Plan Creatively

Three Tips for Setting Goals

by Sara Madera

At the beginning of the year many of us think about the goals we want to achieve, whether it’s losing weight, meditating every day or getting a promotion, but it’s easy to get frustrated or distracted along the way. Without the right mindset or structure, your goals could end up the way of innumerable New Year’s Resolutions — forgotten or brushed aside.

Goals don’t need to be overwhelming! A few simple steps will make them achievable and manageable, helping you to create a habit or climb to the top of the mountain, literally or figuratively.

1. Know the Why

This is the first step and where a lot of resolutions go wrong. It’s important to explore why you are setting this goal, how you want to shape your life and where this goal fits into it. What do you want people to say about you when you are in your 60s or 70s? Where do you want to be in 10 years? Or in one year? This can help you be clear about where you want to be, why this goal is important and what the timeline looks like.

2. Form a Big Picture

Why do you want to lose weight? To fit into that pair of jeans or to be healthy enough to play with your kids? Do you want to meditate every day to create a healthy habit or to find calm in your life? Do you want to be promoted to make more money for your family or is it a step on your journey to being CEO?

There’s no judgement of your answers (looking good in jeans feels amazing!), but being clear on the bigger reason (to be healthy, strong, to connect with your kids, to make more money for your family) can be a strong motivator when things get tough.

3. Make it Realistic

Is it possible to go to the gym every day or to not watch TV anymore in the evenings or to always eat healthy? Maybe, but maybe not—what happens when you get sick, you can’t go to the gym and you lie on the couch watching TV? Or after a month of eating healthy you break down and have a donut? This doesn’t mean you failed — it just means the goal as defined wasn’t realistic enough for you to be successful.

One way I test out the practicality of a goal is to plot it out on my calendar for the year. For example, can I really host a dinner party once a month? Looking at the holidays and (maybe) travel plans, that seems like too much, but every other month could work.

By making your goal part of a larger plan, articulating the reason behind the goal, and making it realistic, you are well on your way to making it happen!

Sara Madera is a certified executive coach and mother of two. Her practice Plan Creatively helps women redefine for themselves what success means. sara@plancreatively.com