Personal growth helps us all to create meaningful lives. Chances are, you’ve at some point in your life been in a space where you’re just comfortable where you are, living your daily routine, and not putting in crazy amounts of effort to make any changes.
While it’s okay to have slower periods in our lives (we all need rest), if you live your whole life in a comfortable bubble, you’re probably not going to get that much out of it. Personal growth goals allow us to make sure we’re working towards things that are important to us.
Personal growth goals can be anything from reaching a milestone in your career to developing more confidence – literally anything that requires you to grow and change as a person. When we’re intentional about the goals we set for ourselves, we slowly but surely start growing into the person we want to become.
I’ll quickly touch on how to set personal growth goals and why they are important for your self development before getting to the fun stuff – tons of examples of goals that you can set in your own life.
How To Set Personal Growth Goals
Sometimes, just determining the goal that you want to set for yourself can be the hardest part. I know when I started getting curious about personal growth, it was almost as if a whole new world had opened up. Once you adopt a growth mindset, it feels like the sky is the limit; there are so many possibilities.
If you’ve got a lot of things that you want to accomplish in your lifetime and a decent amount of hobbies, it might feel overwhelming to figure out what goals to set.
The ONE thing you must do first is to get clear on your values – if you blindly set goals without making sure they’re in alignment with your values, three years down the road you might end up with a Master’s degree in a field that you don’t actually want to work in.
Start reflecting on what you’re passionate about. Think about the type of person you strive to be. Can you identify any gaps in your life where you feel unfulfilled or not quite where you want to be? Are there any things that are interesting to you that you’ve been too nervous, for whatever reason, to explore?
Set aside any negative self talk or ideas of what you think other people might think and just be completely honest with yourself about what feels right to you.
Narrow down what’s important to you and get specific. Determine what your end goal is and break it down into several (more manageable) smaller goals. How will you get from A to Z?
If your goals are vague, you’ll be less likely to follow through with any actionable steps. If you’ve got multiple smaller steps that you can actually envision yourself working through, you’ll be much more motivated.
The examples of goals below are just general ideas to help you get started, so if you use any of these, make sure to make them more specific to you. For more details, read the Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting.
Related Reading: Fixed vs Growth Mindsets
More Resources: Intentional Living Guide
Why Goal Setting is Important
For most of my life, I didn’t set goals for myself. I had vague ideas of the direction I was heading, like graduating college with a good job. I ended up with a good job, but somewhere along the way I had lost myself. I had no sense of purpose or who I even really wanted to be.
Goal setting forces you to think about what matters in your life, and gives you a chance to create your own path. It provides motivation to take action and accomplish things that are meaningful to you, and gives you a greater sense of identity. Over time, you’ll create a much more fulfilling life if you set and follow through on goals.
So whether you start big or small (even little goals help us to stay motivated), start somewhere.
Examples of Personal Growth Goals
1. Try something new that scares you (but also excites you)
The more comfortable you get with pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, the easier it gets. Most of the time growth involves some degree of discomfort, so the sooner you get used to this idea, the better. Try stepping up for a challenging project at work, or asking someone you’re interested in out on a date.
2. Develop a consistent mindfulness practice
This is one of my current goals, and it’s been a lot tougher than I expected. It requires a lot of patience (which is not my strong suit). However, I’ve stuck with it because I’ve seen noticeable improvements in my anxiety, sleep, and focus, among other benefits.
If this is something you’re interested in, here are some tips on how to get started with a mindfulness practice.
3. Break a personal fitness record
Whether you want to be able to do a pull up, squat 200 lbs, or run an 8 minute mile, fitness goals can seem impossible. If you focus too much on where you’re at now, you’ll never get there.
The key with fitness goals is to break them down to something that feels achievable. If your goal is to run an 8 minute mile and your current pace is 12 minutes, focus on getting to an 11 minute mile.
Once you’ve accomplished that, you’ll feel more confident that you are capable of getting faster. Recognize the small gains made through consistency and you’ll be more motivated than ever.
4. Master a new skill (for fun)
Find something that is fun to practice and will bring you joy once you’ve accomplished it. Not all goals need to make you better at something useful – so go learn how to do a handstand or play your favorite song on guitar.
Goals like this have their own importance: prioritizing something that allows you to destress and disconnect. Activities like this can often lead to entering a flow state, which leads to increased happiness, motivation, and creativity (among other things).
5. Master a new skill (for your career)
Taking the initiative to learn something new in your job can show that you’re committed to growth. Learning a new skill can give you a leg up for promotions, give you more confidence in your role, and add valuable experience to your resume.
6. Take time for self care
If you take only one goal away from this list, let this be it. Our society places unbelievable pressure on individuals to constantly be making contributions and adding value, and not nearly enough on well being.
Whether it be setting aside one day a month just for yourself or setting a hard log-off time from work, make it happen.
Don’t let yourself get so caught up in the chaos that is life that you forget to check in on your own well being.
7. Read more
Set a specific and measurable goal to read more. This could be a number of books in a certain time frame, or an amount of time each week you want to spend reading (audiobooks count!). Maybe even challenge yourself with a new genre!
8. Do something kind for a stranger
Even the littlest acts of kindness can go a long way. You never know what battles a person is facing, and you might just make their day.
You’ll definitely find gratitude through acts of kindness, and gratitude is an important piece of the growth puzzle.
