A few months back, I wrote a post about goals in life. The post discussed how my goals in life have evolved as I have matured.
For this post, I would like to spend more time talking about my current life goals. Hopefully this will give you food for thought as you assess what you want out of your life.
First off, your goals are for you to decide. They may be similar or totally different than mine. This post is not intended to tell you what your goals should be. It is intended to encourage you to consciously set goals, then make a plan to achieve them.
Check out this post and video from Jack Canfield about setting goals.
My Current Life Goals
I will spare the details of my younger goals in this post. See the link above for that part of my story.
I am grateful to feel like I’ve achieved most of my younger self’s goals. Now I’ve realized there are more meaningful goals to work towards.
Home Ownership
I was married in 2017. My wife didn’t have any credit history and I was still recovering from a failed business venture.
Born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, I worked in real estate for several years.
Wichita set the bar high because the cost of housing is so incredibly low. I understand how far $100,000 can go in Wichita versus any other US metropolitan area.
As I have lived throughout the US, I have paid dramatically higher for rent than I would have in Wichita. Every time I write a relatively large check for rent, it frustrates me to spend that much money without building any equity or wealth.
Over my life, I have easily paid over $100,000 in rent. If that were going towards a mortgage payment instead, I might own a reasonably nice home outright. A home that can generate rental income, be sold for a return, or borrowed against.
Future Investments
Home ownership is one of my most urgent goals in life right now. I believe owning real estate is a good long-term investment for my family. It is an alternative to traditional 401k, stock, and bond investments. Real estate allows a family to build equity in a tangible asset. Tangible, valuable assets are true wealth in my eyes. Something that holds value and increases in value. Something that can generate income.
My goal of home ownership would move our relatively high rent payments into a mortgage payment. Now, instead of giving away money for rent, my family would be purchasing a small portion of our home with every payment.
Over time, I plan on developing a portfolio of rental property and the first home is the beginning step.
Ten-years ago, I had no interest in home ownership. I felt like it would have been a hinderance in life. Now, I feel a real sense of urgency. Your goals will change and evolve over time just like mine have.
Self Employment
Self employment is a personal goal that many have no interest in. However, it is an extremely important goal for myself. A goal that cannot be achieved without lots of hard work and dedication.
Without going into detail, I have been an entrepreneur most of my life. I’ve spent more money and time than I could ever imagine pursuing self employment.
My initial plan was to create a nation-wide business. Over time, the desire of self employment stayed, but the need to make millions or billions has faded.
Family
I have put off having kids to pursue risk and adventure for quite a long time. Now, my desire for home ownership and self employment are largely for my family and future kid(s.) I want to provide opportunity for happiness and upward mobility in all of their lives.
What Are Your Current Life Goals?
Your life goals may look similar to mine. They may be totally different. Remember I’m not here to tell you what your goals are, just that you should have them.
It Isn’t As Hard As You Think
A family member once told me that it isn’t hard to get a job when you have children. It made me think… One’s family is so important that any job is worth doing for them. When your family needs stable income, it isn’t hard to find a job because of what’s at risk.
How Goals Help Our Careers
No matter how much you love your job, work is still work. We all need to re-focus our productive energy at times. The less you have to work for, the more re-focus you will need.
When you have tangible, achievable, rewarding goals, it is easier to work harder. When you feel a lack of motivation at work but you have goals to achieve, it is much easier to re-dedicate yourself.
If you have a goal to work towards, then you have a reason to stay dedicated to your your career. Goals are the reward for hard work. Without them, it is hard to stay dedicated to productive hard work.
Current Goals In Life – Why They Matter For Career Success
Do you want to get a foot in the door with Wichita Area employers? Contact Elite Staffing Solutions today at (877) 500-0420 for entry level job openings!
Post by Mike Gamache – ESS Blogger, Entrepreneur
