This year needs to be different.
Once a year, as the year comes to a close, many of us reflect on the events that have transpired in our lives. Some may feel that 2023 was a good year, while others may have a different perspective. Regardless of how we feel about the past year, our goals for the upcoming year tend to be similar to those of the previous year.
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We often focus on goals like losing weight for the summer, picking up old hobbies like reading, saving money, or trying a new diet. And yet, every year we all find ourselves in the same position of sitting down, looking at our goals, and realizing that we have achieved very little. Will 2024 be any different? How can we approach setting our goals for the new year?
The key to achieving your goals for the year is to make them attainable. Goals should always follow the S.M.A.R.T. goal framework, which stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. When setting your goals, make sure they include specific actions or milestones within your life, such as your health and wellness, career decisions, financial decisions, and other areas of your life that you wish to improve.
Each goal should be broken down into smaller goals to make them more achievable. For instance, if your goal is to lose weight and you want to lose 30 pounds before the end of the year, you should aim to lose around 2.5 pounds per month. Ashley Braun, Registered Dietician, said that by breaking down your overall goal into smaller, monthly goals, you can minimize the stress of losing all that weight in a short amount of time. Instead, you can focus on achieving your monthly goal of losing 2.5 pounds, which will ultimately help you achieve your overall goal of losing 30 pounds by the end of the year.
My family has a tradition of sitting down together at the beginning of the year to discuss our goals. We talk about them and then write them down somewhere where we can see them every day. At the end of each year, we reflect on what we have achieved and discuss how we can make the next year even better.
Here are my goals for 2023:
– Read over 35 books
– Lose weight
– Go to a concert
– Focus on finding peace and healing
– Go to therapy
Looking back at my goals for the previous year, I realize that I was only able to achieve one thing on my list, which was going to a concert. However, I also recognize that many unexpected events happened in my life that took me in a different direction than where I am today.
Here are my goals for 2024:
– Lose X amount of weight
– Secure an internship in an area that I am interested in pursuing
– Attend therapy sessions
– Continue to find peace and healing
– Continue to work hard in school and earn my Bachelor’s degree within the next 1-2 years
– Look into Master’s programs and see if I want to pursue further education after I graduate
It is important to remember that having a list of goals does not necessarily mean that we will achieve everything within the year. Life is unpredictable, and circumstances can change. It is okay to reset our goals if necessary. Look at your goals in the middle of the year and adjust as needed to finish the year strong. My 2024 goals focus on using the S.M.A.R.T. goal technique, and I am hopeful that I will be able to achieve them.
Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year!