You may already have goals in mind, and that's super cool. You might not have any health goals for this year yet, or you might be kind of turned off by the idea of goals in general... Whichever you are, this is still a super important episode for the New Year! I want your dreams and goals to be successful this year, and I want you to feel well. <3
PS: Don't have time to read this whole article? Play the podcast if you're on the go:
When we look at the New Year & hear everyone talking about their New Year's Resolutions.... sometimes many of us feel some sort of reservation. There's an energy of hesitancy when it comes to goal setting.
So, if this is you, or if you're someone who's typically filled with excitement around goal setting, I want to explain why this time is so key, so important, and so HELPFUL.:
This is a time where globally we are thinking about fresh starts, new beginnings, hope. We have a new emphasis on health & wellness, and we're doing it TOGETHER.
Just as we are more successful with our goals when we share them with others, when we have community / support systems, the New Year creates this GLOBAL community where we are collectively working towards bettering ourselves and we can use this energy to support each other.
Can you enter 2023 as a world family that is just trying to do a little bit better?
4 things to accept & know before you begin goal setting:
You don't need to have your goals/plans ready this week; Actually, I hope that you DON'T. Use the first few weeks of the year to rediscover your true self. Shed off the holiday mindset & get back into your routines first. Holiday YOU is likely to come up with very different goals than Real World YOU. I really encourage you to give yourself the first few weeks or even month of January to do some reflection. Do some journaling about what felt good in the past year, what worked for you and what didn't, and what you want to carry forward.
Your goals will change; and they SHOULD change. Whatever goals you come up with by the end of January, are going to look very different by the end of the year. Because YOU are going to change & grow, life circumstances will change, your interests will change. Think about who you were at the beginning of LAST year and how much that person has changed up until now. The message here is to remember that just because your goals will change, doesn't mean they have failed. This is an opportunity to learn to adapt.
We get further when our goals are action or habit-based instead of results-based; It's great to have big dreams, like running a marathon in mind. But that doesn't guide you toward what you are actually going to do. If that's your big dream, what are the actionable steps you are going to take to get there? How are you going to measure your progress? Instead, try starting with something small & manageable like: strength training 3x/wk, or whatever fits with your schedule. Then, at the end of that week, you'll know whether you met your goal or not. And, if you didn't, maybe you need to adjust that goal.
Avoid extreme/negative language; Instead of saying, "I don't eat ANY sugar" - you might say, "I am not going to have sweets after dinner". You can imagine how jumping straight to COMPLETELY eliminating all sweets in your world is setting you up for failure, right? Take another example: "I'm going to workout everyday". Well, is that realistic? Are you really? And, what happens when something comes up and you don't get the chance to workout? Of course you're going to feel that failure emotion, and we don't want that! Also avoid negative language! Rather than saying "I'm not going to eat sugar", say, "I'm going to have trail-mix instead of popcorn". Think about what you're ADDING, not taking away! Maybe your goal can be to prioritize whole foods & grains when grocery shopping. Or, find 1 new vegetable or new way to cook a vegetable each week. It's reasonable, it's actionable, and you'll set yourself up for success!
Quick recap:
give yourself time to reflect
acknowledge that your goals will change
use action-based language
use positive language
I hope that this episode helped you find some faith & confidence in your goal setting for 2023! I hope it helps you to feel more in control in how you are going to start caring for your health this year.
PSST... Did you know you can listen to this topic on the podcast below?!
I hope that this inspired you from wherever you are right now. Wherever you are starting from, whatever you are struggling with, you can do it too.
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email: steph@bewellwithsteph.com
You are worthy of living and capable of creating a healthy lifestyle you love. 🤍
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