Aspirations and Goals are the driving forces in our lives. They give us a sense of purpose and direction and motivate us to achieve our full potential. Without aspirations and goals, we might just drift through life aimlessly, without any real sense of joy or accomplishment. And most likely, we will be serving the aspirations and goals of others! Thus, we can say aspirations and goals are necessary in our pursuit of happiness, just sifting through quotes on happiness won’t be enough!
Although both these words sound similar there is a distinct difference.
Aspirations are our broader hopes, dreams or vision for the future. They represent what we want to achieve in our life, and may include things like:
- Being successful
- Being happy
- Making a positive impact on the world
- Leaving a legacy behind
- Building a sustainable world
Goals are the specific things, targets or milestones which we want to achieve in life. They can be short-term or long-term, big or small. Some examples of goals include:
- Getting a good education
- Landing a dream job
- Starting a business
- Buying a house
- Traveling the world
Aspirations and Goals are closely intertwined. Your goals are the steps you take to achieve your aspirations. For example, if your future aspiration is to be a successful doctor, your goals might include getting into a good medical school, graduating with top grades, and completing a residency program.
You can have different types of aspirations and goals in multiple areas of life. For example, you may want a promotion in your job, buy a house for the family, join a gym, and learn meditation. Each of these is a component of a different dimension or a different area in life. I have identified 7 in all and I call them the Seven Dimensions of Human Happiness. In layman’s terms, these are 7 components of well-being in various areas of life.
Each of us has the potential to grow in each dimension. You may choose to work on just one dimension or multiple ones as seen in the above example.
“I strongly believe that a balanced view on all the seven key dimensions is very important for a person to have a complete all-round growth. Hence, I have created a framework where we utilize the Seven Dimensions and create an Orbital Path for each dimension. However, it is always your choice of how many dimensions you wish to work on.”
(from the book Define Your Orbit by Manish Panchal)
You can map your aspirations on these seven dimensions using my unique framework – Hierarchy of Aspirational Orbits, where I have defined five distinct orbits of growth. This framework will help you assess your current status and deal with conflicts and it will provide you a customised roadmap towards your aspirations. You will be able to stay steadfast on your path towards higher aspirations.
Next time you ask yourself – ‘what are my aspirations and how do I achieve them?’ remember this – When you have a clear understanding of your aspirations and goals, and are aware of your current orbital position in your chosen dimensions, you are more likely to be motivated to achieve your full potential and live a fulfilling and happy life.
For more information, read my book – Define Your Orbit: Success a Matter of Chance or Choice
Get your copy here: Buy on Amazon