Setting goals can be an effective way to help yourself grow and develop, both financial and within your career and relationships. When you set goals for yourself, you are ultimately approaching success with an open mind, and making progress toward your goals can allow you to improve your skills and knowledge and even learn new skills.

Consider setting short-term goals to start with, and you may use these goals to help you achieve larger, long-term goals. In this article, we list a variety of examples of financial and professional goals you could set for yourself as a starting point when determining the milestones you want to meet in your life.

• How can you Set Goals?
• What are Some Examples of Professional Goals?
• Goals to Set For Yourself to Further Your Personal Development
• Examples of Financial Goals and how to Achieve Them
• How Can You Achieve Your Financial Goals?

How can you Set Goals?

You’ve probably tried to set at least one New Year’s resolution at one point or another, right? If you’re like more than 80% of the population, they presumably didn’t last very long.

Read Also: How you can Improve Your Future Financial Success

So, now that you know what you want to do, how can you combat the odds stacked against you and set goals you’ll be more likely to keep?

If you haven’t heard of SMART goals before, now is the time to educate yourself on this incredible concept of goal setting. SMART is an acronym which stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Timely

Essentially, the idea is to break down large goals into smaller bite-size pieces that follow these notions. As you organize the steps and schedule out your intentions for each milestone, you’ll be amazed to see how much easier they are to reach.

Tools like Toggl Plan provide access to create a planning process, which allows you to set everything up exactly how you need it as you track your goals. The creative design and user-friendly interface will help you stay engaged as you are moving through each step. With overviews that cover weekly, monthly, and even annual outlooks, you’ll be able to monitor everything whether you’re working on short-term or long-term career goals.

What are Some Examples of Professional Goals?

1. Gain a New Skill

No matter your current industry, there are hundreds of companies in the world looking for people with a variety of talents and abilities. The more diverse your skill set the better chance you’ll have of impressing your current managers or potential employers. 

Now keep in mind, this doesn’t mean that learning kickboxing will get you further ahead in the insurance industry, for example. Make sure the new skills fall under professional development goals that are related to the field you are interested in. Identify things that will get you ahead of the competition and make it easier for you to move up the ranks.

2. Boost Your Networking Abilities

Your capacity to network with people and develop influence will often make and break your ability to progress and reach your career goals. The process of networking is much more than simply talking to individuals you work with. It is about developing social and professional contacts with whom you can exchange insights and information.

Start out by networking more often with people you already converse with on occasion. As you improve, you’ll feel more confident in starting conversations with leaders and other influencers in your field. This has the potential to open up numerous opportunities and get your name out there.

3. Intern with a Large Company to Gain Experience

Did you know many majorly successful people began their careers as unpaid interns in their fields? People like Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, and Conan O’Brien all started as interns at the bottom of the totem pole.

These apprenticeship or co-op opportunities provide access to invaluable work experience, a look into the job market, and a large number of people end up being offered positions with the company.

Whether you are a freshly graduated college student or someone who is looking to change fields, an internship may be the best way to get a close look inside your desire industry.

4. Start Your Own Business

While the process of building a business may be considered more of a long-term career goal, there’s nothing stopping you from at least starting it today. The internet has made so many aspects of being an entrepreneur easier as it becomes more user-friendly on a daily basis. It seems anyone can create their own website and offer anything from products to client services.

If your professional goals include running your own company, there’s no time like the present to develop your plan and start taking the steps to build it. For a bit of a helping hand, perhaps enroll in a course or program to improve your financial knowledge and skills. You can take a look at one such course and the reviews at: https://alifeofgreatness.com/chance-welton-the-modern-millionaires-course-review/. Decide what you are passionate about and look for opportunities to disrupt the industry by starting a business. 

5. Improve Your Sales or Productivity Numbers

Everyone has unique KPIs they are trying to achieve on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. What can you do to boost your numbers and statistics? Take a step back to identify any practices that aren’t having a positive impact on your bottom line and remove them from the equation to make yourself more productive.

As you develop good habits and aim your efforts in the right direction, you’ll be surprised to find the numbers rise as well. Oftentimes, all it takes is a manager seeing someone who is fully dedicated to their role for them to offer a pay increase or even a promotion.

6. Earn a Degree or Certification

While the education system is a constant topic of scrutiny, people with a college diploma will likely always have an edge over those who don’t, as long as they have the work ethic to back it up. The deciding factor will typically relate to the industry you want to end up in and how high up the ladder you want to climb. Though there are exceptions, research will show you that most Fortune 500 CEOs have a degree.

