Life Goals: Examples and Definition
Everyone wants to live a meaningful life. But meaning doesn’t just happen, it’s built through choices, priorities, and purpose. That’s where life goals, also called lifetime goals, come in. These are the deep, personal aspirations that guide your long-term direction. They’re not about ticking boxes on a to-do list, they’re about shaping the life you want to live.
You only get one life. Setting goals that reflect your values, dreams, and long-term vision ensures that you don’t just exist, but that you live with purpose, passion, and intention.
Life or lifetime goals often take years, even decades, to achieve. Some may evolve or shift as your life changes, while others may remain constant. But in any case, they are tied to your deepest motivations: relationships, legacy, personal growth, health, creativity, or contribution to the world.
Life Goals Examples
- Building a loving family and raising children
- Reaching financial independence
- Making a positive impact in your community or career
- Traveling the world and experiencing different cultures
- Living a life of faith, service, or spiritual growth
- Starting and growing your own company
- Becoming the best version of yourself
If you read my article on goal setting, you may have noticed that the examples above are quite abstract for typical long term goals. And that's no coincidence. Life goals, long term goals, and short term goals are three different types of goals.
The Difference Between Long-Term And Life Goals
At first glance, life goals and long-term goals might seem like the same thing. Both focus on the future, both take time, and both require effort and planning. But there is a clear difference between them.
Life goals are the deepest, most meaningful aspirations you carry. They reflect your values, identity, and long-term purpose. They define the kind of person you want to become and the kind of life you want to live. They’re often emotional, spiritual, or philosophical in nature.
But most importantly, unlike long term goals, they do not have a fixed timeline or specific measurement. They guide your overall direction rather than give you a single finish line.
How to Define Your Own Life Goals
General recommendations for goal setting can be found here. However, for life goals, I would add two more recommendations:
1. Reflect on what truly matters to you. What do you care about most deeply? What brings you joy, meaning, or energy? Look at your values, not just your achievements.
2. Picture your life 10, 20, or 30 years from now. What kind of person do you want to be? What kind of life do you want to lead? What would make you proud?
How To Work With Life Goals
I have an article about how to achieve regular long term goals. Lifetime goals are more complicated because they're more about being than achieving, they reflect how you want to live, not just what you want to do. So it's not about achieving life goals, but about sticking to them and working towards them.
I suggest viewing life goals as a fire that needs to be fueled by achieving simpler long term and short term goals.
Since life goals may not have an end point, it is important to review them. What matters to you at 20 may not be the same at 40. Check in with yourself regularly and give yourself permission to pivot.
If you've created a visualization of such a goal using our Goalposters service, I recommend updating the poster periodically. This will help keep your vision clear.