A Letter To Yourself: Setting Goals

By: Lexi Nass, LCSW

Dear whoever wants to listen,

As soon as January 1st arrives, I always find myself feeling motivated, excited, and optimistic to set my goals for the new year. Every year, I find myself experiencing this same burst of motivation just before the start of the new year. This optimistic mindset of mine comes along with similar thoughts, “Okay Lexi, you’ve got this, this is going to be the year you actually conquer your goals”. Before I begin to write out my goals, I reflect on the past year and look over the goals I had previously set for myself. To list out just a few, “drink more water, eat healthier during the week, workout 3x a week, call my friends and family more, prioritize date nights once a week, and set boundaries”. When reading over these goals, I am proud at the effort I have made towards improving on these goals, but I realize that after a few months into the New Year, my motivation lacked and it was harder to maintain these goals. I also laugh because ‘drink more water” has been the same New Year’s goal of mine for about 10 years, and it’s something that I still need to improve. In reviewing my goals for last year, I realized that the more general goals I set for myself, “drink more water, set boundaries, and eat healthier”, were challenging to keep as they were too broad. My more specific goals “prioritize date nights once a week and workout 3x a week” were more realistic, manageable, and achievable. Setting goals each new year allows me to reflect on my past, and determine what I wish to still improve, and how I can grow into the best version of myself. It also a way to hold myself accountable.

To set achievable goals for 2023, I am going to create a SMART goal. SMART is an acronym used to create your goal, which stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time. Here is an example of one of my goals:

Broad goal: “I want to get fit and strong before my wedding”

SMART goal:

-       Specific: I’m going to take walks daily and incorporate more strength training workouts into my routine

-       Measurable: I am going to log my walks everyday using the iPhone health app and train 3x a week

-       Achievable: Working out is a priority for me. Since I have carved out time to work out a few times per week, I am confident I can add in strength training to my already established routine. 

-       Realistic: I want to feel strong and confident, and I have a gym in my building so it is feasible to create a schedule that allows me to meet my goals

-       Time: I want to achieve my goals within 6 months, which would be by my wedding

Setting SMART goals allows you to better understand what you need to do to accomplish your goals. By creating realistic and specific goals, you are more likely to be successful in achieving them. If you would like to work together to learn more tips on goal setting and ways to maintain to your goals, reach out to us at hello@upsidertherapy.com to schedule your first session!