Keys to Setting Goals This Year
I was listening to an old playlist on my way to work this morning and one line in a song caught my attention. “Everyone falls down sometimes but you just gotta know it’ll all be fine, it’s OK”, is from Sunday Best by Surfaces.
It’s a catchy little ditty and has a nice uplifting message, but that line sticks out.
I think it’s because when I sing along to that song, I feel like I have permission to fail because as the line goes “it will all be fine, it’s OK”. And sometimes we need to know that it’s OK to make mistakes.
Like many people, I made some New Year resolutions. And like many people, mine are kind of vague (lose weight, eat healthier, etc.).
Research suggests that only 9% of Americans who make resolutions keep them. In fact, 23% of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week and 43% quit by the end of January.
We all want to do better. We all want to feel better, eat better, be better. But it’s going to take some ups and downs to get there, which is OK. No journey is ever a simple, straight line.
So how do you overcome the statistics and achieve your resolutions? Here’s what has helped me:
· Have a plan. You can’t get to where you’re going if you don’t know how to get there. Changing habits is difficult but can be done when you’re intentional and consistent. Write down your end goal, then reverse engineer it to understand all the steps needed to reach it.
· Start small. Make sure your goals are reachable and sustainable. We all have high ambitions, but most people fail when their goal is unrealistic. Thinking you’ll just eat salads and go to the gym every day may not be sustainable in the long run. But having a daily caloric and exercise goal may work better.
· Share your plans with a friend or spouse. Accountability is key to setting goals. It can be hard sharing your goals with someone else because it can make you feel vulnerable. But having that support system and being able to share feedback with each other can help accelerate your performance and give you the confidence to keep going.
· Track your progress. This allows you to see how far you’ve come and how close you are to reaching your goal. It can also be a great motivator to keep going. It can also help identify any roadblocks along the way and allow you to make any needed adjustments.
· Celebrate the small wins. If your end goal seems too far away, you may lose motivation or even give up because it’s so out of reach. By celebrating smaller milestones, you get a sense of accomplishment and pride. This can help keep you going as you keep achieving each step to reach your goals.
Remember reaching your goal is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. So if you have a day where you feel like you can’t do anything or you just need to take a little break — it’s OK. Success isn’t being perfect every day. It’s doing your best, whatever that looks like to you.
What helps keep you motivated to reach your goals? Share in the comments below!
