Setting personal goals

Setting goals does not have to involve money on its own. If you set goals based on money then your life is out of balance. It is important to decide what is important to you and is the vehicle to helping you to achieve those aims. In short, money should not be your number one aim. 

If you accept a job with a higher pay then you had better weigh up everything that the job involves such as the hours of work, the commute to the job, and responsibilities that come with the job and then decide whether it is worth all of the hassle.

It all depends on your personal circumstances and preferences. There is no size that fits everyone when it comes to goal setting. There is no such thing as “should” even though there are people who think others should do this or do that.

Personal goals are something which are personal to you. Here are some examples of personal goals:

Learning to swim

Learning a new language (specify)

Learning to drive

Learning to use the coffee machine

Learning to salsa dance

Reading the Bible from cover to cover

Meeting your favourite sports player

joining a sports club (specify)

The most important factor in determining your personal goals is your passions. The other factor is your talents. These two are often linked. Whatever most interests you is often where your talents lie but that does not mean that you cannot learn anything new. Most skills and talents are transferable. 

We often see international sports people using the skills which enabled them to reach the elite level in their chosen sport to help them succeed in their chosen career after they have retired. Many have prepared themselves for life after sport by studying to gain a degree during their playing days.

It pays to have a number of strings to your bow as a backup. 

You have to specify what your goal is otherwise it just becomes a wish and anyone can make a wish but it is taking action which will turn a dream into reality.

If you went to your travel agent and asked for a plane ticket they are unable to help you unless you were specific and told them your proposed destination.

Examples of vague goals which are non specific are:

To lose weight

To get fit

To be happy

To save money

The problem with vague goals is that there is no way of knowing when you have achieved your goal. Goals need to be specific and timed. A goal of “To deposit at least a grand into my retirement fund by June 30th, 2023 is a specific and timed goal. You have either achieved your goal or not.

A get fit goal may be “To be able to run a 5k fun run by 31 December 2023.” This is another example of a specific goal which has been timed.

Giving your goals a timeline will give you more motivation. Just telling yourself that one day or some day I will do such and such is not a goal; it is a wish and there is a big difference between wishing for something and being serious about achieving it.

Life needs to be in balance and it is important to consider your personal talents and preferences. Many people have achieved extraordinary success in their chosen field and despite not setting out to make money have accumulated a great sum of money doing something they enjoyed. 

The key here is to not make money your number one goal in life but rather discover your calling. No one else can discover that for you so come out of your shell and broaden your horizons. Who knows, you may just discover your life’s calling in doing so.

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CREATING YOUR CV

Adding your Qualities to your CV

Written by Robert A. Stewart

Employers who receive your CV are interested in your qualities so what is a quality?

A quality is a characteristic; it is a strength. Someone’s good strengths are their qualities and abilities.

You must be able to provide an example of every quality you list on your CV.

Here are some examples:

PERSONAL QUALITIES: “I am a good team player.”

EXAMPLE: “I am part of the soccer/cricket/rugby/whatever team that has won xxx number of games this season.”

When giving an example of being a team player, you use the word “we,” rather than “I” all of the time and never use the word, “they” when talking about your previous employers.

PERSONAL QUALITIES: “I am good with children.”

EXAMPLE: “I babysit for my sister/auntie every weekend,” or “I look after the kids at church on Sundays.”

PERSONAL QUALITIES: “I am willing to learn.”

EXAMPLE: “At my last job we did such and such which was a huge learning curb for us.”

It is important not to sell yourself short in describing yourself. Your personal qualities are unique to you, they are your gifts.

When you are talking about past employers in an interview use the word “we” as this gives others the impression that you are a team player. Never refer to them as “they,” 

Leave out information which may not be relevant to the job but certain skills which may not be important for the job you are applying for may in fact point to a quality which an employer is after.

For example you may be computer literate which is not relevant to the job but if you are teaching others how to do stuff online then this can be pointed out in the interview or on your CV.

Knowing what to leave out of your CV is just as important as what to include. It is a good idea to have different CVs tailored to different types of jobs, that way your CV will be relevant to the type of job you are applying for.

You need to keep in mind that if a potential employer has reason to believe that you may spend a lot of time on your devices during work time then he may overlook you for someone else.

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