Setting Goals is Personal

Change never happens in a straight line.

Happy New Year!!

From year long themes to 30-day sprints, how each of us like to set goals is personal. 

The good news is there are so many solid options! Here are a few to get you thinking about how you might like to stretch and grow this year:

• Backwards Map - Begin with the end in mind. Start with where you want to finish. Then map backwards, month by month, then week by week plugging in specific action steps to get you there. 

• 30-Day Sprint - For bite-sized goals try this format which calls on you to do something specific and repetitively, every day for 30 days to reach your end goal.

• Five WHY’s - Continue to ask yourself “why” this particular goal is important for 5 consecutive times. Each time you are drilling further and further down toward the real essential question or goal you want to pursue.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE   Goal Options for 2025

The next step is to determine what type of goals / intentions you want to set. Goal setting generally falls into two different buckets: Outcome goals or Process goals.

OUTCOME-BASED GOALS:

These  kinds of goals often use data as a motivator or as a “must get to”  benchmark (each day, each week or each month). Set your daily and weekly  goals based on a data point or definitive benchmark where you can  objectively measure progress.

Examples:

• Steps, miles, calories burned

• Minutes spent or invested “X”

• Number of contacts/ reach outs / emails / phone calls

• Number of products generated

• Track # of days (without sugar, walking 10,000 steps)

• Set budget / amts spent/ saved

PROCESS GOALS:

These  kinds of goals use the “how to” process, or a step-by-step guide, to  work toward accomplishing a goal or developing a new habit.

Examples:

• Mindset. Adopt a new mindset. It’s that invisible fuel that powers us to our next destination. Develop a mantra or phrase that has meaning for you and/or your goal. When you feel reluctant and want to stop – this message will trigger some kind of activation. EX: “Show up and Do the work” / “If Not Now, When?" / “We Can Do Hard Things.”

• Master a skill. Backwards map it in one week or one month segments. What must you do or accomplish each day to meet that weekly or monthly goal? EX: Explore a career pivot, learn how to network effectively, take up dance or pickleball, or teach yourself a new technology program.

• 30 day challenge/sprint. One mini step each day for 30 days. Voila! Thirty days later you are already "there!" EX: Train for a race, go meatless and learn to cook a plant-based diet, or adopt "dry January" to head into the new year with even more clarity.

• Non-negotiables.  Ritualize your day by determining your non-negotiables for each day and schedule them in the morning. Consider adding the same structure to the evening. EX: Make two career networking contacts by 10am each day, get your 3 mile walk /run completed by 10am, complete Gratitude Journal each evening at bedtime.

And yet honestly, the ONLY success strategy toward momentum and genuine, sustained growth is putting in place accountability mechanisms so that we stay the course!

• Set ongoing calendar reminders

• Each morning make a specific to do list, coupled with hard deadlines

• Establish clear expectations for yourself

• Enlist an accountability partner

• Seek feedback

• And yes, enlist a professional coach (my favorite!

Who's ready for a year of positive change? Let's do this together!