Prompt Proofing Blog Post: Goal Setting - Part 4 of 4
This week we're going to wind up our goal-setting series with the final category: legacy.

VANCOUVER, BC, March 04, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- This week we're going to wind up our goal-setting series with the final category: legacy.

This is where you think carefully about what you want your legacy to be. Not an easy question to answer, and not always a comfortable one; however, this is where you can figure out whether or not your previous goal-setting ideas are putting you on the right track.

7) Legacy

So, what is it that you really want to leave to the world? What would you most like to be remembered for?

One way to figure this out is to fast forward to your funeral. Not a happy thought for most people, admittedly, but, like taxes, death is a sure thing - one day. What will people be saying about you at your funeral? S/he was a successful business person / was very wealthy / always fashionably dressed / drove a fancy car? Trust me, these are probably not the things you will be remembered for.

So what would you like people to be saying? S/he was inspirational / kind and compassionate / a great teacher / a wonderful parent? S/he was an acclaimed writer / musician / poet / artist? An Olympic athlete? An Oscar winner? S/he fought for human rights in countries where many of the people were oppressed? You don't have to be Mother Teresa, or necessarily a major-league baseball player or the person who discovered a cure for cancer. Nevertheless, we would probably all like to be remembered for some quality or achievement.

Once you have decided what it is you would really like to be remembered for, whether it is an achievement or a personality trait, you now need to think: "How am I going to achieve this?". Now is the time to look back at the goals you set for yourself in the previous six categories. Are they all helping you to achieve your desired legacy? If so, congratulations, you are clearly on the right path - go ahead and focus on your goals; shoot for the moon, at the very least you should reach the stars!

But what if your previously stated goals are not actually leading you to your desired legacy? Perhaps you have decided you want to be remembered as a great artist, but actually you are so busy building a successful career in property development that you never have time to pick up a brush. Or perhaps your goals all focus on achieving success in the business world yet under charity you have stated that you volunteer at your local SPCA, and you actually love working with animals. If your stated goals do not seem to be leading you towards achieving your legacy, then possibly you are currently on the wrong path. Perhaps it is time to go back and re-think your earlier goals. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this! Goals are not carved in stone and they can be changed as often as you wish. Discovering you may have been heading down the wrong path can be a wonderful 'aha!' moment and help clarify what it is that is truly important to you.

In one of the previous goal setting blog posts, I mentioned vision boards or 'wish' boards. Creating a vision board to illustrate your goals and placing it on your desk at work, or on your bedroom wall - anywhere where you will look at it every day - can be tremendously helpful in keeping you focused. The constant visual reminder provides you with a continual affirmation. Of course, you also have the supreme satisfaction of noting when you have achieved each of your goals - and then, of course, setting new ones! Happy goal setting!

Check back next Friday for another Prompt Proofing blog post!

About the Author

Pat Wootton is originally from England and is a former high school English teacher. Having spent many years in the Caribbean, where she raised her family, she now lives in Vancouver, BC. In addition, she has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) for several years after earning a diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of British Columbia. She now owns and runs Prompt Proofing, a copy editing and writing service that caters to individuals and partners with marketing and public relations companies.

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