Ready for the New Year? 5 Key Areas for Self-Improvement [Goal Setting]
- Michael Ortenzo
- Mar 11
- 6 min read
Pop quiz time! What do you consider important when setting a goal? Take a moment to think about your process.
While you reflect, be sure to include a variety of experiences. Focusing on goals that were achieved can help you answer the question, as can goals that were partially completed or were unsuccessful from the start.
Did you come up with something? I imagine many of you arrived at similar answers; perhaps you create steps to reach the goal, determine whether the goal will be beneficial to you, or identify the length of time and resources necessary for achieving the goal. There are numerous essentials when goal setting that go beyond these answers, but they all point to a common theme. Preparation is key when setting goals. Without preparation, goal setting would be unpredictable, and achievement would be difficult to track.
Additionally, goals set our sights on results and provide consistency while pursuing growth and improvement. The initial article of this series referenced new year’s resolutions – a well-known example of goal setting that defines a person’s commitment to follow through on a planned action. Resolutions are simplified goals that connect the present and future. One of the most common resolutions, exercising to improve health, often consists of exercising more (e.g., running, weightlifting, etc.) to lose weight or “get in shape.” The comparison being between your current health and level of exercise and your future health and level of exercise. Easy, right? Well, we all know that resolutions can be challenging to maintain. Foremost among the reasons is a lack of planning. Setting a goal is good but progress stalls without a proper framework. Therefore, our focus for this article will be on connecting preparation with goal setting as well as steps for achieving goals.
More than the End
At its core, goal setting involves comprehensive review and step-wise planning. Many people understand goals to be destinations or endpoints. Setting your sights on what you want or where you want to be is a great start. And you must determine how to get there. For instance, a person may determine that they want to reach a financial savings goal. A likely starting point is reviewing their income and spending. Then, the person can commit to saving a specific amount of money. The person will accomplish their goal or reach the destination once they hit the predetermined amount. This goal is rather basic and involves general goal setting. Let's enhance and develop the process by expanding the review to include other influences and plans beyond the goal (i.e., the person's habits, wants/needs, and life circumstances, to name a few).
Continuing the example, the person may find success in setting aside the predetermined amount because they have access to the lump sum or have few barriers impeding progress (life circumstances). However, the person may fail to create change or achieve their goal because their spending and view on money are incompatible with the goal (financial habits and perspective). They can feel motivated to follow through on their commitment (wants/needs), but they could fall short of achieving the goal due to a lack of budgeting knowledge or needing to change their financial circumstances before progressing. Side note: This example is not meant to dissuade anyone from setting and pursuing small or simple goals. Moreover, planning for and achieving a small goal can act as a microcosm of a larger goal.
Remember how stress management benefits from understanding and changing experiences across multiple layers of life? Goal setting benefits from the same approach. This perspective shift occurs by having a grasp on your current position in life as well as past experiences relative to your specific goal and idiosyncrasies. There may be a past goal that you achieved, a goal that you considered but never set, or a goal you set and came up short of completing. In any of these instances, the combination of reviewing and planning leads to stronger future goals because you have key reference points and examples to inform your new goals.
Goal Setting: Prepare, Pursue, Repeat
Results, especially positive results, make a thorough goal setting process worthwhile. Achieving a goal creates feelings of joy, satisfaction, and peace. Owning and personalizing goals multiply these feelings tenfold. This focus on results brings us to another aspect of goal setting, which involves breaking down the process into manageable parts. A goal may be general or specific; focus on short-term or long-term change; or aid in ordering and prioritizing the steps necessary for achieving a desired result. Goals are as simple or complex as you wish to make them. They may build on one another as well, where one goal creates an opportunity for another goal to be achieved. Because goals are as unique as the people who create them, taking the time to detail your goals can increase the chances of success.
I have no doubt that you set goals regularly in life. This topic may even be a common part of your career or family role. I believe we can all benefit from reviewing our process and reflecting on goals that are already active. Use the following examples as a guide when considering goal setting in your life.
Identify your desired result:
What are you working toward?
Example: Maybe you want to learn a new language.
Where do you want your work to end?
Example: “Learn” may mean that you are able to speak the new language conversationally.
How will you change/remain the same after achieving your desired result?
Example: One change could be that you meet new people by speaking the new language.
Review previous experiences/attempts at your desired result:
Have you achieved this result before?
Example: You may have learned a new language at some point in your life.
Do you know someone who has achieved this result and could share their wisdom?
Example: There may be a friend or family member who speaks multiple languages.
If the desired result would be new for you, have you attempted/achieved a similar result?
Example: Consider transferable skills involving your memory, visual/audio comprehension, and work ethic.
Set a goal that will deliver your desired result (This step does not need to be perfect):
Does your goal mirror the desired result?
Example: Speaking a new language conversationally may be the only result you are working toward, which means your goal is the same as the desired result.
Will you use the desired result as a step toward something more?
Example: Speaking a new language conversationally is a general goal, so a specific goal may stem from targeting an area of the world you want to visit that speaks the language.
Are you able to track and/or measure your goal?
Example: Tracking or measuring involves quantitative and qualitative data to inform your progress (e.g., number of words/phrases spoken correctly and level of comfort when attempting conversation with a fluent or native speaker, respectively).
Plan your timeline and necessary steps to achieve your goal (Again, this step does not need to be perfect):
How long do you plan to pursue your goal and the desired result?
Example: Learning and practicing the new language may involve different lengths of time depending on the general or specific nature of your goal.
Are there required steps, optional steps, or even steps that distract from achieving your goal and the desired result?
Example: Certain languages require knowledge of the culture to understand and use them appropriately, while other languages can be applied immediately. Some languages contain fascinating backgrounds, but this information may be extraneous for speaking the language.
Pursue your goal using the framework you created. Keep in mind that this process is cyclical. You can (and should) repeat these steps to ensure you remain on target and adjust your course by accounting for unexpected/unknown occurrences.
All Good Things…
Goal setting is an ongoing process. There are times when goals are met with little effort and steps fall into place as planned. On the other hand, goals can fall apart, come up short of a desired result, or simply be forgotten. The beauty and challenge with goals is how impactful they are in our lives. Having goals at all is a testament to the life a person chooses to live. I am a firm believer that the amount of goals a person sets is less important than actively pursuing at least a few goals in life. My hope is that you may be inspired to set or update one goal with renewed fervor. Take inspiration from the earlier articles and find something that speaks to you. Who knows – the next goal you set may be a difference-maker in a relationship, your perspective, or overall quality of life. However you choose to focus on goals, move forward with the knowledge that your goals matter and are possible with a little preparation.
Arriving at the end of this series on health and well-being does not mean that the dialogue on self-improvement has concluded. Rather, the door has been opened for you to take the lead in strengthening yourself. If you have taken the time to read and absorb this series on health and well-being, then I applaud you. Turning your attention toward mental health, stress management, relationship health, culture and society, and goal setting will significantly improve your life and prepare you for the future. If you are new to this series and tuned in somewhere along the way, then I welcome you. Considering the impact of just one area in this series will strengthen you and provide a launching point for additional preparation. Take care and let's continue growing stronger together!
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