100 Individual Goals Examples To Set For Yourself

There was a time when I worked a 9-5 job, came home, and stared at the TV all night. Like many other people, I lived life in my comfort zone and was never really challenged in any way. 

Fast forward a few years and I am now a certified life coach who helps people by sharing individual goals examples that can inspire them to make positive change in their life.

But it wasn’t always that way.

I vividly remember my wife asking me what my goals were, and truthfully having no idea what to tell her. I was happy just going through the motions of my life (or so I thought). What did I need goals for? 

If you’ve read my story, you’ll know that this was of course a time before I understood the positive impact setting goals could have on my life.

Goal setting is one of the things I find myself helping people with the most. However, in my experience, most people don’t even realize that they can set goals for their life. But the truth is that setting goals is a great way to find a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in your life.

To help inspire you, I have put together this collection of 100 individual goals examples that you can set for yourself. My hope is that these goals examples light a fire in your soul that will kickstart your journey toward living your best life!

What are personal goals to set for yourself?

Personal goals are specific goals that you set to improve your own personal life in some way. Your individual goals should align with your core values and bring a sense of fulfillment and purpose to your life.

These goals can be short-term goals (finish 3 books this month), or long-term goals (pay off your mortgage). The goals that you set for yourself will depend on what you want for your life and where you are in your own personal growth journey. 

Your own individual goals will also depend on your passions and interests. Whether it’s pursuing a hobby, advancing in a career you’re passionate about, or dedicating time to causes that are close to your heart, your personal goals should resonate deeply within you.

How to set goals for yourself

While there are many ways to set goals, I want to share what I believe to be one of the best ways to set clear goals that you will want to achieve. 

Having an action plan is the most important part of successfully achieving a goal. After all, a goal without a plan is just a wish!

This is the process that I use in my life coaching to help people find a better understanding of what they want for their lives so that they can go after it!

1. Identify your passions and values

The first step in the goal-setting process is to dig into what your passions and values are. Your passions are the things that make you want to dive out of bed and stay up late into the evening. We all have different things in our lives that excite us, so it’s a good idea to start thinking about what passion looks like in your life.

One of the keys to successfully setting and reaching goals is making sure that your goals are aligned with your passions. If you are passionate about something, the chances are you will want to stick with it!

But the truth is that we aren’t always passionate about our goals. For example, you might have a physical health goal, but lack the passion to stick with it.

And that’s where your values come in. 

If you struggle with setting goals that you are passionate about, try setting goals that align with your values. Try connecting your goal of maintaining physical health to your core values of prioritizing family. You may find that thinking about prioritizing your health for your family’s sake to be more motivating!

2. Use the SMART Framework

Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals means making sure that the goals you set are actually achievable goals. This framework shows that there is more to goal setting than just making sure you set a realistic goal.

S.M.A.R.T. goals are:

• Specific goals
• Measurable goals
• Achievable goals
• Realistic goals
• Timely goals

So rather than just saying “I want to lose 20 pounds”, you might try “I want to lose 20 pounds this year by walking daily and eating healthy meals. I’ll do weekly check-ins in my journal to keep myself accountable to my goal.”

See the difference? Part of setting goals that you will actually reach is setting smart goals that set you up for success before you even start!

3. Track your progress

The last step of this goal-setting process is having a good tracking system in place. It is important to stop and take inventory of how you are doing. This is an important part of learning to hold yourself accountable to your goals.

My favorite way to track my progress as I work toward my own goals is using a habit tracker. Habit trackers are a great way to make your progress visible on a daily basis. Plus, giving yourself a little check mark feels so good every time you stick to your goal!

Check out our collection of handmade printable goal and habit trackers! These are the tools that we use in our house and in our own life coaching to help us and those around us stay accountable to our goals!

100 Individual Goals Examples To Set For Yourself

Now that I’ve shared my process for setting individual goals, you are ready to dig into this list of 100 individual goals examples. My goal with this list is to share examples that inspire you to start setting goals in your own life.

Let’s dig into this list of individual goals examples so that you can start working toward living a life you are proud to be living!

