Realistic Goal Setting for the New Year
As the new year approaches, so do new resolutions, goals, and dreams. And sometimes, along with those milestones we aim to achieve, come doubts and feeling overwhelmed about how we can do it. They might be unrealistic, or maybe the perfect challenge but still feel out of reach. And with those emotions, we tend to give up on them. A Forbes survey shows that a little less than 50% make a New Year’s Resolution which is great. But it also displayed data that suggested that the average goal lasts just 3.74 months before the resolution is ditched.
So many people have goals and set out to achieve their resolution at the beginning of the year, but somewhere through the process, their approach is lost on them. Good goals have a few characteristics that make them achievable. They must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-based, and flexible.
Specificity - A goal has to be specific, because if you don’t know exactly what you are trying to achieve, it makes it much more difficult to have a clear direction and actually follow through with the goal. For instance, if one were to want to exercise more, to just simply say that would not be specific enough. Instead, making it exercising for thirty minutes a day for six days a week would be a lot more clear and specific. It is also much simpler to understand where to start in order to achieve the goal.
Measurability - If a goal is quantifiable, it makes it easier to track progress. If people are not able to understand how close they are getting to achieving their goal, it makes it harder to continue persevering and people often lose motivation to proceed. It’s so important to make sure that the goal can be measured because it can help people stay persistent and know where to go from each mark. Measurability can also help because if a person is not meeting each point of progress, they know that they may need to shift their tactics and strategy to achieving the goal.
Achievability - There has to be a balance with the goal. If it doesn’t push you, it is not an ideal goal, but at the same time, if it challenges you too much, it can disrupt motivation to achieve it. Feeling overwhelmed is like stress; there is a point where it is healthy but that can quickly change into something that is just going to hurt you mentally and physically. So you need to decide what is possible for you to do and what isn’t. However, that does not mean that you make your goal ‘easier’ but think about the steps you might need to take to get there and whether you can consider doing it. This characteristic of a goal is all about finding balance and understanding your capabilities, but at the same time, driving yourself with passion and staying motivated to achieve something that may be difficult.
Relevance - As kids, a lot of us used to like to read. But when we are forced to read as part of school, that takes some of the fun out of it. We don’t feel as motivated to actually do it and ironically, it can push us further from it. Similarly, choosing a goal that doesn’t actually interest us or is something that we’re not actually passionate about can lead to us not wanting to continue with it. You are going to hit obstacles when you’re accomplishing something but if you’re not actually interested in it, then overcoming adversities can become harder because you feel less motivated to do it. If you’re passionate enough to want to continue with it even despite roadblocks you might face, then that makes it a good goal. Relevance is crucial because if you don’t feel motivated to pursue it, then chances are this New Year’s Resolution won’t last.
Time-Based - One of the most important things about goal-setting is having time involved with it, a deadline of some sort, or check-in dates to ensure you’re on the right track. Not having a time by which you have gotten somewhere is asking to lose focus and concentration. This is a sure-fire way to get demotivated and give up on a goal. Having a deadline keeps you motivated till the end because you want to get there and have a timeline to achieve this. Having a deadline creates momentum for the goal, and doesn’t just leave it up in the air to be achieved some day. This takes vague dreams and makes them attainable goals.
Flexibility - Finally, the last part to a good goal is flexibility. Your goals should be flexible. Life is not set in stone, things happen, but your goal should be able to take setbacks and have some room for you to change some things and maybe your routine. Life is unpredictable, and planning for that is the way to ensure that you don’t give up on your goal no matter what. If something that you didn’t expect happens, rather than completely abandoning your goal, being able to readjust is a tremendously important part of setting the ideal resolution.
By following these guidelines, you can achieve the goals you plan out for your New Year’s Resolution hopefully making 2025 the ideal year yet. It may be difficult at first but having a solid plan for all resolutions is the way to go and your goals can go a long way.
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