The start of a new year brings with it excitement, anticipation and maybe some trepidation. It also brings a wave of goal setting advice. It might all seem a bit overwhelming and to be honest deflating when we consider the motivation, persistence and hope required for us to accomplish our goals.
Some context for you- Goals are mental targets that guide human behaviour, and hope is a very enabling strength to optimise in goal setting. Hope Theory has three components; the goal setting itself, the pathways required to achieve them and the motivation to do so. High hope corresponds with academic achievement, performance, physical and psychological wellbeing and enhanced interpersonal relationships.
There are also a range of goals, and self-concordant goals are those which are intrinsically aligned with who we are and what we truly want to achieve. Self-Concordant Motivation emanates from our values and interests, and has an influence on our ability to sustain our goals and commitments. So I am sharing some thoughts with you that may enhance your hopes and dreams and enable you to bring them to reality.
1. The absolute key to goal setting is taking the time to decide what you really want? What inspires you? How important is this to you? Spend some time thinking about what you want, and why you want it. Perhaps brainstorm and then refine your list to one or two things that will enable you to achieve what you really want. Simple as this may seem, it isn’t because if it were really simple you would have done it by now!
2. Be realistic and choose only 1 or 2 goals. Make them very specific and then ask. Is my goal possible to achieve?
3. What behaviours do I need to embed to achieve my goals? What do I have to do? What will be visible to others?
4. How will I evaluate my progress?
5. What is my timeline? Is it doable? Remember it takes at least 90 days to embed a new habit.
6. Who is the “other” who can enable me to achieve this? For example, if I want to go to the gym 3 times a week, who could I go with? How can I sustain my commitment to this goal?
Remember when setting goals be as kind and compassionate with yourself as you would be with someone else. If your goal has emanated from your values and interests, it will be easier to achieve.
Goal setting isn’t a new year thing, it’s a whole life thing. We set goals, plan pathways to achieve them, evaluate and then set new goals in an ongoing cycle throughout life. Goal setting is a component of wellbeing, try and try again isn't always the best mantra for wellbeing. Try it, try again and if it doesn’t work, try a new strategy....