Are You Setting Good Short & Long-Term Goals?

Setting goals can be difficult. How often do you find yourself with a goal in mind but get overwhelmed with completing the goal rather than beginning? Same here! If you have a goal you want to achieve, this blog will help you create a more achievable and beneficial goals.

Specific

Specificity is the key to establishing good goals. In fact, all of the other elements of creating great goals and resolutions come back to this one question: Is your goal specific? Many new year’s resolutions and goals in general are much too ambiguous. Things like, “I want to read more.” What do you want to read more of? Shampoo bottles? How much more? How much are you currently reading? Why do you want to read more? Will it improve your life in some way to read more? When goals aren’t specific, they’re easily left unfulfilled.

Measurable

If you can’t measure the success of your goal, how will you know when you’ve achieved it? This is why goals like, “I want to be healthier,” fail. What does healthier mean? What’s the measure of success? Instead of “healthier,” you can choose something like, “I want to work out 30 minutes a day five days a week for a month.” This is a measurable goal. Did you work out 30 minutes a day five days a week for a month? It’s a simple yes or no answer.

Achievable

If you can’t expect to achieve a goal in a reasonable amount of time, set a different goal. Even if the goal is a stretch, you can set smaller goals that will help you reach the overall goal. This will make the long-term goal feel more attainable and keep you motivated as you complete one of the smaller goals.

Realistic

We all want to be president or millionaires, but for most of us, these goals aren’t realistic. Make sure the goals you set for yourself are realistic. In addition to relating to being achievable, realistic goals should also be meaningful to you. You want to set a goal for yourself that matters and will make your life better.

Time-Bound

The best goals need to have a ticking countdown clock attached to them. If you can complete a goal whenever or never, chances are it’s going to be never. This is one of the main reasons that most New Year’s resolutions fail. Give your goal a countdown clock. Whatever makes sense. Even better, give the specific steps toward achieving your goal a time limit. This will help you stay on track toward achieving your greater goal, and help you feel like you’ve accomplished something in the meantime.

Want to Work on Your Goals Together? I’m Ashley Pichardo, a licensed mental health counselor, serving New York and New Jersey. Whether you’re trying to set better goals this resolution season or you want to partner to achieve specific goals for your emotional health, overall wellbeing, or relationships, I hope you’ll reach out to me by calling (917) 522-1418, emailing contact@apichardotherapy.com, orbooking online today.