Where do you see yourself in 10 years is a pretty scary question. I get it! And the reality you can’t actually predict what the future will hold and where you will be in 10 years. However, you can and should make an effort to improve yourself in big ways. Which is where 10 year goals come in. Today we are going to be chatting about why you should be setting 10 year goals.
And before you get into this post I want to remind everyone that no one can predict the future (2020 taught us all that right?).
But you can make goals and start working on improving yourself and your life in big ways. You can accomplish much bigger growth and bigger goals when you set them for 10 years in the future. Compared to a year or even 5 years goals.
I generally recommend making your 10 year goals items that you can grow from and improve yourself. For example, I recommend setting a goal of being financially stable rather than a goal of having a specific job with a specific income. This way you are still setting the goals and figuring out your long term dreams without setting uninformed goals. Because none of us know exactly what will happen in 10 years from now.
Also, I have more goal setting, personal growth, and self development advice over on my YouTube channel so make sure to go check it out!
So now that I clarified that let’s just jump into the post about why you should be setting 10 year goals! So hopefully it can inspire you to set your long term goals.
*** This article may contain affiliate links that I receive a small commission off of. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I always appreciate any support to keep this site running! Thank you!***
Why You Should Be Setting 10 Year Goals
{ The importance of setting long term goals }
Reason 1) Help you get focused on your dreams.
This first reason is definitely one of the most important if not the most important.
When you set long term goals you are making it a priority to think about your dreams. And in addition start making plans to make your dreams come true.
You can sit down for just an hour and make your 10 year goals list and then make a general path as to how you can get there. And that hour alone can really help you get aligned! Aligned with your dreams so you can start to make them a priority in your life.
If you are not setting 10 year goals there is a solid chance you are not thinking about your long term hopes and dreams. And if you are not thinking about them then you are not focusing on them. And you’re not making an effort to actually make those dreams come true!
Reason 2) They can really motivate you.
Motivation is something that needs to be refueled regularly. Motivation will not always just be there for you, often you will need to put work into motivating yourself.
And one of the best ways you can motivate yourself is to write your 10 year goals and think about what you need to do to make those goals happen. When you are writing those goals you should also think about what it will take to achieve them. And those thoughts alone can be motivating.
To keep that motivation alive for longer than just the day or so that you write those goals I recommend printing out your goals list and hanging it somewhere visible. Like your closet door or bathroom mirror- somewhere that you will see it regularly.
When you see your goals daily it can help you keep motivated and encourage you more to work towards making those goals a reality.
If you need more tips for finding your self motivation then head over to this post here!
Reason 3) Can assist you getting a better idea of what you want in life.
Next up is another super helpful reason you should be setting long term goals. By putting thought and effort into what you want your life to look like in 10 years it can help you figure out what those goals and dreams are.
I, like so many others, have not always known where I want to be in 10 years or even where I want to be next year. And that is perfectly normal! But when you don’t have dreams and goals you are working towards it can be hard to stay motivated and work on improving your life.
Which is where long term goal setting comes into play. Like I said before it doesn’t have to be set numerical goals. Instead of making a goal like “have 100k in savings” it can be more like “be financially secure”.
And in the process of setting those more vague goals you can get in touch with your deeper thoughts and emotions for what you want out of your life in the long run.
Reason 4) Help you figure out if you are on track.
This next reason is one that I am so thankful for- when I set 10 year goals for the first time it made me realize that some of these goals I wanted to achieve I was not on track for at all.
Which allowed me to adjust some elements of my life now so I could re-align with those goals and get on track.
Again, this won’t necessarily be actionable steps right now but even just mentality shifts can help you get on track to achieve those long term goals.
However, for some of your 10 year goals it may be necessary to start taking actionable steps now. For things like academic degrees you may need to start applying to certain programs sooner or taking certain exams now in order to have a degree or title in 10 years from now!
10 years away can seem like a lifetime but big life changing goals are not achieved overnight!
Reason 5) Long term goals can help you prioritize big decisions.
The final reason is that by having those goals thought out it can actually help you make better big decisions.
Setting long term goals can help you prioritize what you want to/ be doing. As well as what you should be doing now. And they can factor into making larger life decisions. Such as taking a new job, buying a home, going to school, etc. When you know what you want from your life in the future you can prioritize those goals when making decisions now.
This is especially helpful for those of us that really struggle with making decisions and have fear of regret.
If you know that you are making a decision that better aligns with your 10 year goals it can help make a decision easier and reassure you that at least at the time you made the right choice.
Maybe in 5 years from now your long term goals will be different and that decision will have changed and that’s okay! You know that you made the right decision at the time for your long term goals and it can help with having less “buyers remorse” about big decisions.
That being said if you relate to this reason a lot then you may need help saying no. If that is the case for you then check out my guide here on learning to say no. It also includes tips for kindly saying no!
I know that setting long term 10 year goals isn’t the most fun. It can be overwhelming and even stressful to think about what your life will be like in 10 years from now.
However, there are so many benefits to setting those 10 year goals! And making sure you are doing what you can now to start creating your best life.
Remember to dream big! Sometimes you will miss your goals but getting 80% of the way to a goal is infinitely better than not trying at all. So take that risk! And make that crazy life plan for creating your dream life and start with making your 10 year goals.
Korra-Shay
Let’s get social!
If you liked this post on why you should be setting 10 year goals then you probably (hopefully!) will like these too:
- How To Set Goals When You Don’t Feel Motivated
- 37 Life Changing Self Development Activities
- How Positivity Can Actually Boost Productivity
- 33 Personal Development Goals Ideas
- Why Making Mistakes Is Important For Self Improvement
Let’s really connect and stay in touch!
Below is a quick form to subscribe to my weekly roundup! It’s just one email a week with my 3 newest posts, email exclusive freebies, weekly finds and favorites, and so much more. I would love to stay in touch moving forward!
You must be logged in to post a comment.