Transform Your Life Through Purposeful Action

Welcome to your journey of self-transformation and personal growth. In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of tasks and responsibilities, often leaving our dreams and aspirations on the back burner.

But what if there was a way to break free from the cycle of stagnation and start making meaningful progress towards your goals?

Imagine if we could demonstrate that purposeful actions can serve as a guiding compass on your path, leading you toward the future you’ve always envisioned but never quite reached. Discover how to take charge, set your course, and embark on a journey of personal evolution that will reshape your life.

Now, let’s explore the concepts of goals and habits and how mastering them can be a transformative force in your life.

What are Goals and Habits?

Goals and habits are like the dynamic duo of personal growth and success. They’re not just abstract concepts; they’re the very building blocks of unlocking your potential. Once you grasp the significant relationship between the two and their individual importance, your perspective on life’s possibilities will undergo a profound transformation.

It’s like a light bulb moment where you realise you have a choice; let others dictate your life, or take control and achieve whatever your heart desires.

You can settle for a life marked with modest goals:

• Make enough to pay the bills
• Get through the week in a job you hate
• Buy a house in an OK suburb that you can afford

Or you can dare to dream big and make audacious goals that stretch the limits of your imagination:

• Go on an overseas holiday
• Run a marathon
• Buy your dream home where you really want to live

When you set audacious goals you open yourself up to incredible opportunities and experiences that can transform your life. But here’s the thing; it’s then time to cultivate empowering habits that support your goals and lay the foundation for success. This dynamic duo enables you to transcend limitations and achieve things you never dreamed possible.

So, let’s have a look at what goals and habits are, and how you can apply them in life.

Goals

Goals are the heartbeat of our aspirations and dreams. Each one of us carries them, our hopes and ambitions that light the path in our life. But the ability to turn our dreams into reality beigns with a deep understanding what type of goals they are.  

You see, there are two distinct types of goals, outcome-based and behaviour-based. It’s in understanding the difference between the two that is key to effective goal setting and achievement.

Outcome Based Goals

Outcome based goals focus on the end result. They are the destination of your life’s roadmap. Goals such as losing 6kgs or getting a new car. Saving $50K or starting a new job.  

But the problem with outcome-based goals is they are limiting. Once you’ve achieved your goal, what then? Once you’ve reached your goal weight, how do you keep it off? Or once you’ve saved $50K, do you stop saving?  

They focus solely on the final destination, not the behaviours that need to change to reach the goal.  

Behaviour Based Goals

Behaviour-based goals focus on changing your thoughts and behaviours. They are about creating the person you want to become by changing the way you act and behave.   

Moreover, focusing on behaviour-based goals leads to achieving your outcome-based goals. Outcome-based goals become a natural consequence of a new behaviour, of a new you.

E.g. If your goal is to live a healthier lifestyle, eating less and exercising more, the natural side effect is not only overall health but includes weight loss. Or if your goal is to improve your financial planning and budgeting, the natural side effect will be saving money.

Behaviour-based goals are the catalyst for personal transformation, not only in achieving outcome-based goals, but also in creating new habits that support overall well-being. Consistently practicing behaviours aligned with your goals leads to habit formation.

Habits

Habits are the sneaaky little routines that silently shape our lives, often without us even realising it. Research has shown that more than 40% of what we do is determined not by our decisions but by the autopilot of our habits.   

It has also been proven that forming a new habit takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days, with an average of 66 days for a new habit to become automatic.  

As Charles Duhigg wrote in The Power of Habit,  

“Habits are powerful, but delicate. They can emerge outside our consciousness or can be deliberately designed. They often occur without our permission but can be reshaped by fiddling with their parts. They shape our lives far more than we realise—they are so strong, in fact, that they cause our brains to cling to them at the exclusion of all else, including common sense.”  

Duhigg goes on to discuss the concept of Keystone habits – those small, foundational actions that have a positive ripple effect. A seemingly small habit that inspires, motivates, and transforms actions.  

Imagine starting your day drinking a glass of water every morning when you get out of bed. That one “easy to do” action serves as a reminder of your commitment to looking after your health. It inspires you to continue your day with your health in mind, such as choosing the right foods. Which can then lead to other health-inspired actions such as exercising.   

But remember, instilling a new habit takes time and patience. It starts as a conscious action driven by your behaviour-based goal. Yet, as you persevere, it transforms into an unconscious, second-nature habit. 

So, embrace the transformative power of habits, for they are the key to a systematic approach to achieving your goals and living the life of your dreams.

“First we make our habits, then our habits make us.”

— Charles C. Nobel 

Goals and Habits – To Achieve One You Must Create the Other

Goals are the compass points that guide our journey. They give us purpose, ignite our ambition, and set the foundation for our aspirations to unfold.

But we place too much attention on the outcome, losing sight of the very process and progress of the journey. We focus on the large outcome-based goal that seems so far beyond where we currently stand. So far in the distance that if we aren’t careful we lose the enthusiasm and momentum we had when we started.

But if we can strike a balance between outcome-based goals and behaviour-based goals, we unlock the true potential of goal achievement. If we switch our focus from achieving outcome-based goals to nurturing behaviour-based goals that support the outcome, we can keep up momentum. 

Also when we work on behaviour-based goals we are creating positive habits that support our goals with little effort. We may even surpass them as our brain is no longer overwhelmed with conscious effort, instead acting with the ease of subconscious habit. 

Each step, no matter how small, is a victory, a testament to our commitment to change and growth. We learn to fall in love with the process and enjoy the journey.

Achieving goals should be an enjoyable process of incremental improvements and small wins along the way, where new knowledge, new skills, and new habits are learned.  

So, remember this; to achieve one, you must create the other. Goals and habits are inseparable partners in your pursuit of lasting change. 

You can transform your life through purposeful actions.

“Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do), and desire (want to do).”  

— Stephen Covey  

Mastering Your Goals and Habits – It’s All Up To You

When it comes to acheiving your dreams, there’s a simple yet profound truth: the power lies squarely in your hands.

When you approach goals and habits with this unwavering belief, there’s nothing you can;t achieve. There is nothing in life you cannot have or do. 

So dream big, set your goals, and then ask yourself; what can I do every day to bring them to life. What are the steps, the processes, and the habits I need to create?

Then start forming those new habits that will help you to grow and create the life you want. It’s in those little daily steps that you create lasting change.

To delve deeper into the art of creating habits for personal growth, don’t miss the opportunity to explore this next post.