Small achievable goals are key to not overwhelming yourself in the New Year! Generally, people don’t achieve the goals they set for themselves because they don’t put in place a practical plan to achieve them. You have to know what’s going to work, how effective it will be and what the expectations are.
Here are some of our top tips for setting those goals and actually achieving them!
MAKE THEM SMART
Firstly, It’s important to make sure they are SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based. Really focus on that one thing where you’re making improvements, rather than drastic changes. Whether it’s reducing your coffee intake or walking multiple times a week, set yourself one thing and you’ll be able to achieve it.
An example of this is if you want to lose weight, try focussing first on exercising more. Once you start getting that under your belt, then add in eating healthily – the chances are you’ll want to fuel your body with healthy foods as a result of the exercise anyway and it won’t be so challenging.
SELF TALK
When you’re making lists, think about the kind of things you’re putting on them. Words like ‘fail’ can come up when you don’t attend to all those goals, and we don’t want that. Self-talk can have a huge effect on whether or not we achieve our goals and make lasting changes in our life. Instead of thinking, “I’m so tired, I don’t want to go for a run or go to the gym tonight,” put a positive spin on your thoughts. For example: “Even though I’m tired, I will feel better after I’ve exercised.” It’s all about the way your mind works and how you word certain things.
REWARD YOURSELF!
We all like a pat on the back when we achieve something. Remember how when you were a kid you’d get a gold star or a sticker for being good? As adults we still react positively to praise and rewards. So create a reward program for yourself!
The only limit is your imagination. For example, every week you stick to your exercise program, put some money away into your reward account or jar. As it adds up, you can put it towards that new outfit, a pamper session at the spa, a TV or a holiday. Setting yourself mini-goals and rewards is a great way to track your success and to congratulate yourself for working hard.
So when you exceed your goals, like losing more weight than you’d expected, give yourself a bonus. However you decide to do it, rewarding yourself for achieving a goal will help motivate you to set new and bigger ones!
SET THE BAR FOR SELF WORTH
By setting smaller, achievable goals, you’ll be able to set the bar for your self worth and confidence, which is really important. Building on your self worth means you’re more inclined to do more and be resilient. After setting your goals, you might start having a few failures. Remember to pick it up and you’ll eventually succeed. After the second or third time of trying, you’ll notice yourself building on that resilience and will get a win.
Having only one achievable goal makes self-control more successful than when people have a few conflicting goals. With too many goals, we often are afraid of making the wrong choice, so we end up doing nothing! If this happens, remember it’s okay to fall over. You’re learning and you can still succeed! It’s all part of building that internal resilience for achieving your goals.
Goal setting has the potential to change lives, not only in health and fitness. In 2022, it’s more important than ever to look forward and start thinking about what you want to achieve and how you’re going to make it happen.
There really is no better time than now. So what are you waiting for? Go get them! Xx