Career Goals

Whether you are looking to set long-term career goals, or smaller goals in your professional career, this list will get you started thinking about how you might be able to set and work toward career and business goals in your professional life.

1. Obtain a professional certification or advanced degree in your field. This is a great way to breath new life into a job you already have!
2. Attain a leadership position within your current organization. This goal can act as an incentive for you to develop your leadership skills and open a new career path.
3. Develop a set of new skills. It’s so easy to get stuck doing the same thing every day. Learning a new set of skills can freshen things up and excite you about the potential for new opportunities!
4. Attend a workshop or additional training. Network and make some new connections while levelling up your training.
5. Achieve a specific sales or project target. Challenge yourself to reach a new personal record!
6. Start a side business or freelance work related to your expertise. It’s amazing how good it can feel to do the job you are already doing, but for yourself!
7. Establish a personal brand. Put yourself out there and attach your name to what you are already doing. Enjoy the feeling of confidently showcasing your professional skillset.
8. Network with other professionals in the industry. Join a professional network and enjoy feeling inspired by the accomplishments of others.
9. Secure a promotion within the next two years. Chart out your career path to your next big promotion. Develop an action plan and make it happen!
10. Enhance time management and productivity skills. Doing more in less time can make your job feel less taxing.
11. Mentor a junior colleague to foster professional development. Teaching someone new can help you connect with a younger and more passionate version of yourself.
12. Enrich your soft skills. This can help reduce conflict in the workplace and help you feel more connected to your work. 
13. Research a thought leader in your field. What new developments are happening? What can you learn from them?
14. Create a detailed career plan for the short term and long term. What specific milestones would you like to reach sooner and later?

Financial Goals

When we first got married, my wife and I set a goal to pay off our mortgage in 10 years without any loans or inheritance (or lottery winnings!). This was a massive financial goal that took tons of hard work and sacrifice, but we managed to do it in 9 years!

But not every financial goal has to be a big long-term goal. Find individual goals examples for your finances on this list that you connect with and make them happen in your own life!

15. Create and stick to a monthly budget to manage expenses effectively. This is truly the #1 way to get control of your finances fast.
16. Pay off high-interest debts, such as credit cards or student loans. Put a stop to debt that is sinking your savings for your future!
17. Purchase a home within the next five years. This one is close to my heart as we are currently working toward saving for our dream house!
18. Track and improve your credit score over time. Even if you don’t plan on borrowing money, a credit score can be a powerful motivator.
19. Save for a dream vacation or luxury purchase. Treating yourself feels that much better when you worked hard to save for it.
20. Establish an emergency fund equal to six months of living expenses. Having this in order is what helped me feel good about quitting my teaching job.
21. Maximize contributions to retirement or high interest accounts each year. Knowing that you are doing everything you can to prepare for your future feels really great!
22. Invest in a diversified portfolio to build wealth over time. Spreading out your investments is a great way to secure your financial wealth.
23. Negotiate a salary increase or bonus at work. Work on building the confidence to speak about and stand up for your own worth.
24. Explore additional income streams, such as passive income or investments. It’s so easy to get stuck thinking that your job is the only way to earn an income! Let’s break down that limiting belief and find new and exciting ways to make money!
25. Set aside funds or research grants for future education or skill development. One of the reasons many people are held back from going after their dreams is a lack of education or skills. Take some time to plan for a skill set that will open opportunities for you.
26. Regularly review and adjust financial goals based on changing circumstances. Make a point of reflecting on your goals on a monthly basis. 
27. Establish a will and an estate plan. This isn’t something that feels good to think about, but it can bring peace of mind.

Relationship Goals

One of the best things that my wife and I ever did was set relationship goals together. In fact, it was that goal setting conversation I mentioned earlier that led us to create this very blog!

Having a common goal has given us a shared sense of purpose that has helped strengthen our communication and our overall relationship. 

Use these relationship goals with your partner or loved ones as inspiration to strengthen a bond built on understanding and shared goals and dreams.

