Setting and Committing to Goals

To continue with Lyubomirksky's book, The How of Happiness:

"People who strive for something personally significant, whether it's learning a new craft, changing careers, or raising children, are far happier than those who don't have strong dreams or aspirations.  Find a happy person and you will find a project."

Why is it that setting goals and committing to them increases happiness?

1) Committed goal pursuit provides us with a sense of purpose and a feeling of control over our lives. (A sense of control is very important to one's happiness.)

2) Having meaningful goals bolsters our self-esteem, stimulates a sense of confidence and effectiveness in the world.

3) Pursuing goals adds structure and meaning to our daily lives.  Having goals provides the opportunity to master new skills and to create social interactions.

4) Being committed to our goals helps us to master the use of our time.  To  identify higher-order goals and divide them into smaller steps or subgoals, and to develop a schedule in which to accomplish them. 

This is a genuine life-simplifying and life-improving skill, helping us cope with not only daily life; but life in times of crisis.  The skills acquired in setting and accomplishing goals are problem solving skills.  These skills include being flexible and changing course when need be.

5) Finally, the combination of all these things provides us a context and a sense of belonging, an engagement with life.

To increase happiness, Lyubomirsky suggests that goals should have the following components:

a. Intrinsic: that the goal is inherently satisfying and meaningful.

b. Authentic: that the goal is in harmony with deeply held interests and core values.

c. Approach goals: that the goal should involve approaching a desirable outcome; rather than avoiding an undesirable one.

d. Harmonious: that is, that goals chosen should not compete with or exclude each other.

e. Flexible & appropriate: "the right tasks at the right time", that goals may change depending on opportunity, age, etc.  We need to be flexible, choose achievable goals and modify or change goals, if need be.

f. Activity goals.  Goals that challenge, involving an activity, produce a steady stream of positive events and experiences.

At the moment, my major goal is getting well, seeking opportunities for treatment to acquire life skills and tools that will help me manage my life; to cope with this disorder and its contingent fallout in my life.

I can certainly attest that committing to this goal on a daily basis, with the support I have acquired, helps create a daily context in my life and gives me purpose.