If you are working towards the achievement of a goal it is important to know how that goal fits in with your values. To know this, you will need to listen to your intuition, but there are some times when you will plough ahead without thinking carefully about what you really want. That is where an internal values check can help, because you don’t want to waste your time and money going after something that isn’t going to best suit your needs.

Before you embark on any significant change, run it past your values. Ask yourself:

What might be the upside consequences of my actions? What might be the downside consequences of my actions? What extra will I have do to achieve my goal? How much will it cost in terms of time and resources? Is it worth the price? What do I like about my current situation? How can I keep the aspects of my life that I like while I make the change?

Your friends and family also can impact your success because if what you want to achieve doesn’t fit well with them you will be criticized and might not achieve your best. In the worst case you could even lose a friend or lose contact with a family member if they strongly disagree with your choices, and that might not be what you had intended. On the other hand, if you really want something you won’t care what your friends and family think, but you can at least brace yourself for some conflict.

Make sure you consider how any changes will affect your loved ones. Ask yourself:

How will this change affect my loved ones? Does it go against any of their values? How will they react?

Once you have considered what a goal will cost you in terms of time, resources and relationships, you can make a better judgement for whether you really want your life to change. If you still want the change then you can go for the goal with the security of knowing that it is what you want.

If you want to achieve more success and happiness in your life, visit Petra’s site for her book Fast Track Your Success and Happiness.