Why should you set goals? Goals hold you accountable to achieve something. You can look at goals as dreams made attainable because you set parameters around them. For example Instead of saying, “I want to hike more”, set a goal of hiking 10 new trails in three months. Or instead of thinking “I want to lose weight”, think “I want to be able to run 5 miles under a set time”, and train to do that. When we set a goal we have an end point, something to strive towards, a reason to continue on our journey.

Goals may have a set start and end but its what you learn between the two points that can really enact change. I recently set a goal for myself. To hike 30 named peaks before my 31st birthday. Im more than halfway there. While I certainly plan on making it to 30 before February, just working towards achieving this goal has brought me to places I may not have visited otherwise. So far I have experienced my first winter ascent in the Eastern Sierra and picked my way up my first snow covered coulier.  I have hiked the most I ever have in one day, I have hiked the tallest mountain in Nevada, and hiked my first 14’er. I made my way up one the most dangerous hikes in the county, and I have seen the sunrise at 13000 feet. Because I set a goal of hiking 30 peaks I had no choice but to explore new mountains and areas I had never been to before.

Which gets me to why you should set goals. Yes goals typically have an endpoint. But setting a goal leads you on a journey. You may learn something new about yourself or the world along your way. On your journey you may gain more confidence,  or you may get stronger, faster and smarter.

So, set a goal – even if it’s a little one. Work towards your goal and be conscious of the things you learn along the way.