The New Year is here and many people think about making resolutions/New Year goals. I’m not a massive fan of making January any harder, as it’s such a difficult month including the allegedly most depressing day of the year (the third Monday apparently). However, it is good to have goals for the year. If you want to set goals here are 6 tips to make achieving them more likely.
1. Ensure the goals are what you want, not what you feel you should want
All too often our goals are linked to societal expectations such as be thinner, cook more healthily etc. Take time to think about what you would actually like rather than just trying to live up to other people’s/society expectations. What do you actually want?
2. Pick realistic achievable goals
I’m not saying don’t dream. I’m saying be real. Yes you may have the ability to train to run a marathon, but does that goal fit in with your current life and your current priorities. Also, goals making big changes all at once are less likely to be successful. What are you prepared to sacrifice in your current life to achieve that goal. For example, if it’s a big time commitment, where will you get that time? Will it mean giving up something that you already love? If so, then do you really want to do that? Will your goal place an extra burden on you and actually be potentially damaging in the long run?
3. Reframe your goal into positive language
Think about the language you use around your goal. Use positive language of what you want, not what you don’t want. For example, instead of saying I want to stop being late for things, say, I want to be better at time management. Or, instead of I want to be thinner, say I want to feel happier about my body. By reframing and using positive language, you might get a different idea of how you will work towards your goal.
4. Break down goals into smaller steps
By breaking down your goal into smaller steps, it makes it seem a) more achievable and b) gives you a smaller measure of success. You can actually see the progress you’re making and not become disheartened.
5. Plan how you are going to achieve your goals
The more detail you plan something in the more likely it is to happen. So take time to plan – what, where, when, how, what do I need? Also consider what will be the likely barriers to it happening and how can you overcome those?
6. Ensure your goals are flexible and adaptable
Finally, the best goals are the flexible ones. There is no failure, only feedback. A goal may need to change because life circumstances change, or you decide actually it’s not that important to you.
Whatever your do, remember that, even without achieving the goal, you are amazing already. Maybe one of your goals should be learning to recognise that.