Don’t Wait for January… Set Goals Now!
How are your 2021 New Year’s resolutions coming along?
Considering that 80 percent of resolutions fail within weeks, I’m guessing they’re not doing great. What about your 2022 resolutions? Are you thinking ahead?
To me, September has always seemed like a crisp, fresh start—even more so than January 1st. The changing seasons help me feel intentional and motivated when reevaluating what I want to achieve in the remaining months of the current year and beyond into the new one.
Why do so many resolutions fail? Because real change takes work and dedication. It’s easy to get wrapped up in our daily lives and forget about goals. However, goal achievement leads to growth.
Here are a few reminders to help you get started… or restarted!
1. Your goals don’t have to be yearly (it’s better if they’re not!).
Goals are often laid out with the mindset of “by this time next year, I want to…” Not all goals need to be annual—nor should they be—but they do need to be something you can achieve within a specific time frame (in fact, time-bound is one criteria of SMART goals). And it’s important to have a variety of goals, including short-term, long-term, and lifetime goals.
By having an assortment of goals, you’ll find more opportunities for “wins” along the way. Setting goals of different types has numerous other benefits, including:
Increased productivity
Boosted self confidence
A more balanced life
Character building
Gaining momentum
Personal satisfaction
2. Small habits achieve big goals.
Big goals are often overwhelming and, if not met, can lead to disappointment. Don’t hesitate to set an ambitious goal but break it into smaller, more achievable tasks through good habits.
However, establishing new habits is rarely easy. In fact, a study by the University of London shows that it takes an average of 66 days to fully establish a new habit. Knowing this ahead of time can help you keep from becoming discouraged.
And that’s important because good results come from good habits.
Remember that making a change can feel daunting. The book Atomic Habits by James Clear includes a comprehensive guide on how to change your habits and improve a new habit each day. By scaling our large goals into small, attainable amounts, we can create powerful results. Visit our blog for eight strategies to establish better habits.
3. Create accountability.
Creating accountability will help you prioritize your goals, make them more enjoyable to attain, and will increase the likelihood that you’ll complete them.
One way to create accountability is to get an accountability partner. This can be a family member, spouse/partner, colleague, or friend. It can be as simple as committing to a weekly follow-up text or as thorough as connecting regularly in person. Share what you’re doing and why and ask for their help with staying on track. And tell them you’re open to tough feedback if need be. You can also offer to be their accountability partner for their own goals; it’s even more fun when both of you are working toward something meaningful together.
4. Celebrate wins (big or small!)
As humans, we tend to notice our mistakes before we acknowledge our successes. But taking time to celebrate each success you have, no matter how small, is an important part of keeping yourself accountable. Celebrating helps you stay focused and builds confidence.
Just as you should write down your goals, you should also write down your daily or weekly triumphs. By doing so, it activates the reward circuitry of our brains, which releases the neurotransmitter dopamine. This chemical release energizes us to feel a sense of happiness, achievement, pride, and awareness of our progress.