University provides the ability to gain knowledge of the holistic side of business, making it easier for graduates to grow in their field and understand details others may not. As far as long-term career goals go, this one can have a 2-6 year commitment paired with a hefty price tag. You’ll need to do your research and prepare yourself accordingly.

7. Make a Career Switch

Are you unhappy in your current job situation? Do you feel like you’re in a dead-end role with no room to move up or grow? The previously mentioned idea of earning a degree can be one of the first steps of switching careers, but it isn’t always necessary depending on your intentions.

Enjoying your work and feeling passionate about what you do are two of the most common career goals across the board. If you don’t feel that, it may be time to start looking elsewhere. Do your due diligence as you find new options so you know what to expect and what it will take to reach that new position.

8. Become an Expert in Your Field

Nowadays it seems like everyone is claiming to be an expert in something or another. Though the term is considered one of the most subjective concepts in the world, the BusinessDictionary has defined expert as an individual who has gained enough knowledge and spent enough time in a particular field to be the most helpful in the “fact-finding, problem-solving, or understanding of a situation”.

With this in mind, if you can prove yourself as an expert, you’ll have more earning power and become more of an asset to your employer.

9. Reach a Leadership Position

Do you feel like you were made to lead and motivate a team to be their most productive and effective? Any great leader knows it takes so much more than simply telling others what to do, for them to be successful. There are a few key characteristics people can develop to prove they’re meant for that type of role:

• Gain a general knowledge of everything you can learn in your industry.
• Own your failures and share the credit of your successes.
• Accept that there will always be someone who knows more than you do about certain subjects.
• Work harder than everyone else on the team, no matter your position.
• Adapt to changes as they arise.
• Establish strong communication traits.
• Learn how to effectively delegate tasks.

10. Win a Prestigious Award in Your Industry

There are highly reputable awards handed out in nearly every industry you can think of. With well-known honors like The Nobel Prize, The Academy Awards, and The Pulitzer Prize to more industry-specific options like the Stevie Awards, Thrillist Awards, or SCORE Awards are there any merits you’d like to receive?

Whether your employer offers special distinctions or you’re striving to accomplish something for a third-party company, career goals don’t get much more motivating than to be recognized with a prestigious award for your efforts.

Goals to Set For Yourself to Further Your Personal Development

The importance of setting goals for yourself can be found in your openness and awareness of trying new things, planning your own success and taking action to improve an aspect of your life.

Furthermore, setting personal goals can allow you to accept accountability for what you do to ultimately grow and develop in your life, career and relationships. Additionally, setting goals allows you to find ways to learn from mistakes and make transitions using what you have learned that can help you reach your objectives.

Start by identifying things you are passionate or care deeply about, and determine what you want your life to be like in the future. Here are 20 personal goals you can use as inspiration for setting your own goals:

1. Improve your growth mindset

Setting goals and achieving them can require changes in your life that you may have to make. But to believe that change is possible, you must have an open mind and the awareness to accept any mistakes you might make along the way.

You might apply daily affirmations to help you get there, but ultimately, improving your growth mindset can have a positive influence on how you set goals and achieve them in the future.

2. Be more proactive

Once you set a goal for yourself, you can choose to take action each day to further your progress toward achievement. If you choose to remain inactive, there can be a chance that you might not achieve your goals.

Motivating yourself to be more proactive in your endeavors can serve as a personal goal to help you get used to setting a goal, taking action, tracking your progress and achieving objectives.

3. Learn to understand yourself

Learning to understand yourself can allow you to accept your abilities, improve your skills and ultimately play a role in how you pace yourself when working toward your objectives.

Understanding and knowing what your boundaries are, what your strengths are and how you adapt to change can not only help you progress toward your success, it can help build confidence in yourself.

4. Be persistent in spite of obstacles

Learning to be patient and keep applying strategies to overcome obstacles may seem daunting when progressing toward your goals.

However, remaining consistent in your actions and maintaining your perseverance no matter what kind of difficulties you come across may not only help you achieve your goals, it can help you develop and nurture the growth mindset you might also be trying to develop.

5. Learn to accept your limits

Understanding your limits and learning from your mistakes ultimately helps you progress toward your goals. While it may seem as if making mistakes or finding limitations in your personal progress may be negative, in reality, it can actually have a positive influence in teaching you how to handle setbacks and find solutions to problems.

