5 Simple Ways to Set And Achieve Goals in 2018
Can you guys believe this is the second to last self-improvement post for 2017! I am someone who used to come up with 20 new things to achieve in the new year, do 2 in the first week of the new year and leave the rest of goals to rot. Until, one of my friends at my previous workplace told me about picking out two new words for the new year for yourself and ever since then I have looked into goal setting and achieving, and tried and tested a number of methods with regards to that. I have narrowed it down to the 5 easiest and best ways possible in this list for you! I hope you find them as useful as I did.
1. Pick a theme or word for 2018 Instead of setting a list of goals for a year, focus on a theme or a word that you want to achieve a year from now. Ask yourself what is that you want? Happiness, growth, a healthy lifestyle? Then look at how you can go about incorporating this in your day to day life. This way, you can narrow your focus towards your self-growth and work on whatever you deem more necessary and fulfilling rather than blindly setting goals that you might not feel as emotionally attached towards or find valuable.
For example, your word can be "action" for the upcoming year, and constructing your goals around this word would look like this:
· Run a 5K
· Voice opinions during meetings
· Take "course name" to upgrade "name of skill set"
My theme for 2018 is conscious living, and my aim is to be more mindful of how my actions affect me and those around me. I have 12 elements of my life that I aim to be more mindful of, and I have chosen to go with one element for each month (Example: money and falling prey to consumer culture, blind use of social media and water wastage).
2. Focus on WHY
Each time you set a goal, understand why you are setting this goal and what you aim to achieve from it. Instead of setting a goal to run a 5K, focus on why you want to run this 5K. This will make you feel more accountable and responsible for your goals, consequently making you more likely to fulfil those goals. Do not rely on willpower, to say, lose weight. Focus on why you want to lose the weight. I am choosing conscious living for 2018 because while I think a lot, to the point that I overanalyse, the consequences of major actions, I pay no heed to my small day to day actions. I think it's about time that I do and I believe there is value in observing the consequences of these "smaller" actions as well.
3. Time your goals
If you have 10 goals for 2018, don't leave them as 10 goals for 2018. Break them into smaller goals for each month or each quarter of the year. We all know that starting something new is incredibly difficult, but it's also the most important step. So ease yourself into your goal to make it more sustainable!
Example:
Lose 5kgs in 2018.
What you could do instead:
January - Join gym
February - Drink lesser sodas
March - Incorporate more greens
etc.
4. Honouring accomplishments and failures
We are all simple beings. We all want validation and rewards. Each time you achieve a goal, take the time to honour your success and to congratulate yourself on it. Go out for a little treat for yourself. Boost the "reward system" zone in your brain so that you can keep achieving your goals! Each time you fail on a goal, take the time to note what went wrong and look into the possibility of revisiting it. It's completely fine to not succeed, so exercise compassion towards yourself. You can't win all the time!
5. Seek inspiration
Place yourself around people, books, Pinterest boards and other mediums that will inspire you towards achieving your goals, that remind you of your "WHY", and make you feel responsible in achieving your goals. Consistency is key in making something sustainable, so look into keeping that feeling of awe and inspiration constant.
The key thing to remember is set your goals, but be flexible about them! Be it in the methods of achieving them, or the physical goal in itself. For example, if you realise in June that you are never going to get around a 5K, do a 2K instead. Be compassionate towards yourself (Key being compassionate! Not lenient!)
And those are the 5 simple ways you can look into setting and achieving goals for 2018. I hope you find them useful and wish you all the best in achieving your goals! Got any other tried and tested methods? Let me know in the comments section below!
