Goals are made for 20-somethings. In a decade defined by learning and experience, goals are specifically designed to help us accomplish what we never thought possible. And if we’re wise enough to set positive objectives for our 20s, we will only create an unstoppable momentum for our later decades.
Here are some of the positive goals I’m talking about:
1. Form habits that will make your dreams come true.
Most of us know that our dreams are the result of hard work, but what many of us neglect is that hard work is often accomplished through making necessary actions a habit. Dream of writing a book? Form a habit of writing each morning. Want to run a marathon? Visit the gym every day. Whatever the goal may be, habits help you get there without burning out.
2. Use social media less.
So many of us routinely scroll through social media when we’re bored. Sometimes, we waste time with click-bait articles and advertisements flooding our newsfeed. We could reclaim our time from this noise by fulfilling our craving for social interaction elsewhere. Meet with friends instead, and make the time you would be spending with click-bait advertisements more productive and meaningful.
3. Start your days off positive.
Many of us wake up feeling rushed, which in turn leaves us zapped of energy at the end of the day. If you make a commitment to start your day off positive — whether that means getting more sleep or doing a devotional — your day will be ripe with energy to expend.
4. Find the job to get you closer to where you want to be.
Your 20s are not a time to feel as though you’re stuck in a job. They’re a time to explore and make new pathways toward where you want to be. Plan for the jobs that would launch you forward, not keep you stuck.
5. Join a community where love is automatic, not forced.
We can feel isolated in today’s busy world, but this does not mean we should subject ourselves to piles of fake relationships, just because we’re starving for social interaction. Instead, make the commitment to find an authentic community, one where others encourage you to be yourself.
6. Read at least one book a month.
Books have a way of opening us up as we open them. They offer insight, knowledge, and wisdom to help us discover great truths about ourselves. The problem is, we struggle to find time to read them, which is why making a goal of at least one book a month is so important. Even one book has the power to change the smallest piece of us.
7. Don’t try for a “balanced” life.
Make it a goal to not give everything in your life a fair amount of attention. Because what ends up happening is we deliver a mediocre and sub-par version of ourselves as we try to tend to all things. Instead, we should have the awareness to know when to give what part of our life a majority of our focus. When work is busy, give more attention there. When your social life is lacking, place more focus there. Don’t live in the extremes of work or life, but don’t avoid them either. It’ll prove for a more productive life all around.
8. Expand your social network.
Our networks can stay at a comfortable size, or we could intentionally grow them for more opportunities. Make it a goal to be the person who has a connection somewhere. Ask your friends to introduce you to people, and keep a mental directory of all the people you meet. You never know when you or others are going to need a connection somewhere.
9. Risk more.
Our 20s are the time to risk. When faced with an opportunity that would rattle your comfort, but also help you in the long run, commit to saying yes. It might be scary in the moment, but what’s even scarier is living a life where you learned to not risk at all.
10. Set better, short-term goals for yourself.
Commit to setting the goals that are realistic for you to accomplish. For years, I set long-term goals that I eventually fizzled out on, but once I learned to set goals that are short-term (like building a habit of writing everyday), I was able to cross more goals off my list. Once you learn to set goals in a better way, attaining them will be a standard for your later decades.
Our 20s are a time where we can get a running start on the rest of life. These goals are just a start, but they might just provide a foundation that echoes for a lifetime.
Photo (Flickr CC) by vickisee.com.