9. Strengthen your emotional intelligence
If you haven’t heard of emotional intelligence by now, it’s time to learn. Emotional intelligence can be learned with awareness and practice, and has meaningful impacts on your success.
Focusing on strengthening your EQ can lead to improvements in everything from your career growth to your personal relationships.
10. Take on a challenge at work
Depending on how long you’ve been in your role and the type of work that you do, you might find yourself in a position where your tasks are repetitive and you’re no longer learning. When you reach this point, it might be nice to coast for a period of time, but after a while, you’re wasting your own potential.
Volunteering for a new project shows initiative and interest in your work and can open up opportunities for networking and growth. Not to mention you’ll feel a greater sense of accomplishment!
11. Become comfortable with having difficult conversations
This probably doesn’t sound like a very fun goal, but it’s so important for personal growth. Life is too short to not be honest with yourself and others about how you feel.
If you want strong connections with people, in your job and in your personal life, you’ve got to be willing to dive deep. If you’re authentic and honest, you’ll be able to get to the root of issues and determine how best to move forward rather than continuing toxic cycles.
12. Set a financial target
Have student loan debt hanging over your head? Sick of renting and looking forward to the day you can finally buy a house?
Even if the financial goal you have in mind seems far off, the more specific and intentional you are now, the sooner you’ll achieve it. Prioritize what is important to you financially, set a budget, and stick to it.
13. Listen with intention
We live in a world where all too often, people listen to respond. Start to be more conscious of how you converse with people – do you let them finish, or do you interrupt when you feel like you have something relevant to say?
Do you always turn the focus to yourself, or do you ask questions to keep their story going?
We can all become better listeners (and learn a lot about ourselves and others in the process).
14. Find new strategies to improve your focus
As technology has advanced, distractions have grown. Smartphones have destroyed our ability to focus. If you struggle with focusing on school or work, you’re definitely not alone.
The good news is that there are tons of strategies and resources that can help you. Some things that have worked really well for me are setting a social media time limit on my phone, meditating in the morning, time blocking my calendar and prioritizing tasks, and taking frequent breaks to walk or stretch (not to look at my phone). Figure out what works for you and incorporate it into your daily routine!
15. Identify (and stick to) your boundaries
Do you have any unhealthy relationships in your life? In a lot of cases, knowing and establishing what boundaries are important to you will help create healthier relationships and a stronger sense of identity.
Communication is key here; other people can’t read your mind. If someone (or something, such as your job) isn’t willing to respect your boundaries, take some time to seriously evaluate whether they deserve a spot in your life.
16. Start planning your meals
Often times the hardest part of nutrition is finding the time and energy to eat healthy. If you invest a little time up front, it doesn’t have to be a lot of work! Having a go to list of easy, healthy, meals can take the stress out of grocery shopping and deciding on what you’re going to eat for the week.
If you’re not a meal prepper or prefer not to eat the same thing several days in a row, just prepping certain things like chopping fruit and vegetables on Sunday night can give you time back during the week when you might not feel like cooking.
17. Incorporate movement into every day
Alongside nutrition, consistent exercise is crucial to living a healthy life. A lot of people struggle with getting enough exercise because they don’t enjoy it or can’t find the motivation to go to the gym.
Which is why I intentionally chose to use the word movement here instead of exercise. Staying active does not have to look like going to HIIT classes, lifting weights, or running on the treadmill (although if any of those are things you enjoy, great!).
It’s about finding movement that you enjoy and makes you feel good. Explore any sort of physical activity that is fun to you (ex. Yoga, tennis, rollerblading, etc.), and try to get in at least 30 minutes a day.
18. Strengthen your relationships with people who are important to you
We get meaning out of life through our connections with other people. Figure out who you truly value in your life, and put in the effort to build strong relationships. Be there for people who are important to you – show them that you care about them and their well being.
19. Identify your values – and live by them
Personal growth is all about diving deeper into the type of person we want to become and working towards that every day. If you don’t have clarity around your values, it’s hard to know where you should be putting your energy.
So get clear on your values, and ask yourself every day if your actions are aligned with those values.
20. Talk to a therapist
Therapy is something that almost everyone can benefit from. We can vent to our friends all day long about what’s going on in our lives, but having an objective third party to open up to will give you new perspectives.
If you’re open minded and feel safe in your environment, you’ll explore deeper into your core being than you likely ever have before and develop a stronger connection to yourself and your intuition.
Need help finding a therapist? Psychology Today can be a great place to start.
21. Spend time outside
Personal growth goals don’t have to be complicated – they can just be adding a healthy habit into your day. Spending time in nature is one of the best ways to reconnect with yourself. Carve out time to go on a walk or a hike, find some outdoor hobbies, or even just read a book or journal in the park.
Even if it’s only 30 minutes a day, getting outside is essential for both your physical and mental health.
22. Be present
Make an effort to notice when you’re not living in the here and now. Are you constantly overthinking something that occurred in the past or worrying about the future? Spending hours scrolling through social media instead of living in the reality around you?
Pay attention, and be all in on the life you are creating. As Ferris Bueller would say:
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Final Thoughts
No matter what type of goals you are setting for yourself, getting clear on what you want to make of your life is an important step in any personal growth journey.
Setting personal growth goals can give you direction, meaning, and a sense of purpose. If you follow through with your goals over and over, they will be the building blocks to creating the life you want.
What personal growth goals do you want to set for yourself and follow through with?
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