GOAL SETTING IN THE NEW YEAR
The ending of one year and the beginning of another is a great time to reflect on the year that was and set goals for the coming year. Sometimes goal setting can be a daunting process, in fact Bill Gates famously said that most people often overestimate what they can achieve in 1 year but underestimate what they can achieve in 10 years. And while that can be the case, we under or over-estimate what we can do, I believe a large part of the puzzle also lies in our beliefs. Sabotage of our journey to a goal can come in many ways, but the 3 main one are; 1. Don't believe we can achieve it
If we have an unconscious belief that we don't deserve or cannot achieve something, then we won't make the necessary steps. Now this isn't an airy fairy ethereal "the secret" kind of thing (though I personally do believe there is a lot to be said for that side of things), it can also be broken down into a very mechanical way. An example, if you have a product you want to sell but you don't deep down believe that this product is valuable to people, you might not take the necessary steps for its success. You may just dip your toes in the waters, a couple of market stalls, a small website with no advertising etc. or worse, never even launch.
2. Not clear enough on the goal, the steps or the timeframe.
So you've decided that you CAN reach this goal. That's great! But when do you think you can reach it by, and what needs to be done to get there? If you want to make $1M selling that product, what is a reasonable timeframe? If it's a $2 product, it's going to take either a lot longer, or you'll have to sell a lot more of it. If it's a $1M product, you could potentially have it done within 2 months. But first you need to know the goal, set an appropriate timeframe and stick out the course. For example, did you know that if a plane took off from Brisbane for LA and was just 1 degree off course, it will land over 200km off course. When you're specific with what it is you want to achieve and what the steps are, then when something comes up (and it will) you can reassess what else needs to be done, what action step needs to be taken next.
3. Not having a strong enough "why"
Roadblocks come up. An unexpected bill hampering your savings goals, a birthday party making healthy eating more difficult, or a new ache and pain making exercise difficult for example. If you really understand why you want to achieve that goal, then you wont let those roadblocks get in the way, you will just see them on the way. Ask yourself why you want to achieve this goal. Then dive deeper, why is that reason important to you? Do this for at least 7 layers, then you will know your true driving force, and when you know what you really want, you wont let little things get in your way, you will just see them along the way.
But most importantly! DO NOT! EVER! Use a goal to beat yourself up! If you don't get to your goal, this isn't a reflection on you as a person, you are not a failure. It's also not an excuse to degrade yourself on where you are now. For example, if you have a weight loss goal, please don't use that as an excuse to be unhappy with who you are now. Moving forward doesn't have to come from a place of unhappiness with where you are now.
Wishing you all the very best with getting to your goals in 2022
Dr Andy
(Chiropractor)