When it comes to goals, I’ve found that many people set them…but not everyone achieves them…including myself this year!
The question I’ve been asking myself is why? Why am I not achieving them?
Am I setting my expectations too high? Could be, since I’m an idealist.
Are they goals that I’m not really passionate about? Could be, since I’ve been dealing with an illness that has caused some brain fog/apathy.
Am I setting too many goals in too many different areas? Could be, since I feel overwhelmed when I think about all I need to do.
Anyway, I read the book Atomic Habits this year, and it really influenced how I think about goals. The author says that the difference between someone setting and achieving a goal (or not) is really based on systems. And those systems that are in place are really based on habits.
For example, it’s one thing for me to set a goal of 8000 steps per day, and it’s another for me to have the habits in place that allow me to achieve that goal.
Right now, I have pieces of the system in place. I have a Fitbit that tracks my steps. I have a habit of exercising 3-4 times per week and walking my dog every night. Those habits lead me to around 7000 steps per day, but to get to 8000 I need to add another habit–perhaps a walk in the morning or jogging a mile or two each day or parking a longer distance away from stores/my office to get in more steps. That’s the one piece of the system that I’m missing in order to reach my goal.
Anyway, I highly recommend the book. Thinking about habits and systems is helping me to break down why I didn’t hit my goals this year and see what I need to change/add to my system in order to meet the goal.
Here’s a look at how I did on last year’s goals.
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