Give yourself what you need to achieve your goals

If you’re anything like me, this past week you’ve probably been thinking about New Year’s resolutions and what goals you’d like to set for the New Year. For me, making exercise a part of my life is really important and something I want to prioritize in 2022. I want to read more books. I’d like to finish a course a started in 2021. I want to practice courage in showing up in my new business (this one ;)). I also, and most importantly to me, want to be present with my child.

At the end of 2020, my husband and I sat down and wrote out our goals for 2021. I can’t seem to find the notebook where we wrote them down, so you can imagine how I did on those goals! While I can’t find the notebook, I have a vague memory of writing a goal to read more. Checking in on my goal: I read precisely four (4) books in 2021 (and I listened to one, for a grand total of 5!). That certainly was not reading more. In fact, I read fewer books in 2021 than I had in 2020. When I reflect on why I didn’t accomplish this goal of reading more, I realize that one reason is because I didn’t prioritize reading. I didn’t make time to read. If reading is something I enjoy and want more of in my life, how can I make that happen?

For a new framework in goal setting for 2022, ask yourself these questions, “If I were to fail at my goal, how would I do it? Knowing myself and my patterns, why would I fail at my goal?” When you know the answer to these questions, you can create a plan to support your achievement of the goals. When I answer the questions about my failure to accomplish my goal of reading more, it is obvious that I simply didn’t prioritize it. I have never prioritized reading, despite it being something I want to do. 

So, then, the question becomes, how do we prioritize those things we want to improve at or accomplish? An expert on the subject of habit forming, James Clear, would say that “your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits.” If I only read four books in 2021, it’s because I didn’t create good habits around reading. In order to prioritize one thing, we often have to give up other things. It is helpful to create an environment that facilitates those things we want to prioritize, to remove barriers that interfere with our goals, and to recognize the reward of the goals. 

For 2022, when I set goals, I am going to determine exactly when and how I will accomplish the goals and be aware of what I must forgo to achieve the goals. I will be more specific in creating measurable outcomes (instead of “more books”, I might write “one book per month”). I will also focus on the feeling I know I will have when I accomplish the goals.  

And, beyond prioritization, what small steps can I do daily to achieve my goal? If, for example, my goal is to read one book per month, how can I make a little time every day to read? If your goal is to get better with money, spending five minutes per day will be easier than the immeasurable goal of getting better with money.

Here is my last note on goal setting, and probably the most important. When setting your goals, make sure that they are something you want. Your goals should be what you want, not something that someone else wants. It will be very hard to achieve a goal that you don’t want.

If creating better habits around your finances is a goal for you in 2022, I’m here to support you. I encourage you to start creating small daily habits. We often overestimate what we can do in one year, but underestimate what we can do in a decade. Small daily steps will get you far.