6. Learn how to make effective decisions

Big decisions in life—from buying a new car to planning your retirement—can offer opportunities for growth. However, it’s not always easy to make huge choices like these. When you learn and apply effective decision-making strategies, such as evaluating all your options for a retirement fund, you can better equip yourself to handle the important choices in your life.

7. Practice gratitude

You might set this goal as a small daily objective, where you consciously choose to acknowledge your gratitude. This can mean being grateful for finding a dime on the sidewalk, waking up to your family every day or having a career.

The success in this small goal is that you can find ways to shift your attitude toward being grateful and generous on a daily basis, which can have a positive impact on your overall well being.

8. Stay open-minded to new opportunities

Maintaining an open mind and accepting opportunities and possibilities as they present themselves can help foster your growth mindset even more, as well as allowing you to accept responsibility and accountability for your actions, success and achievement of your goals.

9. Learn something new

You might make a goal to learn a new skill, topic or take a class to learn how to paint. Whatever you choose to learn, making the commitment to continue gaining knowledge and expertise can help you develop and advance in life.

10. Live according to your values

Your morals and values can have an influence on how you progress through your career, relationships and life in general. However, if you ignore your values in favor of someone else’s, you may never achieve your goals. Consider staying consistent in your morals, and work toward your goals with your personal values in mind.

11. Learn healthy ways to cope with stress

Stress can often play a large part in life. However, making it a point to learn healthy strategies (such as a five-minute yoga stretch) for coping and calming stress can help you focus on what is important when moving toward your goals.

12. Recreate your work-life balance

You may consider reassessing the balance you have between your career and your personal life. If you feel you spend too much time at work and not enough time at home, consider finding ways to balance your work hours and home life.

For instance, you might make it a point to start leaving right on time to get home, rather than spending that extra hour finishing up projects or other tasks. Having a set schedule can also help motivate you to work more efficiently.

13. Start good habits

It can take a lot of effort to create and maintain good habits, but forming positive habits can influence your personal development and help in improving your overall quality of life. Consider forming one good habit over the course of 30 days, such as taking a 10-minute walk every evening, and you might see the change and improvement in your well-being and motivation to keep achieving more.

14. Consider leaving behind expectations

While healthy expectations can help advance and promote growth and learning, placing too much importance on outcomes or other people’s actions may actually pose a negative influence on your overall personal growth.

Consider leaving expectations behind when meeting objectives or communicating with others, and you might increase the chances you will remain motivated and determined to achieve your goals.

15. Learn from failure

Failure is sometimes part of the process of moving toward achieving your goals. However, failure does not have to determine your overall success. Consider failure an opportunity to learn how to approach things differently, try new methods or learn new strategies. Learning from failure can aid in your achievements by showing you different and more effective ways of doing things.

16. Eliminate bad habits

Similar to starting good habits, eliminating or making an effort to stop a bad habit can positively influence your growth and progress toward other goals you may set for yourself. Consider taking one to two months to identify and cease a bad habit, such as biting your nails or eating high-sugar foods just before bed.

17. Improve your communication skills

Communication may sometimes present difficulty, however, improving your skills by learning conversation techniques, nonverbal communication methods and learning to be an active listener will not only help you develop, it can help foster healthier relationships as well.

18. Avoid negativity in the workplace

Sometimes gossip, rumors or negative attitudes in the workplace may be difficult to avoid, but when you actively seek out methods to step away from that kind of energy, you can improve your overall morale and motivation at work.

19. Improve your financial management skills

Finances can oftentimes become overwhelming to deal with, especially when there are more than a few accounts or even debts to take care of. However, making small objectives to help you improve your money management skills can ultimately allow you to make changes that free you to accept new opportunities.

20. Develop time management skills

If you have ever felt that you frequently run out of time to complete tasks or have limited time to devote to activities you enjoy outside of work, consider applying strategies that can help you improve your time management skills.

Print a physical schedule or to-do list you can mark with a pen as you complete tasks. Similarly, you might set a timer to help you track the time you spend on specific activities to evaluate where you can cut back on time spent and add time to other activities you need to complete.

Examples of Financial Goals and how to Achieve Them

Financial goals are where you want to be—financially—in the next five, 10 and 20 years. Or even next year. You’ve got to think about the big and small things when you’re writing out your goals.

