Economy

This year, think twice when it comes to setting career goals

Sometimes, two separate things appear to be correlated because, in fact, the two separate things are not separate at all. Take, for example, the relationship between goal progress and subjective well-being.

Hannah Klug and Gunter Maier published a meta-analysis of 85 studies looking at this relationship in the Journal of Happiness Studies. Unsurprisingly, they found that goal progression was correlated to subjective well-being. However, the authors concede that, frequently, subjective well-being is measured in part by the degree to which people report they have achieved their goals.

It is a bit like saying that the degree to which a person is hurt in a fall is related to the degree to which they have suffered an injury. Well, duh.

There is another problem with the relationship between goal-setting, careers and happiness. Even the best controlled studies that promote goal-setting show that many other things apart from goal setting account for the claimed relationship to subjective well-being or career success.

Frequently that appears to be related to doing things that make you happy, or things that increase your subjective well-being, and in turn these can be related to more profound considerations of what really matters and is truly meaningful for you.

When we begin to consider meaning and mattering, this often leads to discussions about belonging, contribution, community, family, friendships and relationships – in fact, the kind of things that make it into epitaphs and obituaries. They are like the arts: they are some of the most important things that make life worth living.

The problem from a careers perspective is that people see the headlines from research on goals and subjective well-being, or career success and happiness, and conclude that the most useful thing they can do is set many goals or, worse, advise others to do the same.

Loading

However, this disregards the possibility that one may need to have a degree of happiness and/or success to allow one to get the most out of this approach.

It also disregards that circumstances are continually changing – sometimes with glacial speed, at other times the change is sudden, unexpected and turns our worlds upside down. The truth is that none of us can say with any certainty where we will be at the end of 2025.

Things will change for all of us, and for most there will be some for the worse and some for the better. The changes may be incremental or incredible, but changes there will be. Certainly, envision a preferred place to be at the end of 2025, but do not make the mistake of thinking that setting a goal is going to do all the heavy lifting to get you there.

This is not to decry the value of goal-setting per se, but rather it is a warning that, in the rush to set goals, we might be overlooking more valuable approaches that are ultimately likely to be more useful to us.

Fostering or even forcing curiosity, and continual exploration of where we find ourselves, helps to unearth unforeseen possibilities, new relationships between both people and things, and new pathways.

Engaging in new activities and finding surprise and delight in them can, with reflection, lead to new perspectives on direction or meaning.

Instead of limiting oneself to questions of where you want to be by the end of the year, try to devote more time to exploring where you are right now and pursuing whatever paths are open to you, at least a little bit.

Trying pushing a little harder on the door that appears closed, or devote time to finding the keys to the door, or other entrances, avenues and destinations that are open right now. The point is to keep on trying and expect some of the efforts to lead to dead ends, and some strategies to fail.

The best way to have a career idea is to have many career ideas. Curiosity, open-mindedness, persistence and continual exploration are good ways to achieve this.

Because, ultimately, we can never be sure that we are on the “right path”, or even whether a right path exists in advance of walking it. But may your inevitable stumbles along these paths not be from a great height.

Dr Jim Bright, FAPS, is a director at IWCA Pty Ltd and director of Evidence & Impact at BECOME Education. [email protected] or follow him on Blue Sky @DrJimBright.bsky.social

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.

  • For more: Elrisala website and for social networking, you can follow us on Facebook
  • Source of information and images “brisbanetimes”

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button

Discover more from Elrisala

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading