Looking Toward 2020: How to Set Goals by Learning from the Previous Year

Set Goals Based on Your Passion

One of the biggest mistakes people make is setting goals every year that lack true passion. A goal should be something more than a task you want to accomplish. If it becomes a box to check off on a list, you’re less likely to get it done. 

Write down some things you love to do. Then, create your goals based on that list. How can you use your passions to push you forward next year? How can you take what you’ve learned in the past and use it to do what you love, successfully? 

Create Conditions for Your Goals

Think about the goals you set last year. How realistic were they? Did you burn yourself out trying to accomplish them? 

One of the ways you can actively learn from the previous year is to think about whether your goals were genuinely attainable. If you have similar goals this year, it’s crucial to adjust them to be more realistic.

Goals should be attainable with work and dedication. Creating goals that are next to impossible or ones that will only cause you frustration will make it easier to “give up” early on. 

Congratulate and Reward Yourself

Learning from the previous year doesn’t mean you have to focus on your failures from the past. Instead, focus on your “wins” as they come! Celebrate the small victories along the way to larger goals, and reward yourself for them. 

Rewarding yourself could be something as simple as getting your favorite coffee drink on the way to work, or taking a weekend trip away with your spouse. Whatever feels right to you, take advantage of it.Rewarding yourself for accomplishing these mini-goals can keep you motivated, especially when past mistakes inspire them. That motivation can then help you to reach even bigger goals throughout the year. 

New Year’s resolutions aren’t made to be broken, even though many people have started to get into that mindset. When you’re serious about setting goals for yourself, you don’t have to consider your past setbacks as complete failures. 

Instead, you can still reach the goals you have and accomplish more than you ever thought possible. It’s about reframing the way you see those past mistakes. You can choose to forget about them and let them go, or you can choose to learn from them and grow! 

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If you want to learn more about how to set goals by looking at your past, and strategically navigating your future, feel free to contact me. Or, visit my page on grief and loss counseling to learn more about how I can help. 

Together, we can work on some practical strategies for setting active goals that you can achieve throughout the year.