'24 Goals

 Goals. New Years Resolutions. These can always be so exciting to think about setting up, but then terrifying to expect to complete. Some people, then, set goals of something that they know they will be able to accomplish, or tasks that they were already planning on doing or tasks that they want to do. This is not a bad idea, but it does not achieve the meaning of “goal.” A goal is something that we are striving to reach. Something that takes work. It is not likely going to be easy. But, in the long run, it should teach us a lesson that we need to learn or make us a better person compared to who we were before the goal was set. Some goals could and should take more than a year to accomplish. Some goals are going to be more enjoyable than others. Almost all goals are worth trying, even if they are not achieved, though.

One of my favorite aspects of setting a goal is that if it is not achieved, I have a chance to try again. For example, one month I set the goal of consuming zero added sugars. I did not realize that one thing I ate had sugar in it, and there was a day where I caved. So, I completed the challenge for 26/28 days. Even though I did not achieve the process, it gave me a chance to set a goal for the next month which was to not eat sugar for 30/31 days- I caved twice the month before. But I knew I could do that much. I wanted to push my limits and try again but do a little bit better than I did the last time I tried the challenge. This is one of the healthiest ways to interact with goals. It is not okay for you to beat yourself up just because you didn’t achieve your goal. Nor do you have to the opposite direction and take the L by purposefully failing your goal. For example, if you wanted to work out every day for the year and one month in your miss a day, it’s not time for you to overwork yourself because you missed a day. Nor should you become a couch potato because you missed one day. Extremes are dangerous, as I always say.

So, what kind of goals are worthwhile to make? I like to look at the five areas of life that every human interacts with. There can be physical goals, emotional goals, spiritual goals, mental goals, and academic goals. The academic goal is much easier to accomplish if you are a student, in high school or higher education. This could also be education of the world around you through the news, or education of your role in the world through books written by others who have completed more research in a specific niche field.

Physical goals are most thought of to incorporate working out or some sort of forced movement. While that fits into this category, it does not end there. Through some time of self-reflection, I have found many goals that fit in the physical category. For example, making healthy food choices affects physical health. Skin care, hair care, and outward appearance such as clothing choices all fit in physical goals. Even making choices such as drinking more water or avoiding more alcoholic drinks affect us physically, though that is obviously not the only area that is affected.

Spiritual goals are something that will look a little different for each person, depending on what they believe spiritually. Even for Christians, we all are growing in different areas. Your goals might be something that I have already grown in, or something that is not worth focusing on yet compared to another area in my life. So, these are harder to give specific examples for. However, as a Christian, it is always a good idea to create goals related to reading your Bible more, or taking time to study it instead of just reading it. Intentional prayer growth is also a good goal to create. Looking & taking opportunities to serve and give, as well as following many of the other commandments given to us in the New Testament are all good things to focus on.

Mental and emotional goals are often grouped together, but I believe that they both serve a unique purpose. When I think of mental goals, I think of goals that will help me logically. Goals that will help me focus on my job or academics better. Emotional goals are where almost all of my relationship goals will be rooted in. This is also where setting boundaries is important. One of the goals I like to add to my yearly list is the goal of journalling daily. You can decide a good word or page goal for the day as well. If daily is too often, even journalling weekly about what you have done and what you did or did not like is still helpful for your emotional and mental wellbeing. Screen time would also fit into the mental category. What are we choosing to put inside our brain? What we spend time putting into our brain is what we are going to spend time thinking about.

When it comes to academic goals, this is something that really needs to be personal to each person. Do you want to strive for a specific GPA goal? A specific amount of time studying each day? Do you want to perform better than the last year and compete against yourself alone. Is there somewhere you want to be academically by the end of your academic term?

More than setting goals, each person needs to find a way to stick to it. Those who are intrinsically motivated will be able to strive towards these goals without much external help. They can try to complete these goals simply because they understand that it has worth because they chose the goal. Others are more motivated if they have an accountability partner who will keep them in line. Others need positive reinforcements such as a special food or activity once a goal is reached. Sometimes this even helps to have small rewards as a specific portion of the goal is achieved. Find what works best for yourself and use that method until it does not seem to help you. It will not always be the same each year, or the same for each goal. For example, even though I am academically motivated, I do not always want to give each assignment my best. So, I often need positive reinforcements when it comes to schoolwork, but I can work on my mental health and physical health simply because I understand that it has value to me.

What are some of your New Year Goals?