We are at the start of the New Year, which means many of us are setting new goals. However, about 92% of people who set goals on New Years never achieve them. To help yourself achieve your goals, you first have to set them in an impactful way. Here are some tricks to better goal setting.
Have a Strong Why
The reason why you are setting your goal is the most important factor in this process. Knowing your reason for this goal will help you stay consistent, even on the bad days. For example, if your goal is to exercise for at least 30 minutes, four times a week, writing out why this goal matters to you will get you motivated to begin and it is something you can return to and look at on your journey.
It is important that your “Why” is personal and matters to you. It should not be because of outside pressures. Our society puts a lot of expectations on what healthy looks like or what a person needs to do in order to be healthy. Don’t listen to these outside voices. Instead focus on what will make you feel your best and will actually fit into your life.
Have Outcome Goals and Process Goals
An outcome goal is focused on a specific end result. This is the type of goal most people make when beginning their fitness journeys. An example of this is, “I will lose 15 pounds in three months.” While this is a great starting goal, you also need to be action-oriented and strategize how to achieve it.
This is where process goals become important. This type of goal does not have an end result, but instead focuses on a specific action that needs to take place. An example of this type of goal is “I will exercise 3 days a week for at least 30 minutes.” This goal does not have a specified outcome but is still important to have because it encourages accountability and provides for another way to track progress.
A process goal also helps with the most important factor in reaching outcome goals, which is creating the new habit in your life.
You can combine these goals together to say, “I will lose 15 pounds in three months by working out 3 days a week for at least 30 minutes.
Create a Support System
While process goals can help with personal accountability, having a support system for outside accountability is important as well. Letting your family and friends know about your goals means that they can be your cheerleaders to encourage consistency. You might even inspire them to join you!
You can also find online or local health/ fitness groups with similar goals to help with forming new connections. Having a personal trainer or coach is another way to have an accountability partner. A personal trainer can also ensure you are performing the exercises correctly and progressing properly.
Enjoying the Process
Finally, the most important factor to achieving a goal is finding happiness in the process. If you dread each workout or feel like your diet is unsatisfying, you are less likely to continue doing it. Or you will perform these new habits until you reach your goal, and then stop them with a sigh of relief. If you are not enjoying the process of achieving your goals, you should reevaluate your goal or figure out a new process goal that fits better in your life. In the end, the point of having any goal is to make your life better and leave you happier. If you are not enjoying the process of achieving the goal, then it is time to readjust and find what does work so you can become the person you want to be.