GOAL-SETTING & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

If you want to achieve any kind of change in life, whether that be integrating a new healthy habit, getting back on your feet after adversity, or making a bold career move, setting a goal will help you take action. Research clearly shows you are more likely to make something happen if you set yourself a goal around it. Goals help to structure your time and give shape to your life. They fine-tune your awareness, give you a sense of drive and staying power, and help you take action consistent with your values. Research also shows that people who have a commitment to something personally significant are happier than those without firm aspirations.

If the thought of setting goals leaves you feeling cold, hold on. There are some really simple goal-setting principles that could transform how you feel about goals and how effective they can be. While the right goals uplift you, poorly crafted goals can demotivate you. Before you set any goals, be honest with yourself about your energy levels and the demands you are facing already in life right now. I often hear people say they just don’t have time to set goals. If you fall into this camp, then my cautionary words would be that if you want to create any meaningful shift, it is unlikely to happen on its own. Having a goal will help you grow.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO CULTIVATE MORE OF AND WHY?

The best goals are set in service of your values, because it is that sense of ‘why’ that will see you through.

• What would you like to cultivate more of in your life?
• What do you stand to lose if you don’t do it?
• What will cultivating it allow you to do?

THIS IS AN EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT FROM AND BREATHE BY SUZY READING