How do goals contribute to self-motivation?

There is some confusion about the meaning of goals and objectives, and the terms might be used to mean different things.
However it is useful to think of goals and objectives as follows.

• Goals are the aims to achieve, expressed in narrative terms. They are broad intentions. For example, an entity might have the goal of maximizing the wealth of his shareholders, or the goal of being the world's leading business entity in one or more markets.                                                                                                                                                                                               
• Objectives are derived from the goals of an entity, and are aims expressed in a form that can be measured. and there should be a specific time by which the objectives should be achieved.

So now the question is How do goals contribute to self-motivation?

Goals contribute to self-motivation because they provide a justification to actions in the context of delivering a personal benefit associated with achieving the goal.

They help do this by:

• Focusing effort in a consistent direction.
• Improving an individual's chances of success.
• Improving both motivation and satisfaction.

Goals help to clarify the gap between where we are now, and the target we need to achieve. The knowledge allows us to understand what is then required to achieve the goal. Anecdotally, simply understanding the scale of the journey from now to achieving the goal provides a sense in comfort that the problem is understood and can be tackled.

They are two orientation of goals:

• A learning orientation means that the individual focuses on acquiring new skills and mastering new situations.
• A proof orientation focuses individuals on demonstrating and validating the adequacy of competence by seeking favourable judgments of competence.

In both scenarios the individual gains a sense of well being and   happiness from either learning something or proving a competence. This serves as a motivator as the individual naturally aspires to want to enjoy that feeling.

An even wider application of goals and self-motivation can be achieved when personal goals are integrated with career goals. These may include social and family, hobbies and interest, physical and mental health as well as career and financial goals. For example, an employee who likes adventure, variety and travel would better suit a job with opportunities like extensively travel compared to another employee who needs to maximize time with their family and new-born babies.

When work and personal goals are aligned they both much more likely to motivate and succeed.