I know setting goals can sometimes seem overwhelming or even unnecessary. The feeling you get from accomplishing those goals, however small, is fantastic. If you are not comfortable with setting long-term goals, or large-task goals, then start small. Begin with simple goals, such as 'Take better care of my plants', or 'Clean my car more often'. These are easily attainable goals, that can fill you with a sense of pride and accomplishment within a very short period of time. I enjoy setting goals, and each year I make myself a Goal List of things I will strive to achieve within the year. I am honest about the fact that I will not achieve ALL of the tasks on the list, but the more I get done, the better I feel!
I challenge my kids to decide on 1 goal they want to set for the year (such as learning to ride a bike, improving soccer skills, saving some money, learning new mountain bike trails, learning some new recipes or trying some new food). Of course, we all follow the SMART goal steps:
The goals must be
SPECIFIC (precise goals)
MEASURABLE (able to be tracked for progress)
ATTAINABLE (challenging, but possible)
REALISTIC (honest and achieveable goals)
TIME-BOUND (set deadlines)
These steps pertain more to longer-term, or larger scale goals, but can just as easily work for smaller tasks. For example, if your goal is to 'Clean my car more often', you can alter it to follow the SMART goal steps, and instead say 'By Dec.31, 2023, I will be in the habit of cleaning my car more often. I will do this by forming new habits such as emptying any garbage each time I exit my vehicle, not allowing clutter to build up, and by choosing a specific day each week to give my car a quick interior and exterior clean (vacuum, wipe down surfaces, empty any unnecessary items, wash/ wax etc.). This goal sets realistic steps to success that can be tracked and followed within a set timeframe.
I've included a copy of my 2023 Goals, to show how I like to break them down and organize them into more manageable groups. Please feel free to reach out if you'd like some help setting some goals of your own!
