An ultimate goal is a high level goal. Once we decide what it is, we can use it to guide our decision making–what we say “yes” to and what we say “no” or “not now” to.
An Ultimate Goal has three parts:
1. The Problem or Issue we are looking to change
2. The Skills or Position we bring to the table
3. Our Personal WHY
Here’s an example from my own work:
1. ISSUE: The Systemic Racial and Gender Income Gap causes a lot of problems
2. POSITION: I have expertise in Creativity, Technology, Co-design, and Economic Development
3. *PERSONAL WHY: I watched my mother navigate a life built on childhood poverty + abuse. On the one hand, she rose up and there was a lot of creativity and generosity and fun in the home she created for us. On the other hand there was a lot of fear, anger, struggle, and raw pain.
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A note on our *PERSONAL WHY. This can be a great motivator. But it can also cause harm if we let it. The trick, I think, is to be aware of our WHY, to know that it travels with us everywhere we go, to not let it get in the driver’s seat, and to forgive ourselves when it occasionally finds it’s way through (see “Sometimes We Stumble“). But that’s mindfulness talk–maybe a future post.
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Understanding and harnessing our ultimate goal, comprising the problem we aim to address, the skills we bring, and our personal WHY, positions us to navigate decisions with purpose, compassion and, effectiveness. Let’s do it!
TUNING Design Co. 