Most of us set or reaffirm goals at the beginning of a new year. We at Unified Caring Association (UCA) have many caring tools and resources for our members. With the symbology of 2020, we want to help bring into focus great ways to help set attainable goals to achieve more caring in your life and the lives of those you love. We are ready to begin a 2020 clear sighted year!
Why Set Goals?
Many of us want to make changes in our lives. How we do that effectively is to set goals. Goals are great triggers for changes in lifestyles and behavior. Goals help guide our focus and overcome procrastination. Life can be overwhelming and that focus is important. When goals are attainable they help sustain momentum and give us ways to measure progress. Ultimately, goal setting helps develop our lives into more fulfilling and caring.
How do you set good goals?
There are so many ways to set ourselves up for success. Overall, they have some elements in common: a mission or vision statement, the steps to achieve the goal are chunked into smaller parts, and focusing on self-reflection to see what you really want and can achieve. There are three main acronyms in different goal setting strategies: SMART, CLEAR, and GROW.
SMART Goals are specific. The clearer and unambiguous the goal statement, the easier it is to keep that goal in mind. These specific goals need to be measurable, that way you can keep track of the goal’s progress. SMART Goals are realistic goals. Taking the time to reflect on what you can actually do to achieve the main goal. Is it realistic and attainable to hike Kilimanjaro in your first month of exercise? Probably not if you have not hiked much in your life. Lastly, SMART Goals need to be time-specific. Build in an end date to achieve your SMART Goal. If you goal is to be able to hike to the top of Kilimanjaro, then pick a realistic date to summit the mountain.
CLEAR Goals are great for those who prefer more innovation. These goals are collaborative, which can help us be more accountable. Also, CLEAR Goals are limited in scope and time. For example, you could want to join a yoga class for 12 weeks. CLEAR Goals build in an emotional investment to help drive us to achieve our goal. Goals need to be broken down into manageable steps, and therefore appreciable. CLEAR Goals are more flexible to allow for unexpected life events, and are therefore refinable. It is ok to readdress your goals if you are suddenly sick, or have an unexpected family event.
GROW Goals allow for a lot of introspective reflection because they as questions to drive the plan. The “G” in GROW is asking, “What the overall goal is that your want to achieve.” This is like the thesis or vision you want to achieve, “I want to meditate more.” Next, we ask questions that inquire what the reality of achieving that goal is. If we look at our example of meditation, take a look at how often you meditate now. What are our options to achieve this goal? Reflecting on your week to see how you can achieve your goals is important to be able to make smaller achievable steps to be successful. The last letter, “W,” is asking you what will you be willing to do? Are you actually willing to set aside 20 minutes a day to meditate? Or are you willing to set aside 20 minutes every other day?
These three examples of goal setting methods are just the surface. There are so many different acronyms and techniques that are out there for setting goals. What is important is to get the ball rolling by getting clear, setting up a plan, and taking action to achieve your goals. With 2020 clear sighted goals at the beginning of the year, we can bring more caring into our lives, filling us with energy, and excitement!
Video Inspiration
In our search for 2020 clear sighted goal setting, we came across a great TedTalk by John Doerr. In this he gives examples of interactions with people who are cracking the secret to success through setting strong, tangible goals. Click Here to watch the full video!
