The difference between a personal value and a life goal
A value sets the direction; a goal marks a point of arrival.
It is common to mix up values and goals. "I want to be promoted" sounds like a value, but it is a goal. "I want to build something that helps people" is a value. Telling them apart helps you choose better, because they answer different questions.
Criteria for telling them apart
- Direction versus destination. A value points to a direction you follow throughout life, such as honesty or learning. A goal is a point that can be reached, such as finishing a course.
- Completion. Goals can be completed. Values cannot: you never "finish" being generous.
- Control. Goals depend on circumstances that may be beyond your control. Values can be lived even when the goal does not come true.
- Question they answer. Goals answer "what do I want to achieve?". Values answer "how do I want to live and act?".
Pros and limits
Goals
Pros: give focus, allow progress to be measured and create concrete plans. Limits: can cause frustration if not reached and, when disconnected from values, lead to achievements that do not satisfy.
Values
Pros: offer guidance in new situations, give meaning to effort and stay useful when goals change. Limits: they are abstract and, on their own, do not say what to do on Monday.
An example
Carolina had the goal of starting her own business. Talking about what drove her, she realized she valued autonomy and creativity. When the business was slow to take off, instead of feeling like a failure, she began looking for projects that gave her autonomy and creativity, even inside a company. The goal changed; the value stayed. This is an illustrative example.
How to use both
- Identify the values that matter most to you.
- For each goal, ask which value it serves. If it serves none, it is worth rethinking.
- When a goal is not possible, go back to the value and look for another path.
Decision
Goals say where to go; values say how to go and why. Using only goals can lead to empty achievements; using only values can leave life without practical direction. The combination of the two usually works best.