28. Collaborate on a shared project or hobby with your partner. I can’t overstate how incredible it is when you work together to build something with a loved one!
29. Cultivate open and honest communication with your partner. Be vulnerable and let your partner love you for who you truly are.
30. Schedule regular date nights to strengthen your romantic relationship. Life gets busy. Make time for one another!
31. Attend a couples’ workshop or counseling to improve your relationship. Even if you don’t think you need help with your relationship, talking to someone can help you strengthen it.
32. Celebrate important milestones and anniversaries together. Your journey together is worth celebrating!
33. Create a shared vision and set of goals for your lives together. It’s not about always doing the same things or having identical dreams. Instead, it’s about aligning your goals and supporting each other’s growth.
34. Build and maintain strong connections with extended family members. Celebrate each other’s roots and take advantage of another support system for your partnership.
35. Foster individual growth and encourage personal goals within the relationship. Get passionate about each other’s passions and motivate one another to pursue them!
36. Practice active listening and empathy in all communication. Put yourself in each other’s shoes. 
37. Plan and execute a surprise gesture for your partner. We all love a surprise every now and then! A spontaneous and heartfelt surprise can go a long way to rejuvenate your connection. 
38. Set boundaries to ensure a healthy work-life balance. Set a goal to protect your personal life by managing your work life.
39. Explore new activities or travel experiences together. 
40. Learn and respect each other’s love languages. Get to know what makes your partner feel loved.
41. Resolve conflicts through constructive dialogue and compromise. Use open communication to identify issues, understand each other’s perspectives, and work together to find solutions. 
42. Prioritize quality time together, free from distractions. Turn off the TV, put the phones away, and give each other your undivided attention.

Health goals

Prioritizing my physical health has been a personal goal of mine for the last few years. Thanks to my handy habit tracker, setting my own individual goals for my health has helped me clean up my eating and make a habit of regular exercise.

All it takes is one bad habit to make an unhealthy lifestyle. Use these individual goals examples to inspire you to make your health a priority! 

43. Exercise for at least 30 minutes, five times a week. Start by going for a light walk. Doing a little is better than doing nothing at all!
44. Adopt a balanced and nutritious diet. We all know how important this is.
45. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight through a sustainable lifestyle. It’s not about looking your best, but feeling your best.
46. Prioritize sufficient sleep, aiming for 7-9 hours per night. This one may require sacrifice! Give up a half hour of screen time and enjoy the benefits of a well-rested mind!
47. Practice stress-reducing techniques such as meditation or deep breathing. Take 5 minutes every day to center yourself with meditation and mindfulness affirmations.
48. Schedule regular health check-ups and screenings. Your doctor is just a phone call away!
49. Stay hydrated by drinking an adequate amount of water daily. It’s amazing what a difference a couple glasses of water can make on all areas of your life.
50. Limit the consumption of processed foods and sugary beverages. Ditch the soda and juice!
51. Walk 10,000 steps every day. Get yourself a step counter and make it happen!
52. Develop a consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine. Make your bedtime routine a dedicated habit, just like brushing your teeth!
53. Practice regular handwashing. If there’s anything the 2020s have taught us, its this!
54. Learn and practice mindfulness to improve overall well-being. Grab yourself a journal and use our list of mindfulness questions to get started!
55. Set realistic fitness milestones. Set a goal to walk a certain number of steps, run a certain distance, or lift a specific weight.
56. Monitor and manage mental health through therapy or counseling. Check in with a trusted counselor regularly.
57. Quit or reduce unhealthy habits such as smoking or excessive alcohol consumption. 

Educational goals

One of my favorite things to do is learn new skills. I love the challenge of learning something new and integrating it into my craft.

It’s very easy to write off learning something new because of how busy you are. But the reality is, technology has brought us to a point where you can quite literally learn anything, anytime. It has never been easier to pursue your dreams!

Whether you are looking to learn something new for your own professional development goals, or just to pick up a new skill as a hobby, set one of these individual goals examples and enjoy the challenge of refreshing your skillset!

58. Read a certain number of books within a specified timeframe.
59. Join a book club or study group to discuss and share knowledge.
60. Research other career fields of interest to you.
61. Improve your writing skills.
62. Offer a class to teach one of your skillsets to others.
63. Subscribe to a mailing list that interests you for daily reading.
64. Research something that you have always been interested in.
65. Learn how to start and run a YouTube channel.
66. Challenge yourself to learn a coding language.
67. Explore a new subject or hobby that is unrelated to your current field of expertise.
68. Volunteer for educational initiatives in your community.
69. Improve your communication skills.

