Goals that Matter
I've always been a goal setter.
For much of my life, I've viewed goals as something connected to growth, achievement, and creating the future I wanted. Goals helped me move forward, stay focused, and make progress toward what was important to me.
Recently, however, I heard a story that changed the way I think about goals.
A friend spent the day with a colleague who is in hospice care due to advanced cancer. During their conversation, she mentioned that one of the questions hospice staff often ask patients is, "What are your goals?"
That question stopped me in my tracks.
At first, it surprised me. When I think of goals, I often picture healthy, active people planning for the future—setting professional goals, fitness goals, financial goals, or personal growth goals. Yet here was a reminder that goals are not just for people building a life. They are for people living a life.
In hospice, goals may look very different. They might be as simple as spending meaningful time with family, sitting outside in the sunshine, sharing memories with a friend, completing a letter to a loved one, or finding comfort and peace. The scale may change, but the purpose remains the same.
Goals give us direction.
They help us focus our attention on what matters most.
They remind us that even when circumstances are difficult, uncertain, or beyond our control, there are still choices available to us. There are still ways to live intentionally.
They remind us that even when circumstances are difficult, uncertain, or beyond our control, there are still choices available to us. There are still ways to live intentionally.
As a coach, goal setting is an important part of my work with clients. Sometimes those goals are ambitious and exciting. Other times they are small, practical, and deeply personal. What I've learned is that the size of the goal is far less important than the meaning behind it.
Whether you're launching a new chapter, navigating a challenge, caring for a loved one, recovering from a setback, or simply moving through an ordinary season of life, goals can provide clarity and purpose.
Whether you're launching a new chapter, navigating a challenge, caring for a loved one, recovering from a setback, or simply moving through an ordinary season of life, goals can provide clarity and purpose.
This summer, I invite you to reflect on a simple question:
What are your goals right now?
Not the goals you think you should have. Not the goals others expect of you. Just the goals that would make this season of your life feel meaningful.
They may be big.
They may be small.
But if they help you focus on what matters most, they are worthwhile goals indeed.
Reflection: What matters most right now in my life? Are your current goals aligned with what is truly important to you at this moment? If not, what might need to shift?
Action: Choose one meaningful goal for the month ahead. It doesn't have to be large or ambitious, just something that brings you closer to what you value most.
Tool – “Turtle Steps” - Big goals can feel overwhelming. Turtle Steps help us break them down into manageable, achievable actions. Use the format outlined in this form and replace "marathon" with whatever your goal is.