And yes, you have to write them out. Goals are dreams in action. And the first step to putting them in action is writing them down. When you put goals into words and keep them in front of your face as both a reminder and a motivation, you’re beginning to bring them to life. So give them breath. Write them down.

Start here—with this list of 10 financial goals:

1. Create and stick to a budget

When you get serious about your finances, you have to start budgeting. Not only is this one of the top 10 financial goals people set each new year, but it’s also the foundation you should build all other money goals on.

That’s because a budget is a plan for what you’ll do with all your money. It’s a plan for what’s coming in (income) and what’s going out (expenses). When you budget every month, you’re giving your money purpose. You’re telling your money where to go so you don’t wonder where it went.

 If you aren’t budgeting—you can’t gain momentum with your other money goals.

2. Build up an emergency fund

Life happens. But you can be prepared for any money problems that come your way if you’ve got money saved up. We’re talking car trouble, medical expenses, and busted toilets—some of the worst parts of being an adult. But when you have an emergency fund, you can rest well at night knowing you’re able to stand up against a financial threat without being beaten.

Start with $1,000 in savings. Then pay off all your debt (the next goal we’ll dive into). After that, get yourself a fully funded emergency fund, which is 3–6 months of expenses.

When you’ve got an emergency fund, you’re ready for those “life happens” moments. Instead of living paycheck to paycheck, you’ll be living with confidence.

3. Get out of debt

It’s time to get serious about crushing debt. For. Good. Because debt’s good for one thing and one thing only—holding you back. And you don’t have time for that crap. Sure, plenty of people are still living on credit cards and taking out car and student loans, but you don’t want to be like them.

More and more people are putting this goal on their financial to-do list each year. Join that movement and shout from the rooftops (literally or figuratively): “Debt sucks!” Then live like you mean it!

4. Live on less than you make

The best way to get ahead is to stop getting behind. It’s not poetry. It’s not rocket science. It’s common sense.

Getting ahead with your money is possible. You just have to start living on less than you make. So what does that mean and how do you get there?

It means you spend less money than you’re paid each month. Then, you can put any money that’s left over toward whatever Baby Step you’re on. The Baby Steps are money expert Dave Ramsey’s proven plan for winning with money. They cover saving, getting out of debt, and building wealth. See how all those things help you get ahead and move forward?

You also get ahead by becoming more intentional about your spending. Budget every month, find deals, use coupons, pay cash, and—to be perfectly blunt—learn to say no to stuff you don’t need.

And the easiest way to make sure you’re not spending more than you make is to create a plan for your money—aka a budget—and stick to it. That’s how you make sure you spend less—so you can knock out all your money goals faster.

5. Travel more

Not all money goals are serious and stuffy. Some look really good on Instagram—like eating croissants and taking selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower. Is traveling one of your top money goals? Maybe you don’t want stuff as much as you want experiences. Or maybe you’ve just always had the travel bug.

Either way, start a sinking fund for the trip of your dreams. A sinking fund is a way to save money by putting aside a set amount each month. Like if your vacay is in six months and will cost $1,200 total, you should put $200 a month into your sinking fund.

It may take some extra effort and serious saving to make your travel goals happen, but—if you’re willing to do the work—you can make it come true!

6. Save money to pay cash for big items

Not only should you cash flow travel, but you should also cash flow big purchases. Cars, furniture, technology—these things cost money. And having dollar bills in hand to pay for these items—in full—is a fabulous financial goal. This puts you in the driver’s seat, steering you toward owning things rather than owing for things.

7. Stop living paycheck to paycheck

So, 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.That means all their money comes in and goes right back out. Each month’s paycheck pays only that month’s bills with no looking to the future—because they just can’t afford to save any money yet. Living like this is about as secure as using a parachute made of cotton candy. It won’t hold up or keep you from crashing to the ground.

If you’re stuck in this cycle, know you don’t have to stay here. Seriously. You just have to start budgeting monthly, spending less, and saving more. But in the end, you’ll gain security like you’ve never known.

8. Pay off your home

There’s no place like home. It’s where you sleep and eat and hang your heart. It’s also usually the largest expense in your budget. We specifically recommend spending 25% or less of your take-home pay to cover your mortgage plus tax, insurance, HOA fees, and private mortgage insurance (PMI).

Now, take a moment to imagine getting about 25% of your income back to spread out over your savings account, travel fund, favorite charity, home-improvement bucket list, and retirement account. That’s what happens when you pay off your mortgage. And that’s why this is a fantastic goal. The work is hard, but the payoff is more than worth it.

