5 Tips for Setting Goals
The year is almost halfway over. Do you have goals you would still like to achieve? If you still have a personal changes or improvements it’s never too late to start. Take these tips and start. The journey may seem long, but with each accomplishment you will build confidence in your abilities and feel more motivated to move onto the next step to achieving your goal.
Start with a specific “Big Picture” goal.
Ask yourself a few questions:
- What do you ultimately want for your career? Do you want to settle down somewhere? Where?
- What kind of social life do you want to end up with? Spouse? Children? How many?
- In 10 years, where do you want to be and what do you want to be doing?
- In 20 years, where do you want to be and what do you want to be doing?
- These are great starters; however, they will not be enough. Based on your personality type, this may the very thing you think about all of the time. However, you may be more like the kind of person who is concerned about the here and now. Wherever your brain tends to wander, start here so that you can slide easily into the next few techniques.
Research and write down the smaller, realistic steps
Let’s say that you made a goal to be out of debt in 10 years. Yes, you may want to be out of debt now, but unless your debt is very small, that may not be realistic. Go and talk to a financial advisor. Call a friend who has been through it and pick their brain a little. Understand the process and then write down each step that you need to take. If these steps are not time-sensitive, then prioritize them according to how you feel works best for you. Keep in mind, however, that choosing to tackle the hardest or longest step may cause you to give up too quickly. More people find success when they start small and then move their way up. Each checked off step builds confidence and momentum that you need to move on to the next phase.
Create a timeline
Use the information from above to decide when you feel you can realistically attain these goals. Let’s say that you decided one of your goals is that in 5 years you want to have run a marathon. This is a common goals to have, but you may not be able to work toward them without taking the smaller steps and attaching them to deadlines or time frames that are closer. For example, you may start with a personal trainer for a few months, or take a running class from a local college. Or, if you are not such a beginner, you will just start right out with goals to run 10 miles, then 15 and so on. This timeline will also help you to get a more concise, detailed view of your future.
Keep a daily journal or notes to track your success
Again, this is a confidence builder. Confidence is necessary for your success. Additionally, this method will help you to evaluate your performance. Perhaps you will notice a pattern that your goal to eat healthier is not something you are thinking about on the weekends. Or, you may feel like some step you thought was necessary is actually a time-waster. These processes may seem small, but they are the best way to maintain your trajectory.
Review, revise, and repeat.
Take what you wrote down and any other observations, feedback or experiences you’ve had and review them with your outlined goals. Have you been able to stay on task? What could you do better? What isn’t working? This constant comparing of your actions to your desired goals will keep you on task, provide insight and help you to let go of the behaviors that are hindering your progression.
What if you still feel overwhelmed?
Lifeline Connections is committed to long-term mental wellness for our patients. We offer an integrated, holistic approach that includes therapy and case management. Our doctors specialize in the treatment of co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, working to solve ones that have a compounding effect. Contact us and reclaim your life.
Contact a doctor for a referral or find a therapist. They can work to design a custom plan for wellness. Secure treatment is over the phone or computer with telehealth, providing coping skills for grief, loss, depression and anxiety. They will work with you one-on-one to get you feeling better.
