When it comes to setting goals, it is important to set goals that make sense for you. According to Forbes, only 8% of Americans actually accomplish their new year’s resolution. At Beyond the Crown, we want to help you be a part of that 8%!
When deciding what goals to set for yourself, make sure you look closely at what lights you up. Don’t set certain goals because you just feel you “have to.” Your goals should be a reflection of who you are and what is important to you. Below we have listed our top 5 tips on how to set goals for yourself that you WILL achieve.
1. Reflect on the Past
Analyze the goals you set and opportunities you experienced in the recent years. Reflection is one of the best methods for self improvement and growth. On a piece of paper, write down your answers to the following questions and statements.
What goals have you set?
Did you accomplish all of your goals? If not, what challenges or set-backs got in the way of you achieving those goals?
Document 3 ways you grew this past year
Document 3 areas in your life you could improve
Document 3 accomplishments
2. Create Goals that are Measurable
Measurable goals are the key for success. It’s important to be able to track and celebrate each milestone you hit as you will continue to fuel your drive and passion for every step you take, no matter how small. Setting tangible goals can be as simple as setting a specific date for your achievement.
Example: If you didn’t read any books in 2021, it is easy to say “I am going to read more books in 2022,” but if you read half a book on December 31st, you technically accomplished your goal. This is why it is important to set goals you can measure and check your progress along the way. A better goal would have been, “I am going to read twice a week before bed.” You can track this goal every week to make sure you are staying on track and celebrate each week you achieve it!
3. Create goals for multiple areas of your life
There are times in our lives that we focus so much on one goal, we ignore other aspects of our lives. Each of us are capable of so much, so we need to make sure to never limit ourselves. For example, let’s say you are competing for your absolute dream title next year. All your goals should not be about achieving the title. Many of your goals can relate to the subject, but having personal goals outside of pageants and the crown is important.
It is easy to say “Win the title of _____,” but we highly suggest that not being your main goal. Goals you could possibly set for yourself include: reaching 100 hours of volunteer service, improving your social media by posting once a week, practicing self-care for 30 minutes everyday or raising $1,000 for an organization you are passionate about. It is important to remember only one lucky girl will walk about with a title, but what you receive and learn from pageants go much further than the crown. When you are writing down your goals for 2022, focus on what you want to accomplish and how you want to grow beyond the crown.
4. Have Accountability
Being accountable makes a big difference when helping you stay focused on your goal. A great way to make yourself accountable is to share our goals and progress with ours. We are way more likely to push ourselves to accomplish something if we know someone else knows our mission and is watching our progress. Find an “accountability partner” who will motivate and celebrate you, but also someone who will be a little tough when you need the reminder to not give up on your goals.
Another way to keep yourself accountable is to create visual reminders. Seeing posters, signs, or pictures focused around your goals is an awesome, constant reminder of the vision you have for yourself. A great way to do this is to set your phone background picture to a quote or image that is relevant to your goal. You can also create a dream board for a fun, atheistic visual!
5. Be Patient with Yourself
Remember none of us are perfect. Once you understand and accept that it’s okay to have challenges and to have bumps in the road, you release this image that you have to never stumble on your journey. Goals make us step out of our comfort zone and force us to grow. It will be uncomfortable at times, but that’s okay. Work hard
Have patience with all things but first with yourself. Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You are perfectly valuable, creative, worthwhile person simply because you exist. And no amount of triumphs or tribulations can ever change that.
St. Frances de Sales