Goal Setting as a Practice

Well, it's a new year, and with it comes the opportunity for new goals. If setting meaningful goals is important to you, allow me to share insights gained from a recent webinar.

Step 0. Before diving into writing your goals, start by creating a List of Thanks to Yourself for 2023.

? Why? This exercise provides the drive and aspiration to move forward, as it allows you to acknowledge and appreciate your achievements from the past year.

Step 1. Write down your list of goals. Don't hold back; write down what you truly want. Have you done it? Perfect!

Step 2. Now, ensure that you have written only YOUR goals. Connect your goals with your basic needs:

• Security (having guarantees, own territory)
• Belonging (partnership, support, love, friendship)
• Social recognition (status, self-esteem)
• Self-realization and self-expression (benefit to others through visibility)

? Why? If you can identify the need that your goal satisfies, it means it's genuinely not your goal. After this exercise, you may notice that your list of goals becomes shorter than the initial version. Remember, there shouldn't be too many goals for the year—limit it to 5!

As a result, you should have a list like the one below:

My goals for 2024:

1. Goal 1 (Needs: security: guarantee of professional development and conditions; social recognition and self-realization (helping others))
2. Goal 2 (security: physical/geographical; belonging (to a society that respects your individuality))
3. Goal 3 (security (financial now and in the future); social recognition)

?? Insight: If you can't connect the goal with a need, then it's not your goal!

Step 3. Check your goals for desire (relevance). Create a table and assess each goal on a scale from 1 to 10 (1 - not strong, 10 - strong).

? Why? Not all goals are equally motivating. For example:

• A goal with High NEED and low WANT leads to burnout. What's the point in achieving a goal if it requires prolonged emotional and physical recovery?
• A goal with High WANT/low NEED provides little motivation. These goals may feel detached from life.

That’s why, focus on goals above 7 that have both high WANT and NEED. Your list of goals might become shorter again.

?? Insight: Do not set goals with high NEED and low WANT.

Step 4. Determine the emotion you will get with the result.

? Why? Because the brain seeks impressions (emotions). Add one more column on the right side.

Step 5. Find your driver (emotional stimulus) supporting motivation. Add one more column.

? Why? You’ll face different obstacles on your way, so you have to constantly reinforce your motivation to achieve your goals.

Step 6. Determine the date of the nearest one-time action/periodicity of repeated actions (set a date and/or frequency).

? Why? Any goal must be limited by time. If you don’t understand when you want to achieve it, you’ll never achieve it.

?? IMPORTANT ?? Adequately assess your resources. Open any calendar (Google, Outlook, iCalendar, etc.) and reserve your time for each activity. Yes, you also need to book time for sleep, breakfast, lunch, and just lounging on a sofa with contemplation of the ceiling because you’re not a robot! You need to have time to relax and procrastinate!

If you can’t find a place in your calendar for actions to achieve your goal, look at the other tasks of your daily routine. Change your priorities for unimportant activities. Remember, if you want to change your life, you must create space and resources for it.

?? Insight: Create space for the new (clear the space), then create opportunities! = correct priorities

Step 7. Now, you have a final list of your goals in 2024! Thank yourself for this complicated work and begin to make it true! You’ll succeed ??