Do most people have goals?

[PrettyParrot]

At work or in life generally. I was asked to set some goals for myself at work and was honestly flummoxed. I want to do the job I do well, and reliably, and be considered a safe pair of hands. Based on peer feedback, I have achieved these for the most part already.

AIBU for not really having any other goals than to continue doing my job to a good standard?

From the title I thought you meant life goals, in which case, not everybody, but lots of people.
Work goals, yes, if you work for a large organisation. In our place it helps you to access training, sometimes training is available to people who have it identified in their plan. You don't have to pay it any more than lip service if you don't want to, just literally describe what you will be doing anyway. It is useful if you want to pivot a bit career wise, as you can get your manager to identify opportunities.

That happens whether you have goals or not.

Sort of, I mean, I wanted to get a management position at work and I did that in 5 years.

Now, I just want to survive the next 5 years 🤣n

I'm just doing my teams yearly reviews, every single one hates the "what are you planning to achieve in the next 12 months" as for most it's just coming to work and doing a good job and going home at the end of the day..

@Gwenhwyfar yes it will - but not every time, if you have your own ambitions and goals (which I’d read as short to medium term attainments) towards achieving your ambitions. If none, you’ll be the one left behind every time.

Well, having a goal is not the same as succeeding at it.

I'm finding ChatGPT useful or organising my goal setting actually. I like a goal.

Yes. Many.

These are all interesting, thank you. I don't really think of tasks in day to day life as goals, more just keeping all the balls in the air.

Just being asked what I'd like to achieve gives me an instant feeling of hopelessness - a "what's the point, it's unachievable and I am rubbish" feeling. It's like the very idea of me being able to do anything other than the preordained Life Stuff (ie preordained by my parents - A levels, degree, marriage, family, job) is ludicrous. There are certainly things I'd like to achieve (be thinner, learn a particular language, write a book) but it seems stupid to believe I can do those things, or at least achieve them consistently.

It's interesting to hear other people don't feel like this.

I don’t set goals either in or out of work. Why would I? Perfectly happy with life. Just get on with it… get stuff done. Enjoy myself. What do I need goals for?

Left behind from what?

@prettyparrot every journey starts with one step. If you want to learn a language, start Duolingo, or find an evening class. That’s step one. Attend for a term / get to day 100 on duo is step 2. And so on. Sounds like you’re not breaking down aspirations into manageable tasks - goals - which is why you see achieving things as overwhelming and unattainable.

Also remember you can start, get to a certain point and pause for a while, or decide to re-focus. That’s fine. It’s part of achieving and growing.

In the end a writer is someone who writes. Achieving comes from doing. Not from looking at the very end of a journey (one version of that journey) and deciding ‘yes or no’ to that.

@PrettyParrot so did your parents value education and push you towards A Levels? Did they value having children within a secure relationship (you mentioned marriage)?
Not everyone has that upbringing. Life doesn't come, or rather wasn't instiled from a young age. My DD's new bf is breaking out of his Mother's way of life. She's got a lot of issues, caused by her dysfunctional upbringing. Her son, has managed to get a good paying job, the family has treated him as a money tree and emotionally etc done a right number on him. His goals, learning to drive, have legitimate insurance, have savings, increase work qualifications, buy a home, not be a soft touch, have become his goals. For some people, healthy eating, cooking, not abusing alcohol etc, as in, be the opposite of their parents, are goals. You can get in the habit of shouting, or running late, so your goal is to do better.
Goals are good for people with low self esteem, self worth and thinking (often via childhood) that they won't amount to much. We don't all start adulthood on the same functioning level.
Even starting Christmas planning/buying early so you get to enjoy December, is a goal. Work goals can be setting and maintaining boundaries, if you don't do that naturally.