Goal Setting 101

Happy New Year, friends! I don’t know about all of you but I LOVE the new year, it’s one of my favorite times of year. For me, it’s a time to reflect on the previous year and everything I overcame, accomplished, and learned and a time to dream, plan, and set goals for the coming year. I find it’s a time of year that has an influx of energy and motivation for myself and others - whether it's for health related pursuits or other pursuits.

Now, New Year's Resolutions can sometimes get a bad reputation - some people will argue that most new years resolutions fail, but that just isn’t true! Lucky for all of you, I am quite the behavior change nerd and am here to tell you how to finally help those new year goals stick & survive past January.

#1 Set behavior based goals, not outcome based goals.

This process will always start with an outcome based goal, but particularly if your goals are big and scary, there should be a second step of figuring out what actions need to take place for you to reach that goal. 

As an example:

An outcome based goal might be to step out of your comfort zone more by completing your first Spartan race. But in order to accomplish that, you might set the goal of a) signing up for and following a specific Spartan racing plan and b) doing 1 outdoor run or hike each week. These are behavior based goals because they are something that you can check off daily or weekly that will help you make progress towards your big goal!

Behavior based goals are important because they help us feel like we’re making progress when an outcome based goal may feel too overwhelming or too far away. Motivation is fed by daily/weekly actions so focusing on the tasks you need each week to accomplish your big goal will keep you feeling motivated and like you’re making progress.

#2 Try not to bite off more than you can chew: let’s be realistic.

This has three parts. Part A - focus on 2-3 big goals for the year and go all in on those. Trying to accomplish more than that will only feel overwhelming and distract your attention and you’re likely to make little significant progress on any of them if there are too many. 

Part B - be realistic about what you can actually do based on where you are currently. If you aren’t exercising at all, aim for 2-3 times per week. If you work full time and have 3 kids under the age of 5, committing to 2 hour workouts everyday is likely not going to be possible. Be realistic with your time – you’re only one person with a limited amount of hours and resources in a day. Focus on what you CAN do.

Part C - leave room for life to happen. Your plan/goal should have flexibility built in. If your plan is so rigid that one illness, bad day, or overbooked schedule derails the whole plan - your plan might be too rigid. Working out 7 days per week, or cooking every single meal at home from scratch is not feasible for most people, but working out 3-4 days per week and cooking 75% of your meals from home might be!

#3 Have a strong “why".”

Your goals should be personal and specific to things you’d actually like to work on. Make sure your goals are yours and not anyone else's. Let go of the word “should.” If you set a goal just because it’s what everyone else is doing, or what you think you should be doing, you will have a much harder time sticking to it when things get hard. Having a strong purpose behind behavior change can help you make the choice aligned with your goals in tough moments or when motivation is low.

Examples of great why’s:

“I want to feel stronger so I can still pick up and run around with my young grandkids.”

“I want to be able to go on a dream hiking trip with my partner and be able to keep up.”

“I want to be stronger to help take care of my aging parents”

#4 Tell people about your goals!

Tell your partner, tell your friends, tell your mom! Accountability and support is key and having the people you love cheering for you makes your success so much more likely. 

So welcome to the new year - a fresh start and a chance to reflect and set goals for the upcoming year. Want to chat about your goals? Send me an email!