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Goals and outcomes go together like peanut butter and jelly. Popcorn and butter. Mustard and mayonnaise.

One without the other just doesn’t quite work. And might leave you feeling out of sorts like you’re spinning your wheels—not clear if you’re making any actual progress in your career.

A goal on its own is isolated and can lose direction easily. But pair it with an outcome, and suddenly you have motivation, inspiration, and drive.

An outcome on its own putters along, every once in awhile sputtering along in fits and starts. But give it a goal, and now it has gas in the tank.

Understanding the difference between the two—and learning how to link them—is the key to building a career that has momentum and resonance.

The Key Distinction

A goal is concrete and measurable. It’s the equivalent of plugging an address into Google Maps—step by step, turn by turn, until you arrive.

An outcome in the Moonshot universe, on the other hand, is about how you want to feel once you arrive. It’s not the GPS directions to Venice Beach—it’s the desire to spend the day in the sun, relaxed and carefree.

Here’s the difference in practice:

* Goal = get promoted → Outcome = feel valued.

* Goal = find a new job → Outcome = feel financially secure.

* Goal = pivot careers → Outcome = feel happy.

* Goal = expand your network → Outcome = feel connected and supported.

* Goal = complete a certification → Outcome = feel capable and prepared for a career pivot or advancement.

Now here’s a rub: You can get promoted and never feel valued. You can land the job and still feel insecure. You can pivot careers and be unhappy.

That’s why it’s important to make sure your outcome and your goals are aligned with each other. After all, when peanut butter gets with jelly, it’s not just lunch—it’s a love story.

Goals and Outcomes That Work Together, Stay Together

I once spent invested a lot of money on a shaman when I was at a crossroads. After waiting patiently in line at a Viceroy Hotel conference room in Santa Monica, I had my chance for wisdom. The shaman told me, “Don’t go to New York expecting it to be San Francisco.”

At the time, I was outraged by what I considered his flippant advice. And that it cost me a few thousand dollars. But eventually I got what he meant, and it’s helped me find peace and harmony in so many aspects of my life.

If you seek a promotion to feel valued, you’re in the wrong city. A promotion can earn you more money, gain you more visibility, increase your responsibilities. But your value cannot be outsourced. It has to come from within.

If you’re looking to pivot careers to feel happy, you’re in the wrong city. Pivoting careers can bring you fulfillment as an expression of your life purpose, but outsourcing your happiness is a recipe for disappointment.

On the other hand, if you’re completing a certification to feel capable and prepared, you’re in the right city. Yay! Finally! Why? Because you’re not asking the certification to do something it can’t. Certifications are designed to teach and then show you that you do have the knowledge. That knowledge is what gives you confidence.

The key here is to craft outcomes that are within your control. Any outcome that relies on other people will eventually frustrate you. You can’t make your boss respect you. You can’t make your company promote you. But you can set an outcome like: “I want to stay calm and assertive in difficult conversations.” That’s yours to own.

Crafting Outcomes That Actually Work

Here are a few more tips to help you craft outcomes that will set you up for success.

Positive framing. Focus on what you do want, not what you don’t. Saying “I don’t want to feel invisible at work” keeps you stuck in invisibility. Reframe it: “I want to feel recognized for my contributions.” That small shift gives you a direction to move toward.

Specific and sensory. How will you know when you’ve arrived at your outcome? Anchor it in what you’ll see, hear, and feel. For example, if your outcome is “I want to feel confident in my role,” the markers might be making eye contact in meetings, speaking clearly without rushing, and feeling grounded instead of anxious.

Values-driven. The best outcomes are rooted in what truly matters to you. If connection is a core value, then “expanding your network” isn’t just about LinkedIn requests—it’s about feeling supported and part of a community. When outcomes are tied to values, they carry staying power even when goals take longer than expected.

When outcomes are positive, values-driven, and specific, they stop being lofty wishes and start becoming motivating guides.

Giving Your Outcomes Gas in the Tank

Once your outcome is well-formed, it’s time to put it into motion by turning it into goals—the step-by-step actions that bring it to life.

Take this example: Outcome = “I want to feel confident at work.”

* Goal 1: Speak up once in every meeting.

* Goal 2: Take a presentation skills workshop.

* Goal 3: Track weekly wins to build momentum.

Here’s another example: Outcome = “I want to feel financially secure.”

* Goal 1: Build a six-month emergency savings fund.

* Goal 2: Track monthly income and expenses.

* Goal 3: Apply for three higher-paying roles by year’s end.

The outcome is the flavor. The goals are the bread that holds it together. On their own, they don’t satisfy. But when you stack them together, you don’t just get progress—you get a career that actually tastes like fulfillment.

Bottom Line

Goals without outcomes can feel empty. Outcomes without goals remain wishes.

When you align the two, you don’t just achieve milestones—you create a career that feels purposeful, secure, connected, and satisfying.

Related Content

* Why Do We Make Desperate Choices?

* How People Pleasing Screws Up Achieving Your Goals

* What Are The Seven Big Mistakes Of Goal Setting?

Perks for Paid Subscribers

Moonshot Mentor paid subscribers get weekly journal prompts to spark personal and professional growth, guided meditations to help them center, reflect, and reset, plus exclusive career development and career grief workshops that build clarity, resilience, and momentum.

Journal Prompts

Here are 4 journal prompts for paid Moonshot Mentor subscribers. Use these to clarify the outcomes that matter most to you and ensure your goals actually align.

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