Personal Development Goals

Whether it is practicing self-care or making choices that align with your personal values, setting and pursuing a personal development goal is an important step to start living the life you want to live.

Use these examples of personal goals to help you improve in whichever areas of your life you wish.

70. Enhance time management skills to improve productivity. Get more done in less time.
71. Develop a growth mindset. Embrace challenges and failure as opportunities for learning and growth.
72. Practice self-reflection and journaling. Get to the bottom of your personal goals and values, make sense of the day’s events, and more!
73. Cultivate a positive attitude. This doesn’t mean pretending negative thoughts and feelings don’t happen. It just means realizing you have control over how you respond to life’s struggles.
74. Practice gratitude daily. Develop a grateful heart by appreciating the little things you have in your life.
75. Set boundaries. Whether it’s work-life boundaries, or boundaries in your relationships, draw a line and protect it!
76. Learn a new creative skill, such as painting, photography, or music. Creative expression is a great way to release stress.
77. Develop emotional intelligence to better understand and manage emotions. Get familiar with your triggers that bring on unpleasant emotions and learn to anticipate them.
78. Challenge and overcome a specific fear or phobia. Tackle something that has held you back in your life.
79. Make time for self-care. Draw up a bath, make some hot tea, or read a good book. Make time to take care of yourself.
80. Foster a spirit of resilience in the face of setbacks. Learn to see setbacks for what they are: temporary bumps in the road that you can and will overcome.
81. Start using positive affirmations. When used the right way, positive affirmations can change your life. 
82. Set a personal goal to keep your space clean and tidy. Keep your desk, your room, or your whole home free of clutter and enjoy the positive impact it has on your mind.
83. Volunteer your time. Time is hard to come by, but using it for a good cause can help you put things into perspective.
84. Read a personal growth book. Check out our list of the best books for finding your purpose for inspiration.
85. Identify and overcome a limiting belief. Find out what’s been holding you back and conquer it. 

Experience goals

86. Travel to a new country or city each year. Broaden your cultural experiences with a trip to a new place.
87. Attend an event or festival. Find something major related to a personal interest of yours.
88. Participate in a volunteer project. Find one that aligns with your personal values and passions.
89. Take on a challenging adventure. Hike a challenging trail or prepare for a marathon.
90. Learn a new hobby or skill. Learn to cook a specific cuisine or play a musical instrument.
91. Attend a live performance. Experience a play, concert, or a musical.
92. Explore a new cuisine or cooking style regularly. Keep your taste buds on their toes!
93. Engage in a month-long digital detox. Experience life without constant connectivity by going on a social media hiatus.
94. Join a sports league. Foster teamwork and enjoy some physical activity.
95. Participate in a public speaking event. Overcome your fear of stage fright.
96. Go on a solo trip. Learn and enjoy self-reliance and independence.
97. Take a course in something unfamiliar. Find a subject completely unrelated to your current interests.
98. Attend a retreat. Find one focused on personal growth and self-discovery.
99. Immerse yourself in a different cultural environment. Travel or live with a host family abroad.
100. Document your experiences. Use creative outlets like writing, photography, or videography.

Using These Individual Goals Examples

There are so many different individual goals examples that can inspire you to make positive changes in your life. 

The best way to get started with setting life goals is to think about the area of your life that makes the most sense for you to focus on. This will help you identify the type of goal you want to set for yourself. For example, if you struggle with work-life balance, this may be the most important thing for you to focus on right now.

Goal setting isn’t always easy. The most important piece of advice I give people is that it isn’t about the goal, but rather it is about the journey. It’s about getting comfortable working toward something meaningful. 

You will struggle, and at times you will fail. The key is to not let your failure defeat you. Learn from each struggle and use it to help you reach your goals!

Don’t forget to share this post with your friends and family on social media! If you know someone who could use individual goals examples, this post could be just what they need!

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