9. Save up funds to help your children pay for college

One of the greatest financial myths of today is that it’s not possible to go to college without going into debt. And it’s one heck of an expensive myth. Because guess what—a debt-free degree isn’t just possible. It’s the only way anyone should do college.

Students who plan on going to college should get serious about applying for scholarships and grants. They should always consider in-state and community college options and—yes, really—work while in school to pay for tuition and fees.

We know parents often think about their kids one day living the dream of going to college—and they want to help pay for it. If you’re in this boat, know that navigating the waters of college savings funds isn’t as difficult as you may fear. Don’t feel pressured to make or meet this money goal, but if you’re financially able, helping your children pay for college would be an incredible blessing to give them. 

Whatever you do—never take out a loan or let your kid take out a loan for college. That’s like digging a hole that can take up to 30 freaking years to climb out of. No. Thank. You.

10. Live your retirement dreams

As you imagine your golden years, what do you see? Do you want to pack up an RV and see all of America? Do you want to read every book on your shelves? Do you want to take up a dream hobby you’ve always waited to dive into until you had the time and money to really do it right?

No matter what you picture this future looking like, you’ll need money to make it happen. When you stop working, your income goes away. So having a financial goal in place to replace that paycheck with retirement investments is not only nice—it’s necessary!

If you don’t set goals, things won’t change. You’ll stay right where you are—in the land of wishful thinking. And while that’s a fun place to have some daydreams, it’s no place to live.

Financial goals give a voice and direction to your dreams. They give them shape, activity and life. Don’t kill your dreams. Instead, set financial goals to help you reach them.

How Can You Achieve Your Financial Goals?

Write out your goals

We said it once, and we’ll say it again: You won’t do them if you don’t write them, speak them, see them. So do it. NOW. If you need help shaping your dreams into real-life goals, get the EveryDollar Goal Getter’s Guide!

Create accountability

Find someone you trust to talk through your goals with. This needs to be someone who can give you a reality check and encouragement along the way—someone who’ll check in on your progress and cheer on your accomplishments. Having accountability means you don’t leave your dreams on your own shoulders—you pick someone to help you carry the load.

Follow a solid plan

If you look over that list of 10 financial goals, you might feel a little overwhelmed. Where do you start? What comes next when you decide you’re ready to make your money goals a reality?

Budget

Start budgeting. Why? A budget gives your financial goals direction by giving your money direction. Because when you budget, you tell your money where to go and make it work just as hard as you do.

Good news: It doesn’t even have to be boring or hard to budget. With the EveryDollar app, you can start budgeting in minutes and keep up with your spending on the go.

Track your expenses

No budget works if you set it up and leave it alone. That’s like adopting a puppy, bringing it home, telling it not to chew up your shoes, and then leaving for work. That puppy’s going to chew up your shoes. And the rest of your house. That’s what untrained puppies do.

So, once you set up your budget, you still have to keep up with your spending by tracking your expenses, which is super easy when you have the premium version of EveryDollar—which you can only get in a Ramsey+ membership.

Read Also: Financial Habits of Successful People

With Ramsey+, you connect your budget to your bank account, and your transactions will stream right to the app. You just drag and drop them to their right budget line.

Keep your shoes unchewed and your spending in check. Train your puppies and track your expenses.

Become more self-aware

Socrates once said, “Know thyself.” And he knows what he’s talking about. While you’re trying to make these financial goals a reality, remember that your greatest cheerleader and opponent, hero and villain is . . . you. So in this case, listen to Socrates. . . and us!

Know your money weaknesses and set up a plan to avoid or overcome them. Know your money strengths and build on them as you celebrate every victory (big and small). Plus, being more self-aware is one of the top keys to crushing any goal.  

Reevaluate your goals every now and then

Life changes. People change. Goals can change. That’s okay. Don’t abandon a goal just because it’s going to mean hard work. But don’t hold on to an outdated goal just because you don’t want to feel like a failure. Accepting that you’re heading in a different direction than you once thought isn’t failure. It’s actually healthy!

Reevaluate your money goals every year, every six months—and maybe every month if you want! Never be afraid to make changes so your goals fit where you are and where you’re going.

Goal getters, you’ve got this. Seriously. Whether it’s a new year, a new month, or a random day and you’re feeling motivated to change—you can do it. Goals are dreams with work clothes on. So get them dressed and ready to come true.