A new year is upon us once again, and you know what that means… New Year’s Resolutions!
Every year, people use the New Year as a reason to set new goals and aspirations for themselves, which in theory is a great way to get motivated. However, it’s reported that 43% of U.S. adults who set New Year resolutions for themselves quit before February. The key reason behind this alarmingly high rate of quitting is lack of motivation.
Source: New Year’s Resolution Statistics
So, we want to encourage you to set realistic and achievable goals for yourself that you won’t give up on this year.
“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:7
God loves to see us trying new things and bettering ourselves by accomplishing our goals, even if it seems like a small feat. Think deeply about what you want to achieve in 2023 when you look back on the year in December, and let’s get to work!
If you’re struggling with staying on track or don’t really know how to measure progress against your goals, we want to help get you started…
Here are some key tips on setting goals and achieving them!
1. Tap into your Passions. A critical piece of the process for setting achievable and realistic goals should be to consider what inspires you and what your core personal values are. You should have a strong passion for your goals if you want to achieve them and not quit on them. Your goals should be meaningful to you and your beliefs.
2. Set SMART Goals. Setting goals that are SMART, (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-based) will help you achieve those goals. If you aren’t specific in what you want to achieve, your expectations are vague, and you are not setting a clear path for yourself. Your goals must also be measurable so that you can track your progress along the way. Make your goals attainable within the timeframe you set for yourself. Like we mentioned above, the goals should be relevant to your personal values and passions. It’s also important to set a timeframe for completing your goal so you can track your progress against the deadline and adjust as needed.
3. Make Your Goals Visible. It’s one thing to set a goal, it’s another to visibly see that goal every day and be reminded of the goal you set. Making your goals visible is very important because if you aren’t reminding yourself of them, it’s so easy to fall off track and go back into your old cycles. After all, 43% of adults who set New Year’s resolutions quit before February! A simple way to make your goals visible is to add them to your lock screen on your phone so you see them every time you check your phone. You could also post them on your bathroom mirror. Get creative with it – but keep them visible!
4. Be Accountable to your Goals. In order to maintain accountability, consider sharing your goals with a friend or family member, and ask them to check up on your status every so often. Knowing that you’ll have someone asking about your progress on a regular basis will help to motivate you to have something to update them on!
5. Adjust as Needed. Once you’ve reached the end of your set time-period within your goals, reflect on the progress you made and adjust accordingly for future goals. You may have completed them way sooner than you expected, or maybe you needed much more time than you initially thought. Both are okay – these are helpful learning techniques for how to improve your process moving forward.
We are excited to hear about all of the amazing things you achieve this year! We encourage you to continue to better your relationship with Christ in 2023 while setting your goals.
Please reach out to our team to see how we can help you achieve greatness this year in Realize Your Calling.
Letting The Holy Spirit Work!