Need Help with Setting Goals?
Planning for the future is important, but it can also be hard- not to mention intimidating! Whether you're looking to prepare for study, work, personal growth, or something else, we've got you covered with our realistic guide to setting goals.
Setting the Foundation - An Activity to Find "Your Why"
If you want to dig a little deeper, you can focus on finding “Your Why”. This can seem like a complicated, difficult question, but it doesn’t have to be. It is simply about creating a few short statements that help you to remember to pursue goals which are influenced purely by what’s important to you and no one else.
Finding your why can help with stepping away from expectations of others, or assumptions about what you “should be” doing. If we place focus on finding your true values and identifying what you’re good at and what you love, the process of finding it can be fun and serve as a good way to get to live more authentically and create a personal guide for decision making and goal setting.
It’s good to remember that your why does not have to be set in stone forever. It can change together with your priorities and growth as a person. Below is an activity that can help you form your true-to-self “why” statements. Be open and honest with yourself and have fun. You will need something to write on or somewhere to type.
Step One: Reflecting on Your Strengths
30 things you love doing
Grab a piece of paper and write 30 things you love doing. Yes 30. this may seem like a lot, but truly go wild about the big and small things- nothing is off limits!
30 things you are good at
Now, write 30 things you are good at doing or can provide for others. Again, this may seem like a lot, but put down the most mundane (really good at sorting things) to the most impressive (any skill you have a natural knack for).
Top 5 things you love doing and top 5 things you are good at
For both lists, identify your top five.
Reflect on your top five, and think how your strengths could be used to build something or create something for yourself, your friends, your family and the world around you. What is it that truly matters to you?
Step Two: Identifying your Core Values
Look Through the values below and identify your top 10.
List of Core Values
|
Bravery Honesty Accountability Respect Compassion Empathy Trustworthiness Fairness Responsibility Transparency Advancement |
Efficiency Perseverance Authenticity Kindness Teamwork Innovation Excellence Positivity Independence Inner Stability Loyalty |
Humility Openness Patience Eco-sustainability Family Community Freedom Justice Discipline Personal Growth Passion |
Creativity Wisdom Balance Open-mindedness Reliability Generosity Adaptability Resilience Riches Curiosity Mindfulness |
Hope Spirituality Learning Mastery Service Adventure Fun Abundance Honesty Fierceness |
Narrow that pick down to your top 5
Step Three: Creating your "Why Statements"
Now comes the final part, creating your “Why Statements”. These are statements that center your priorities in life in a way that is authentic and true to you, and no one else.
Go back to your top 5 values, and use a verb (doing word) in front of your value.
For example: Practice Bravery, Pursue Justice, Radiate Kindness, Conserve Inner Stability, Follow Passion
Here is a list of verbs to help you:
Create, Prioritise, Develop, Instill, Embrace, Uphold, Advocate, Model, Cultivate, Share, Communicate, Defend, Nurture, Express, Remember, Permeate, Safeguard, Ignite, Enjoy, Maximise, Deepen, Strengthen
Once you have your five value statements, you can return to them and keep them in mind when making decisions. It can be a useful tool to have for self-guidance and pursuing things that truly matter to you.
We hope this exercise helped you to identify what truly, authentically matters to you most. This is the foundation of quality goal setting. Continue below for more practical guides on breaking down ambitions and creating achievable goals.
A Breaking Down Goals Guide
Whatever big goals you may have, it’s good to remember that the road to their achievement is through small but consistent daily habits, often formed through routines. Approaching goals this way can make all the difference.
Broad Goals
For some people, it works to break down goals into areas of life, from which goals may stem.
These include but are not limited to; Career, Physical health, Spiritual Wellness, Mental Strength, Family and Relationships , Finances and Wealth.
You can have a go at creating your own priority table. Pick areas of life that resonate most with you right now (it can be all or only one or two). For each area, list your top 3 priorities as your “broad goals”.
Breaking Down Goals
A good way to do this is through SMART Goal Setting.
Specific: Focus on narrowing in on exactly what you need to complete. If your goal is too broad, it can help to ask “yes, but how?”
Measurable: Refer to increments of time, to help keep yourself accountable. This also refers to making sure that your progress is easy to track, such as adding a strike in a calendar for each day that you complete a part of your goal.
Attainable: Make sure you’re being realistic with yourself. Remember, you need and deserve time to rest too, and pacing yourself can be beneficial
Relevant: Make sure it aligns with your core values, if this goal exists due to other’s ideas of success, you’re not likely to be truly motivated to complete it, and maybe you don’t even truly need it.
Time-bound: Set yourself a rough deadline, to help with motivation and accountability
Bonus tip: If you want to be SMART-R about it, plan for a Reward for completion too, to keep yourself motivated! You can start by making a bucket list of activities and things you enjoy to pick from for the term.
SMART Goal Setting Guide
So, with that information in mind, let's build some SMART goals.
Broad goal: I want to pass all of my exams
SMART goal: For the duration of the term, I will identify my weak spots at the end of each week and spend one hour researching/studying to understand this material better.
Broad goal: I want to be more present
SMART goal: I will commit to writing in my journal every evening before bed, for at least 5 minutes, until the end of the month.
Broad goal: I want to feel more fit
SMART goal: I will commit to a “something is better than nothing” mentality and do at least two minutes of movement every day for a month.
Helpful Tools To Keep In Mind To Make Finishing Tasks Easier
Remember, “perfect” doesn’t exist. It’s okay to struggle and you’re doing well as long as you’re trying.
The 70% Rule
Instead of asking yourself- can I make it 100% perfect, ask yourself whether you can make it 70% perfect.
The 2-minute rule
Often we procrastinate because a task seems overwhelmingly complex or takes too much time. The 2 minute rule encourages us to do a simplified version of a habit, slowly increasing the effort factor over time.
The Law of Diminishing Returns
Have you ever kept adding more and more of something to a project, but it was not paying off as much as before? - that’s the law of diminishing returns. It’s all about letting go of extreme perfectionism and finding that sweet spot where you're getting the most out of your efforts without overdoing it.
