It’s the first of January and your social media feeds will be full of stuff about last year and next year, what was brilliant and what was terrible. When it comes to goal setting for the year ahead there are generally two schools of thought. One is that there is never a better time to stop, think about what you want to achieve and get it written down. Start the year a fresh with a new focus and really make it happen. The other school of thought is that January goals are forced and made under social pressure, without true desire and that we are just setting ourselves up for (yet another) failure.
You’ll hear “I don’t set new years resolutions” and you’ll also hear people listing that this year they really will become a millionaire!
So should we, or shouldn’t we?
I am a huge fan of goal setting. I use it myself, i use it with my clients and i talk about it a lot. So I understand both schools of thought because i have worked with plenty of people who are not in the right head space to goal set. Not into it. Not committed. Focus is elsewhere.
I’ve also worked with lots of people who because I ask them to sit down and think, step up to that place, challenge themselves and with a little accountability go ahead and smash those goals. So my answer in short is yes and no to us setting goals.
If new year is a triggering time for you, if you feel under pressure, out of sorts and like now is not a good time. That’s ok! You do not HAVE to set goals because it’s new year.
Equally, if you have had some time off, have reviewed your year and feel ready to make change – then right now is a great time.
If you a
re going to set some new years goals then here are some things i want you to think about.
1. Get comfortable talking about your goals
Why do we keep them quiet? I’m not suggesting you get them printed on a billboard but just try saying them out loud or writing them down. What you write down and focus on becomes the top of your mind and to achieve our goals, they do need to become a priority. Daily, weekly or even once a month, they will still climb further up the ladder of priority than someone who thinks of them on New Years Day and then doesn’t think of them again till next year!
Denis Duffield-Thomas says
“Writing them {goals} is a declaration that gets them out of your head and onto the paper”
It’s the first stage of a commitment and to make change, we MUST commit.
2. You don’t have to write your goals in any fancy guru fashion
I love making a vision board, i love writing goals down and i’ve recently started journalling but you don’t have to write your goals on multi coloured, laminated, Pinterest worthy fabric. You can write them down anyway that suits you. Your screen saver on your phone. A post it on your desk. A scrap of paper on your fridge or in the steam on the mirror after your shower. It doesn’t matter HOW you write them but it does matter that you do write them. Start small, start private if you want to but just get them down on paper.
3. You can train your brain
So goal setting activates the reticular activating system in our brain. This system has two jobs. One is mental alterness and the other is a kind of filtering system that helps us determine priorities of information. We are bombarded with information daily from people, email, the news, social media. We can’t possibly process it all. So our brain has to determine what is important right now.
Have you ever noticed when you start looking into something like buying a new car, you suddenly notice that brand of car everywhere? That’s not because there are more of those cars on the road, it’s because your reticular activating system is alert to them as your priority is your new car.
So we write our goals down to remind our brains that this is the focus. Getting outside, eating more vegetables, exercising three times a week, ringing your sister once a week, reading for an hour a week. Whatever it is. We have to make it a priority. This is how we re train our brain for new habits.
4. Find a form of accountability
This is one of the things people find most beneficial from working with a personal trainer. Someone else invested in you achieving your goals. Not just to nudge you on the days you want to give up but also to celebrate the wins along the way. If you don’t have a trainer then buddy up with a friend who has the same goal or talk to your kids or partner about it. Get someone else on board. It reaffirms the priority and encourages you on your journey.
5. Remember your why
Why are you setting this goal? Really think about this. If you want to lose weight, why? What difference will it make to your life? Have a real think about this because your why is what you need to focus on the tough days. The days you want the chocolate or the days you don’t feel up to exercising. Your why reminds you the purpose of your journey. This needs to be clear and it needs to be strong so WRITE IT DOWN too!
Choose a SMART goal. Write it down and let us know when you make it happen!
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Wishing you a fit and healthy 2021
Hannah