Pros and Cons of Setting Goals

When I was little, I would sit down and write goals I had to accomplish for that week. It would make me super excited to check my progress and see the rewards. Looking back, I now know that I was not an average eight-year-old. With hundreds of goals I have failed and obtained, I decided to write down the pros and cons of goal setting.

Pros of setting goals

1. Do you feel accomplished? Sitting down and writing out everything will make you feel like you have completed it. There is nothing better than dreaming about what you can do. Have you always wanted to dance like a pro? How about being a happier person? Are your finances a little shaky? With goals, there's no limit. And by setting them, you'll feel accomplished from the get-go.
2. You choose. You are in complete control of how you set and work towards goals. No one can force you to Become a happier person. That is your choice! No one can tell you whether or not you will become financially competent. You choose your goals and start working on them.
3. Goal setting can be super fun! Get a piece of paper, sit down with your favorite treat, and work. I love pulling out colorful markers to decorate my paper; then, I write down my goals and how I want to accomplish them, step-by-step rewards to reach my goals, and last but not least, when I want to achieve my said goal.
4. The sky is your limit. Anything you want to accomplish can be turned into a goal. Have you always wanted to become a better wife or mother? Or do you want to become a better student? Do you want to climb mount Everest? How about losing weight? What about making a life-size airplane out of chocolate? Whatever you dream up, you can turn into a goal. 
5. On days that are hard and your life feels pointless, goals will help you find more meaning. Pulling out past goals you have accomplished suddenly reminds you that you are worth way more than you give yourself credit for.
6. Goals help us move in the right direction. Do you want to own your own business? Sit down right now and write the steps to do so. Now write down the dates you wish to accomplish these goals.
7. What better time is there to reward yourself? Do you ever feel bad about eating your favorite donut for no reason? You shouldn't! But if you do, then set a goal to go on a walk before you get to eat one donut. Trust me; you'll feel a lot better to have accomplished your plan with a reward.
8. By motivating yourself, you can inspire other people. In high school, I started writing bucket lists I wanted to accomplish within a specific time. Some bucket lists would contain a hundred plus activities I wanted to do. Every few days, I would invite different friends to go on adventures to accomplish these goals. It was a big highlight for me as well as so many others. That is one of the reasons why my husband-to-be started dating me. Who knew by setting a goal, you would find your true love?
9. Have you ever looked back at a year and thought, "What have I done this year?" By setting goals and working towards them, you'll have less of this happen. At the end of your life, you can look back and have less to regret.

Cons of setting goals

1. You have to do something. Are you serious? Do you have to do more than play Candy crush and watch Netflix? I guess if that is your goal and you're accomplishing something.
2. Setting goals can be depressing! Why would you do something to make yourself feel worse when you don't accomplish it? Another question to consider is why you would do something to make yourself better than someone else. We should all be equal and not try to improve ourselves and make ourselves look more accomplished than someone else. 
3. Goal setting takes time away from accomplishing anything else. Wasting time by sitting down and setting goals that may never be achieved may be a bad idea. It might lead you to depression and anxiety to realize how behind you are from shooting a basketball compared to LeBron James. Why would you do that to yourself?
4. Goals are unrealistic things. Telling yourself that you'll be out of debt in a year is unrealistic. So why set goals and lie to yourself?
5. You will never accomplish every goal you set. There are thousands of goals I want to accomplish, but in reality, I might only achieve a few of them, so am I letting myself down?

"Our goal is to help the world make decisions with a list of Pros and Cons. We invite all to add to our lists to help others make the most educated decision possible. We are all in this world together to help each other and learn from what others have learned from their lives journey." -Pros and Cons Team

Written by: Sarah