something you are driven to go for more and
this is the magic of means goals.
A practicing athlete can set goals for themselves with
regard to how much they want to weigh and how fast they want to run a selected
course during their training. While this does not happen in the presence of
many, it is an important means goal that ensures when the athlete goes into
competition they are able to win the gold medal which is the end goal. Losing
weight might not mean much on its own but in the grand scheme of the athlete’s
target, it plays a very significant role.
What are some of the means goals you need to have in place
when you think about your ultimate goal for this year? What’s your experience with
means goals in the past and how have they helped you progress?
End goals.
End goals represent the highest ideals you want to pursue. They
rank at the top of the pyramid when it comes to the Hierarchy of needs. What do
you really want to accomplish when all is said and done? These are legacy type
of goals. If you were told you had 6 months to live, what kind of things would come
to the fore in a way you haven’t imagined before? End goals are those things
you will be ready to pass on to the next life once you are done with. These are
the goals you will ask for time to reach before you are ready to roll. Do you
have any goals like that in your life?
At an individual level one of my end goals is to be involved
in the conversion of at least one million people to the Christian persuasion in
my lifetime and help them live out their full potential for service to God and
humanity. A lot of what I do is geared towards that as ultimate. There are many
things that need to be done in the interim to get me there but ultimately my
chief Joy is to see many come to the knowledge of God and flowing out of that
knowledge a life of self-giving service for the benefit of the kingdom and
their fellow men. Your end goal is the thing whose accomplishment will live you
with an immense sense of fulfilment. It is the thing for which you are willing
to give anything to accomplish. It must be something that is hugely compelling
and impossible to quench until its realization. Something you must be ready to
die for if need be which will drive you to spend your every waking moment
working towards without fainting.
What is your end goal dear reader? What is the one thing for
which you are willing to give up everything?
Go ahead and share it with us. The time is right for you to pursue it
with every fibre of your existence.
If for any reason you are having issues getting started on
your goals or you are stuck somewhere along the way, we can help you proceed.
Send a DM on +254725832477 with ‘I need help.’ And we will get in touch.
I am opening up my free masterclass for all who want to get the most out of their lives. Follow the link below to register.
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