New year resolutions and goal-setting are great. We all have areas of our lives we know we should improve, and definitely things we would like to improve. But how do we know we are setting good goals? What should we do if we’d like to become better versions of ourselves, but we aren’t really sure where to start? And then, how do we continue with it (since it seems like everyone believes new year resolutions are a great way to not change anything)? Well, 2022 is here, and a new year is a great time to start setting some objectives and get working on improvement. If you have not already done so, it’s time to consider some of your goals for the new year!
I’m a huge fan of goal-setting. I’m an achievement-oriented person, so the idea of setting goals (usually broken-down into smaller goals) “clicks” with my mind so well I follow goal-setting processes almost naturally. However, a tricky part can be how to start.
Arguably, step one is considering “what should I improve with my life?” The fact you are reading this post and have made it this far, I’d say you can check that box. Step #1 is done — well done, my friend. You’re off to a great start!
The next area is a little more difficult but thankfully, some other people who are very good at goal-setting and thinking about such topics have laid some ground work for us. In the book Born to Win, Zig and Tom Ziglar write about an ideal called “the wheel of life.” They later describe seven areas of life we in which should constantly trying to improve to be “10s” in all areas (on a scale of 1-to-10, ten being the best). The seven areas are as follows:
- Career
- Financial
- Spiritual
- Physical (health)
- Mental
- Family
- Personal1
Some of these are pretty straight forward, others take a little more consideration. For example, “mental”, in part, means learning and growing as a human being. A question to ask yourself here is, “how can I continue to expand my knowledge and keep learning new skills and information?” Personal is another dynamic area, as part of it is having healthy interactions with non-family members.
Some areas you are probably better at naturally, and others are not so easy. I know this is shocking, but as a financial coach, the “financial” area is pretty easy for me to work on. I’m not a very social person, so I have to be intentional on getting together with friends — a key part of the “personal” category. Some people are really good at taking care of their bodies, so naturally the “physical” area isn’t too challenging for them. For others, this is an area of struggle. I encourage you to take a few minutes and think about each area and where you are now.
Seriously, like…. take a few minutes and think about it. Come back when you’re done — I’ll be here 🙂
Great, now that you’re back (or if you didn’t move at all… ), let’s thinking about where you want to be. If you’re “4” on the scale of an area, but you’d like like to be an “8”, that can be an intimidating gap! It’s so tempting to stop right there. To give up and “ugh, that sounds so hard… I probably wouldn’t succeed anyway, might as well not even try.” Please, don’t do that, my friend! We’re just getting started!
You see, the “trick” (for lack of a better term) is not about getting from 4 to 8. That’s the overarching goal and should be kept in mind, but we know we can’t leap that crevasse right at the beginning. If you’ve never used a bench press before, you’ll probably start with just using the bar — we don’t need to stack three 45 lb. plates to each side right away. That won’t do any good.
We start by looking at “how do we get from a “4”, to a “5?” Or maybe even, do we get from a “4” to a “4.5”? How do we progress at all? How do we move even the slightest bit? Because that builds confidence. That builds momentum. That builds desire and eagerness to go even further!
Even though New Year’s Day has passed, I hope you are still thinking of ways you might improve yourself this year. Truly, I am not a big fan of “resolutions,” but I am a fan of constant improvement. And you, my friend, are worth being the best version of you possible. You deserve it — and the world needs it.
Best wishes to you on your goals for this new year. And if you found this post helpful, share it with a couple friends or on social media, along with two or three of the goals you plan to pursue this year. Maybe you’ll inspire someone else to commit to their goals, as well.
1: Ziglar, Zig, and Tom Ziglar. 2017. Born to Win: Find Your Success. Issaquah, WA: Zig Ziglar Inc.