How To Set Goals To Succeed (The Tip No One Tells You)
- Jan 4, 2023
- 5 min read
Written by: Rozanna Wyatt, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We laughed so hard that people in the coffee shop stared at us. You know, the type of deep belly laughing your experience when you’re with a friend you connect with on a soulful level.
Craig (pseudo-name) was in town, so we connected over steamy vanilla lattes. We enjoyed a few hours full of laughter, high-level dialogue, and vulnerability as we shared what had been happening in our lives over the last 6-months. You know what else we discussed? Goals. And whether we were setting any specific goals for 2023. You might be surprised to hear this, but neither were setting goals on January 1, 2023. That doesn’t mean we don’t have goals. We do. We’re both still in the process of working on the ones we set throughout 2022, and those are leading us in how we go about conducting our personal and professional lives in 2023. Goals can be confusing to people, especially this time of the year. After all, it’s the first week of January, and somewhere along the way, January 1st has signified a drawing in the sand for new beginnings. Motivational gurus encourage you to set goals on January 1st and to have a master plan to execute them. Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with setting goals on January 1st or the days following if that’s how you’ve always gone about goal setting. I’ve also used January 1st as an arbitrary benchmark for setting certain goals. But here’s something else to think about… Every day is a new beginning, so you can set goals any day of the year. It might be January 1st, or it could be August 14th. I think this is especially important to remember when goals get sidelined, you get discouraged, or you’re stumbling along the way to bring them to fruition. The key to setting goals is how you go about setting them, including knowing you can always start over! And while there are several steps to setting goals, few people talk about this one essential thing to keep in mind when setting your goals. It can make or break your ability to stay motivated. Goals need to be aligned with your values. Values define how we want to behave and experience life and are essential to creating a meaningful life. Or, said slightly differently, values are the principles that give our lives meaning. Have you ever thought about your values and how they align with any goals you set?
Keeping your values top of mind is essential when creating your goals. Otherwise, you might have difficulty staying motivated due to the disconnect between what you say you want to achieve and what matters to you personally and professionally. Let me give you an example. Charlene (pseudo-name) is a driven and ambitious woman with two school-age children. Her partner also works full-time but has a job that affords him a lot of autonomy and flexibility. Charlene has been hyper-focused on a promotion she’s always wanted. This past year, she spent countless hours working on her leadership skills and self-awareness as she prepared for this opportunity. She’s “ticked” every box and goal off her list over the last three years to get ready for this specific milestone. But recently, she started to feel anxious about accepting the VP position if she’s awarded it at the start of the New Year. Charlene didn’t understand what was causing her to feel anxious. She had the technical skills, was confident in her abilities, and this position was a goal on her five-year plan that she had meticulously worked at over the last three specific years. Shouldn’t she be eager to accept it? After discussing the new role, what would be required of Charlene (including working more hours and being out of town more often), and understanding what really mattered to her, we discovered that freedom and family were more important to her. Charlene’s values had changed over time, and what resonated with her was different now. This isn’t uncommon for all of us because who we were yesterday is different from who we are today; thus, your values will likely change throughout your life. While the VP position had always been her goal, it made more sense to remain in her current director position at this point in her life so she was aligned with her evolved values. And for Charlene, her director position was still fulfilling because it aligned with other values important to her – leadership, contribution, mastery, and teamwork. So she was satisfied personally and professionally. Without knowing if you set goals at the ringing of the New Year, or maybe you’re like me in that you’re still working on the goals, you set in 2022. Nonetheless, I encourage you to take inventory of your values and how they align with the goals you set now and in the future. Doing so is incredibly helpful to get clarity on your goals and how you’ll achieve them regardless of what domain they fall into (health, mindset, career, personal, finances, etc.).
I know it can be challenging to know which values are important to you, so I’ve included a list at the bottom of this article. I’ve also included a few coaching reflection questions to help you reflect, become aware, and take aligned actions in 2023. I hope that by aligning your goals with your values, including how you pursue them, you’ll start to run toward something instead of away from something. Ultimately, this leads to living life with more purpose, confidence, and inner peace. If you’re ready to take your goals to the next level or want to thrive in all areas of life with more confidence, a calm mind, and greater fulfillment, book a complimentary consultation on the “book a call” page at www.rozannawyatt.com. *Now accepting new therapy clients in Alberta and coaching clients globally.
Coaching Reflection Questions
If you could wave a magic wand and have your ideal life, what would that look like? What specific things do you need to change in your current life to make it more aligned with what you want?
What goal(s) have you set for 2023, or are you still working on from 2022?
What makes your goal(s) important to you? How will you feel when you achieve them, and what are the benefits of doing so?
Identify your top 6 values from the list below. Then narrow it down to your top 3-4 values.
Go back to your answers to questions 1, 2, and 3. Are your values aligned with what you’ve identified in your answers? If not, how can you create goals that are aligned with your values to create more fulfillment in your life?
Values List
Achievement Acceptance Autonomy Adventure Balance Creativity Challenge Connection Community Contribution Dependability Empathy Equality Energy Fun Fulfillment Friendship Gratitude Growth Harmony Humor Honesty Humility Health Independence Innovation | Kindness Knowledge Learning Love Leadership Loyalty Mindfulness Mastery Optimism Play Positivity Purpose Respect Serenity Stability Spirituality Simplicity Spontaneity Skillfulness Teamwork Thoughtfulness Trustworthiness Vitality Wealth Wisdom Other |
Rozanna Wyatt, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Rozanna Wyatt is a Licensed Therapist and highly sought Global Coach who specializes in helping ambitious, high-achieving women confidently go after what they want in business and life. Drawing from her sixteen years of experience working those who have done the unimaginable (we're talking murder), entrepreneurs, athletes, professionals and corporate leaders, she enables her clients to experience mindset breakthroughs that allow them to turn their lives around, resolve years of emotional pain, be happy, 10x their business, win national awards, and more. Rozanna has a master’s degree in social work, as well as specialized training in leadership and high performance.
Rozanna’s expertise has been featured in the media in Forbes, Addicted2Succcess, Thrive Global, and Authority Magazine. When she’s not keeping up on the latest research around positive psychology and human behavior, you can find her playing with her furbaby or sipping vanilla lattes in her favorite coffee shops in Canada.
