New Year, New Life: How To Set Goals For 2023?

14% of people who set goals are 10 times more successful than those who don't. And the truth is that selecting the right goals and planning accordingly can actually lead to success.

As the new year is finally here, it's tempting to dream and plan bigger. But the problem with many people is that they set unrealistic, overly ambitious goals that are just hard to achieve within a given timeline. As a result, they get easily discouraged and get on with the year without a clear vision.

So how do you set goals in a way that is both achievable and prepares you for the curveballs headed your way? Here are three strategies life coaching experts believe can help you set goals in a more effective way.

Focus On SMART Goals

One of the simplest ways to approach your goal-setting for the new year is through the SMART method. S.M.A.R.T is an acronym giving criteria to guide a person in setting goals in a way that gives better results.

It stands for "Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, And Timely." When listing your goals, try to match them against the SMART principles and see if they tick all the factors. If yes, then you most likely can achieve that goal with proper planning and management.

If you need clarification about your life goals or are not sure if it's the best decision, it's best to seek professional help from a life coach or counselor.

Always Make Goals Personal

One of the most common mistakes people make when goal setting for the new year is trying to copy someone else's goal for themselves, hoping to be like them. Remember that goals are very personal, and only when you are true to your vision in life does achieving your goals become clear and easy.

Sometimes we set goals based on others' expectations of us. This can happen due to family or peer pressure. Just because someone wants you to be something doesn't mean you want to build your goals around it.

To achieve your goals, you need the drive to stick with what you're working towards. That often comes with love, passion, and admiration for what you want. Having this is very important to develop commitment and discipline toward your goals.

Getting inspiration from others is fine to some extent, but never try to set goals just because you want to be perceived like someone else whose values or directions in life don't reflect your own.

Get Granular

A common thing many of us avoid when setting goals is getting granular or subjective on the steps to achieve the goal. You are likely to set goals in many aspects of your life, for example, fitness, finance management, health, skincare, career, studies, and relationships. There needs to be more than just a big goal for each segment. Doing this will give you the necessary road map or pathway to achieve them.

Getting granular and breaking these goals into small objectives or subgoals by dividing them into months or weeks can help you build a small action plan. This will also serve as a great log to keep track of your progress and to see if you are on track or behind what you need to achieve within a given timeline.

In short, getting detailed with your primary goals helps you develop actionable steps to achieve them. You can do this by using managing apps or by simply writing them down in a journal.

However, if you have trouble getting your priorities or vision straight, whether in your career or life, seek help from professionals like a life, relationship, or career coach. They will help you set goals by understanding your values and ambitions - and also help you divide your major goals into small chunks of sub-goals that are easy to achieve in a more organized manner.