Goal setting for 2021: Let's empathize and adapt

This upcoming year let's be a little kinder to ourselves. This article aims to give you a little insight into how you may want to set your goals for 2021.

Adapt

Holy crap this year is almost over. Of course, the stress, pain, and confusion of 2020 won't magically disappear on January 1st, we know this. Nonetheless, it's a chance to start anew. Goal setting in 2021 will look different than it did in 2020. We've learned that life can change on a dime and sometimes you just can't plan around certain life events.

First of all, if you didn't happen to write your Great American Novel in 2020, that's okay. That's not only okay, but that's also normal. We're living in a global pandemic, surviving the best we can. Not all of us met our 2020 goals, which is understandable. Now is the time to reflect back on what we did achieve (namely getting up each day and persevering), and look towards the upcoming year with kindness.

Thus, if the past year has just been about getting by, then that is just fine. Let yourself off the hook. Some of you may not even want to think about setting goals amidst this current chaotic time, and that's fine too. Personally, I feel a sense of control when I set down my goals for the future so here we are.

Granted, this year will likely be a more fluid and general, wobbly-timeline scenario of my goals - but they're coming.

At the heart of 2021's goals

As we near the end of this strange and tumultuous year, the very last thing I feel like doing is setting "productive" goals for my future.

I've sat down with my pad and pen a few times and it just feels disingenuous right now. So instead, I'm going to jot down things that I know will nourish me as I navigate whatever comes along in 2021.

Keeping it personal

Typically I have two types of goals: my work-related goals and my personal goals. My passion projects (my website, my ESL school) fall into the "personal" category. Although many of these goals fall into the realm of "how much leftover time do I have" goals, so I need to be flexible. If I have an especially busy month at work, I likely will not have time or energy to write.

So here I'll focus on the personal, I'll keep my work-related goals to my yellow notepad that lives at my work desk. Personal goals in the past normally include learning a language (Spanish, always Spanish), traveling somewhere, saving money, working on my home, etc.

Honestly, with 2020 almost in the rearview, I know I can't control - much less plan - any of those things right now. So my personal goal setting for 2021 is much broader. My hope is to cultivate space for empathy and peace throughout the upcoming year.

Here's to self-love in 2021 - Goals I'd recommend

• Indulge in excess amounts of self-care. Yes, please.

• Carve out time for things you love. Gardening, reading, and journaling are three things I absolutely love. There are plenty more that fit into this broad category, but they often get pushed by the wayside in my day-to-day life.

For example, I found this wonderful journalling site/email list this year and would like to follow along - The Isolation Journals.

• Create space to actively participate in the health of your community. Maybe this looks like starting a community garden, picking up trash on my daily walks, or volunteering my time to a person or cause, I'm open.
• Focus energy on intentionality.
• Develop and adhere to a budget that allows for financial freedom. My feeling here is really about future financial health. Having the reassurance of knowing I am saving and being smart with finances makes me feel more at peace in the now.

Link to the article: Goal Setting for 2021: Empathize and Adapt

Please Note: The opinions here do not necessarily express the opinions of my employer(s). The information provided here is based on my own experiences, opinions, and research. 

About the Author:

Brianna is a businessperson with a passion for social science and healthy living. They seem to always intersect and come together on Indie. If you’d like to read more articles like this one, check out Indie. Thanks, as always, for reading!