The difference between end goals and means goals
Fetch Virtual speaker Sarah Wooten, DVM, CVJ, explains how to distinguish end goals from means goals and why knowing the difference can promote a healthier and happier life.
People often confuse means goals with end goals, but they’re quite different. During a recent interview with dvm360, Fetch Virtual speaker Sarah Wooten, DVM, CVJ, defines the 2 types of goals, plus explains why being able to distinguish them can help veterinary professionals live healthier and happier lives.
End goals
End goals are the things you desire to experience in your lifetime—they’re the exciting rewards of being a human and aren’t undertaken for gaining money or status, says Wooten.
“They just bring you joy,” she says. “They are about experiencing love, being at peace, and truly happy.”
Means goals
Means goals are the things that you do to accomplish your end goals (eg, getting into veterinary school, building a practice, financial success, having children). Society can make you feel like once you’ve achieved means goals, you should be happy, but that’s not always the case. You can have the status, the house, and finances and still be miserable if you neglect your end goals, Wooten explains.
Watch the video below for more insight on goal setting.
