Achieving goals by themselves will never make us happy; it's who you become that gives you the most fulfillment.

To wrap up our recent focus on goals, I’d like to conclude with this final blog:

I’ve always been someone who likes to achieve, someone who enjoys the satisfaction of accomplishment. However each time I set a goal and saw it fulfilled… the moment would not linger long until I was set upon another goal… years went by and anything I had said to myself that I wanted to achieve had been achieved… and yet where was the fulfillment? I felt ripped-off… Like something was lacking…

Aren’t we taught that goal achievement and success/fulfillment come hand in hand? So why didn’t I feel successful/fulfilled?

Have you ever set yourself a goal, achieved it and felt great for a time… but found the achievement falling short of the lasting satisfaction you thought it would bring?

I’ve heard this a lot in weight-loss… women can spend years wanting to lose weight… they finally get there… only to realize that it doesn’t hit the spot? This problem is so endemic in the weight-loss field. I’ve spoken with women who are so disappointed that losing weight alone didn’t satisfy them, that they simply put it all back on… But alas that doesn’t fix the problem either.

 I’ve found that fulfillment is not in the achieving of goals per se… It’s in becoming the person who accomplished them. One goal will never hit the spot, it’s an attitude and confidence of knowing that you can obtain, achieve and find anything that your heart truly desires that is the real source of satisfaction. Living life with a belief in your own personal power and capacity to achieve/overcome anything could well be the ‘holy grail’ we all seek?

Anthony Robbins puts its best, “Goals are a means to an end, not the ultimate purpose of our lives. They are simply a tool to concentrate our focus and move us in a direction. The only reason we really pursue goals is to cause ourselves to expand and grow. Achieving goals by themselves will never make us happy in the long term; it's who you become, as you overcome the obstacles necessary to achieve your goals, that can give you the deepest and most long-lasting sense of fulfillment.” 

So, go on set your goals, achieve them… and grow and expand yourself in the process. Continue to stretch yourself to new horizons, new perceptions of yourself and life, see what there is to see and dare to want to see more.