5 Tips to Set Achievable Goals for Your New Year

Hey hey! I hope you’ve recovered from your giant Christmas meal and had a very merry, relaxing Christmas! We are cherishing this great time we’ve been spending with my family this year! It’s crazy to believe, but 2023 is only 4 days away! Today, I want to share 5 tips to set achievable goals for your new year! It seems like every year, I make these giant, unachievable goals, only to wind up disappointed when I give up a few weeks in, but this year that comes to a stop! Read on to see how to set goals for your New Year that are actually achievable.

Set goals that are effective

If I had a penny for every big, broad, vague goal I’ve heard friends and family set, I’d be rich! If it’s not clear HOW you’re going to achieve that goal, then it’s never going to be effective. Take some time to truly think through your New Year’s resolutions, and make sure your goal is clear, along with your method to achieve it!

Keep balance in mind

We’re not work horses; we’re humans who need to have a balance! I have never found super strict goals to ever be maintainable or achievable, and if you can’t achieve the goal, then why are you even setting it in the first place? For instance, maybe don’t set a goal of running a marathon next month if you’ve never run before! Lastly, if the idea of setting a goal sounds like a chore or feels scary, it’s probably not balanced well! Scale it down until you feel like you can actually accomplish it and feel motivated to do it!

Set small goals that will help achieve the big ones

This is a fantastic way to set achievable goals for your new year! For me, I find myself more motivated to keep chasing my big goals, after accomplishing the goals that are small and maintainable. If your goal is to make a big career change this year, start with a monthly goal of learning a new skill related to your career goals. You’d be surprised at how motivated you will be to go after the big, lofty goals, when you’re accomplishing these smaller, related tasks! 

Talk about your goals

As a perfectionist, this one seems so scary but it’s still important! When you bring your family and friends into your goals, they can help you stay on track! I know what you’re thinking, what will people think of me if I don’t actually accomplish the goal though? I wonder, does it actually matter what people will think of you if you are or aren’t successful? The reason you’re setting the goal is because you want to accomplish it, not because you want people to think wonderful things about you when you do. So, let’s talk about our goals this New Year’s! Ask your loved ones to help hold you accountable and offer advice when achieving the goal becomes a struggle. Lean on your people, and it will make your friendships so much more rewarding too!

Make your goals fun

I am literally sitting here rolling my eyes at the thought of starting a new strict diet or overworking myself with a new, boring fitness method this year. It’s going to be practically impossible to follow through with goals that aren’t fun and exciting to you! Of course, goals help develop our discipline and there will be days that we dread contributing to our goals, no matter how fun the goal is. However, the more thrilling, enjoyable your goals are, the more you will feel motivated and driven to work on them.

Conclusion

Lastly, when you set goals for your New Year, be kind to yourself! The point is not to torture or overwork yourself, it’s to improve your quality of life, so keep this in mind! Go into goal setting with the intention not to get make it perfect, but to make improvements. This way, if and when life gets in the way and you slip on your goal, you can give yourself grace instead of beating yourself up and developing a negative attitude. There you have it; 5 tips to set achievable goals for your New Year! What goals are you setting this year? Let me know in the comments below!