Over mid January, you’re probably working on the goals that you set yourself for the new year. How is it going? Here are a few questions that might be useful to ask along the way to figure out if the goal you set is the right one for you.

The entire purpose of setting a goal is to improve your life. This is why it is good to check in with yourself along the way and think through the process:

– Is pursuing this goal making your life better or worse? If it’s making it worse, you need to take stock and decide whether the trade-off is worth it. If it’s not, the goal isn’t right and it is time to change or adjust it.

In order to achieve a goal, you may have to sacrifice happiness in the present to gain happiness in the future. The present sacrifice ought to come with some amount of satisfaction, and the future happiness ought to make it all worthwhile. But will it?

– Will the thing you’re aiming for really make you happier? Is seeking that goal, and the associated sacrifices (time, money, hunger, opportunities to do other things, etc.), justified by the satisfaction you get from knowing you’re moving towards something truly worthwhile?

Think it through and adjust your goals accordingly or change them completely. There is no shame in re-evaluating the process. At the end of the day your goal is supposed to be for you and you have to make it work for your life.

This article is based on the BTN Academy newsletter.