If you start off a new year with high ambitions to attain a list of goals but ultimately fall short — sometimes woefully short — at the end of the year, you aren’t alone. Many people have a hard time with New Year’s resolutions and goal-setting. One of the problems that people face is they simply don’t know how to set goals properly. Instead of playing catch-up from the beginning, get ahead of the game and begin on the right foot with your 2022 aspirations.
Determine What is Important to You
First, you need to look at your life and decide what improvements would mean the most to you now. It may be centered on your health, your relationships, your career, or even your hobbies. Choosing a meaningful goal will help you to stay focused and motivated.
Be Specific
This is one that people struggle with. The problem can be that people often overthink their goals or try to be either too complex or too general and vague. For example, someone may decide to set a goal to become fit. That is a worthy desire, but what does it really mean? How will he or she measure “being fit?” Furthermore, a better approach would be to set a goal to eat vegetables with every meal or go to the gym five days a week. Ask yourself the how, where, when, and why of your goals.
Make Them Measurable
You need to know exactly what it will look like to achieve your goal. For instance, what benchmarks will you put in place to ensure you are on the right track. You need to know how to make course corrections and redefine your goals. Put measurements in place so you can know whether you are successful.
Attainable and Realistic
Overzealous people sometimes go overboard and aim too high. While you should stretch yourself with your goals, you don’t want to set yourself up for failure from the outset. Making a goal to double your salary at work within a week or lose 50 pounds this month is probably outside the realm of possibility. Make sure your goals will push you to put forth a concerted, consistent effort. However, they need to be within reach.
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Timely
To set effective goals, you need to choose something within a specific time frame. Don’t say that you want to stop smoking. Instead, say that you want to stop by March 31 or whichever date you believe makes the most sense.
Setting the right goals is the first step to ultimately achieving them. If you choose effective goals and know the right steps to attaining them, you are more likely to succeed. Follow these guidelines to give you the confidence you need.
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