Targeting at specific goals can be the wrong thing to do when you’re aiming at personal development. You could risk ignoring or even preventing unexpected positive opportunities to happen. If you’re too focused on pursuing a goal you might force certain behaviors just for the sake of the goal not to develop your capabilities. We should focus, instead, on developing our skills and making us flexible and open to new opportunities even if they were not initially planned. Not only do I feel I am falling into this trap but I also think I am in a boring routing of filling in an empty space just to check the box for the day. “Have you written today?” is my reminder asking me every day. Yes, I did, also today, but:

• Have I learned something new?
• Have I reflected on what happened to me today?
• Did I make any progress towards long-term goals?
• Did I develop my potential instead of checking boxes?
• Did I increase any of my skills?
• Did I dedicate quality time to family and loved ones?
• Did I develop my network of friends, colleagues and acquaintances?
• Did I save resources for a difficult time?
• Did I do any maintenance of my systems?

We should change our personal development systems from pursuing goals to more reflective behaviors about developing our potential.