New Year’s Resolutions – Setting Achievable Goals (whilst considering the holistic context)

It’s nearly time for that ‘New Year, New Me’ thing that people try to do at the start of the year, so I thought I’d share my thoughts on goal setting. But before I go any further, I’ll start this off by admitting that I didn’t achieve all the goals that I set in 2017 – this is an important admission. One of the reasons that this is often the case is that many of us set challenging goals without considering the impact that our busy schedules (and lives in general) have on achieving all the things we want at the beginning of every year.

In my case, the big difference that prevented me from achieving my resolutions was that I moved from an employment that I wasn’t satisfied with to a much better suited job. This isn’t as negative as it may sound; after all, if you’re unhappy or feel undervalued in your working environment, what are your realistic options?

1. Complain to colleagues
2. Discuss perceived issues with management
3. Proactively seek alternative employment

For many people who are looking to change jobs it’s more of a case that they want to feel valued which is completely understandable. In my instance, changing jobs was the best thing that I could have done and one of the better decisions that I have made.

My philosophy is to work in an environment that I love and to inspire others to achieve their goals, but it’s important to consider how personal objectives fit into the environment that you’re immediately surrounded by. For example, someone who’s an aspiring musician but working as an engineer may not easily convince their employer that they should be supported in dedicating more time towards improving their aspirations to get their next gig. That makes sense, right? After all, at least most of the time, employers want to see dedication from their employees.

This is perhaps the reason that it’s so difficult to make sensible New Year’s Resolutions that will fit in with the rest of your life. But wouldn’t it be nice to set challenges that simply improve your happiness? In theory – yes – however, things aren’t always that simple and at some point, it comes down to priorities.

When thinking about New Year’s Resolutions, is it better to have a macro goal such as getting a six pack by June? Or is it better to say that you’ll adopt the following:

1. Eat a maximum of one pre-made meal or takeaway per week
2. Eat meals between an eight-hour period so that your body has longer to digest the food
3. Exercise a minimum of three times per week
4. Focus on achieving a minimum number of quality abdominal exercises when working out

Whilst one approach may not work for everyone, by breaking down the goal of getting a 6 pack into more measurable activities, it’s possible to evaluate regular progress rather than facing disappointment further down the line. Saying that, one thing that I should make clear is that I have an interest in business; breaking down complex problems into much smaller manageable chunks is often referred to as Small Win Strategy. Another thing that I’d add to this note is that disappointment and failure play a fundamental part in learning to be successful.

I’ll cover this off more in a future blog, but for the time being I’ll simply say that it’s important to surround yourself with good people that you trust, always set incremental objectives, and treat people the way that you’d like to be treated. If you truly get stuck, don’t feel ashamed to ask for help – you’ll be surprised how much help others will give when they know how much it’s appreciated.

In conclusion, are you wrong to set goals? Absolutely not, make sensible goals that you feel confident that you can achieve. As you achieve them you’ll build your confidence and perhaps even set more aspirational targets in the future. But whatever you do, don’t listen to the naysayers. Other people’s limitations don’t need to become your own. And after all, what would you attempt if you knew you could accept failure? And if not now, when?