Setting Healthy Goals

There are so many different voices telling us how to set goals, I want to encourage you to reflect on what you are planning and make sure they are healthy goals.

No Shoulds About it…

The worst type of goals you could set are goals that start with “stop” or “should” – these are red flags. There is a better type of goal.⁠
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Instead set goals for things that interest you, excite you, challenge you in a positive way. ⁠
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We usually set goals at the beginning of the year where it is too easy to get caught up in the hype of a new year (and yet we are the same people we were a month ago!), we find ourselves in holiday mode and that distorts what is realistic in our every day life, and we succumb to a whole lot of should goals. ⁠

I personally take January as a time of reflection and don’t set my goals till the end of the month. I also set quarterly goals instead of yearly. As a mum I found that life changed so quickly with things that were out of my control, that setting really big, long goals was just too hard and often demoralising – so I set smaller goals, in smaller chunks of time.

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So whenever you are ready to set goals, do it differently this year. Set healthy goals.
–Set goals that excite.⁠
–Set goals that match your season and purpose.⁠
–Set short term goals, so you don’t lose focus.⁠

What is a Red Flag?

When I say red flag I say that as a warning. Red flags isn’t a stop sign; they are a signal to pause and think about something. Is there danger ahead (unhealthy goals) or can you proceed with caution?

The words, “I need to stop doing…”, or “I should do…”, or “I’ll try … (again!)”, or “I really need to …” are signals that we are working on things that don’t excite us, they are rules or expectations we’ve put on ourselves, or we’ve accepted from other people. This creates pressure to perform or get it right – which I believe is one of the biggest reasons we often drop our goals (somewhere around February) and keep on going with regular life!

Don’t get caught up in setting the same goals you’ve set year after year, or goals that are driven by negative emotions. These goals will pull you down, not motivate you. There are always things we see in ourself that we need to work on and improve – these do not need to be your goal for the coming season. Set a goal for something that you really want to achieve – something fun, engaging, healthy, something that makes you come alive!