Three Ways Setting Goals Can Lead to Success
Mountain climbers to represent setting goals for yourself and achieving success at the summit.
As the holidays approach, staying motivated can be difficult during this time, but achieving your goals can be as seamless as setting them. Although everyone experiences this season differently, we can all agree the stress and pressure we can put on ourselves often overshadows the joy we wish to embrace. This time of year it almost seems inevitable that we are faced with that word we all love to hate – resolutions.
Resolutions aren’t a bad thing.
But if you’re anything like me, in full transparency, resolutions tend to fizzle out really quick because – let’s face it – life gets in the way. Enter the cycle of guilt and self-loathing because, once again, we failed to keep our resolution. Implementing unique strategies and mindsets that work your lifestyle can make achieving your goals more effortless than ever before. Find out how you can orient your goals around YOU in ways that support your wellness.
Enter goals!
Why are goals better than resolutions? Hear me out! I’ve had numerous clients share with me through the years that goals have a more fluid nature than resolutions, which seem more absolute. I agree! Goals can be either short or long term, daily goals, weekly goals, or whatever you choose that works for your needs. I believe goals can be flexible as well, consistently bending and flowing without ever breaking. Life changes, so goals can change.
Three Ways Goals Can Lead to Success
Goals can be flexible. Unlike resolutions, which tend to imply it has to be all or nothing, goals can change with the ebb and flow of life. Perhaps your goal is walking 10,000 steps per day and you’re finding it’s just not possible. Simply adjust! No need to throw in the towel and forget walking altogether. Try for 5000 or 7000 steps daily, especially if your goal is to be less sedentary. Goals allow us the flexibility to adjust as necessary without doing away with it entirely.
Goals can help with accountability. I write down my goals every week. Some are daily, some are weekly, and some are longer term. Why write them down? Because the consistent visual in my brain helps keep me going. Discipline is so much stronger than motivation, and there’s something about writing down your goals that can help with discipline and accountability. I’ve found that discipline helps me keep going even on days when motivation is at zero.
Goals can help reduce overall stress. Yes, I said it – goals can help reduce stress. I’ve seen this time and time again in my practice, as well as with my students when I’m teaching. Having a goal in mind, writing it down, and perhaps even circling a date on the calendar, again, keeps it at the forefront of your brain so you’re aware of what you need to do. It may also help to figure out which goals are non-negotiable (like submitting something for a deadline) and which ones allow more flexibility. This is another reason I’m still a huge fan of the paper planner – writing things down on paper, in pencil, really activates the connection in my central nervous system that in turn fosters discipline to get things done.
Are you looking ahead to the New Year with dread thinking about resolutions? Goals may be a better option! My therapeutic style is very collaborative and goal-oriented, so if you’d like more help figuring out where to begin, reach out today! I’d love to help. Look forward to new resolutions, and the joy of feeling accomplished year after year.
Join my colleague, Claudine Annis, and I as we are hosting a morning brunch workshop on Saturday, December 3 at Grapevine Birthing Center. The workshop is titled “Hope and Help for the Holidays” and provides space for like-minded women to come together to learn tips and tools to support emotional and physical wellness throughout the holiday season. See this link for registration information:
https://events.eventzilla.net/e/hope--help-for-the-holidays-2138574320
Registration includes brunch, coffee and juice bar, and all workshop materials including take home goodies!