New Year, New You, Right?

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Erin Shean, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

Did you know that nearly 200 million Americans, or 75% of the population, set New Year’s resolutions each year? The more surprising statistic is that only about 11% of those who set resolutions kept them for more than six months.

It is certainly not a surprise that the New Year feels like the perfect time to turn over a new leaf and begin with a fresh start when it comes to your goals. According to Katy Milkman, an American economist and professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, there is a phenomenon called the “Fresh Start Effect,” which applies not only to the New Year, but also to new months, new weeks, and even to birthdays. At the beginning of these fresh start cycles, people are more motivated to pursue their goals and begin anew.

If you are like the millions of other Americans who set New Year’s resolutions, or even if you are starting fresh today, let’s take a minute now, while we are still in January, to reassess our resolutions (or goals) and make some necessary adjustments to set you up for success.

Here are FIVE TIPS to focus on when setting goals:

Tip #1 – Align your goals with your values. This is maybe the most important of all the steps in goal setting, because if your goals are not aligned to your values, it is hard to sustain. This relates to my blog post on Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation that you can find HERE. To ensure that you are setting meaningful goals, you must first define what your values are and determine if the goals you are setting for yourself are aligning with those values. For example, if you set goals that give you internal satisfaction vs. external validation or outcomes, you will be more satisfied and happier in the long-term.

Tip #2 – Focus on the process, not the outcome. Think of a goal as a mountain. We can view the summit as the actual goal, sometimes even a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal), and the sides of the mountain as the process to reach that goal. To achieve a larger goal, it is most productive to focus on the sides of the mountain (the process) than the summit (the goal). This will allow you to chip away at a larger goal and feel the satisfaction/adrenaline rush of the “win” more often, which is far more motivating than constantly looking at a BHAG and worrying if you will ever make it there.

Tip #3 – Set goals that push you but that are barely attainable. What I don’t like about BHAGs is that sometimes people tend to focus only on goals that are so far down the road, or so lofty, that it feels defeating when we can’t see progress. Instead, focus on goals that are just one step further than something you have previously done and build on those goals each time. Once you achieve it, set another goal that is barely attainable. As I mentioned in Tip #1, chipping away at a goal is often times far more inspirational than looking at a BHAG and feeling defeated when you haven’t seen clear progress. You know what they say,

“It’s the journey, not the destination.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tip #4 – Make your goals quantifiable. I like to coach my clients to make their goals quantifiable. If they are not, it is easier to manipulate your mind into convincing yourself that you accomplished a goal when you didn’t quite get there. An example of this might be to say, “I want to be healthier.” What does that mean? How do you measure that? How about saying, “I want to make sure that every meal I eat has at least one fruit and one vegetable in it.” The latter is much more easily measured, because the goal contains numbers that clearly need to be met.

Tip #5 – Give yourself some grace. Finally, it is imperative that you are not too rigid in judgement of yourself, if you happen to not accomplish a part of the process towards your goal. For example, if you have a goal to get to the gym five times a week and only make it four times that week, allow for some grace and reset quickly to make next week a success. Do not just give up on the process. This is referred to as Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset, which I will touch on in a later blog. Life happens, particularly when we have a full plate of work and maybe a busy family life. It is very important that we give ourselves grace when it all doesn’t go perfectly to plan.

Ok, now that you have a clearer idea of how to set sustainable, intentional goals, are you ready to put it all to action? I am confident that you can be in part of that 11%, so feel free to reach out and share your New Year’s resolutions with me. There is nothing better than an accountability partner, right? And, of course, if you need help working through your goals, you know where to find me.

Let’s do this!

In pursuit of purposeful goals,

Erin