January 5th, 2022
David Peachment
Setting 2022 Goals
With a new year comes fresh ideas and innovations. A brand-new chance to make a difference. An opportunity to try something different and not part of the status quo. Life has been pretty challenging of late, especially for the past couple of years. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t set goals and try to make 2022 our best year yet! We have been granted the opportunity to change ourselves and our environment, and it shouldn’t be wasted! Time is the one commodity we can never get more of, so it is critically important to make the most of what we have. That is why, for this blog post, I wanted to discuss setting goals for 2022 and beyond. Planning is one of the first stages of success. So let’s dive into how to set some plans for the new year properly!
SMART Goals
The first step to properly setting goals is to use the SMART goals framework. This provides a clear and concise structure for outlining what you want to accomplish. Since I’ve written a whole blog post about this framework before (which you can read HERE), I’ll briefly summarize what it is. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Whenever you create a goal, go through the acronym and see if it checks all the boxes. Is it specific enough that you know exactly what you’re trying to do and where you’ll end up? Can you measure your progress quickly and effectively? Is it realistic and genuinely attainable? Does the goal stay relevant to your overall life goals and values? And finally, can you achieve it in a reasonable amount of time and have a set end date?
All of these steps allow you to generate valuable goals that align with who you are. Follow the SMART acronym to craft the ultimate plans to complete this year. And if you want to learn more about SMART, again, you can access that blog post HERE. But once you have finished planning your goals, then what?
Stay on Course
Planning out what you want to accomplish is a fantastic start. But after that comes the much, much more challenging part: doing it! To be successful in what you set out to complete, you’ll need to keep a few things in mind.
Be consistent. Consistency is vital when going after a goal. Try to set a specific time each week or day that you will dedicate towards your goal. This will allow you constantly chip away at it over time and develop a habit for doing it. Eventually, as it becomes a habit, you won’t even have to think about it. However, it will require some willpower at the start to keep at it.
Get support. Going alone can make it much more challenging. Is there anyone else that wants to complete similar goals as you? Working towards a project with someone can make it feel so much easier, and you’ll build camaraderie and friendship in the process. Whenever you don’t feel like working at your goal, you know that someone is counting on you and getting you in gear! Wanting to lose weight or start working out more? Join a fitness club or running group. You can even find such groups online that live stream workouts together! Want to become a better cook? Take group cooking classes or an online class with your significant other! The options are endless, and having a support system in place will make it much easier to see your goals to the end.
Don’t let setbacks get you down. It can be super easy to miss a milestone or not achieve quite what you wanted to. But don’t let it bring you down. Don’t let those setbacks derail you from continuing. For example, say you are on a diet and eat something you’re not supposed to eat. Don’t just give up and tell yourself you might as well have more food that breaks your diet! Figure out where you went wrong, what could have prevented it, and get back on the horse right away. Setbacks are inevitable. Make sure you prepare for them and don’t beat yourself up with you’re not where you had hoped to be. Some progress is a thousand times better than no progress!
And with those tips, I hope this blog post has helped you put the rest of this year into perspective. Use the SMART acronym to write down and fully design your goals in a feasible way. Be consistent with working at your goals, get a support system in place, and don’t beat yourself up if you have a setback. Do all of this, and you will be well on your way to making 2022 your best year yet!
Until next time,
David Peachment
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