2020 has been a tough one.
With all the division in the world, I think this is the one thing we can all agree on.
As we end the year, we have an opportunity to look back at our experiences and try to extract learnings from them. Through this exercise, we also have an opportunity to begin imagining what next year could be like. Uncertainty still - and always will - surround our lives. However, with intentionality and planning, we may be able to set some goals that will guide our direction for the journey ahead.
For those of us who can make the time and create the space to reflect and plan, it is our responsibility to use this privilege to good use.
We don't need to know for sure what we will do! But we will not be able to fully maximize our potential impact if we do not have even the slightest bit of an idea what it is that we'd like to get done. So, let's start now.
Last Tuesday, I was lucky enough to do a Lazada live session in partnership with 2KK Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid and Colgate-Palmolive. We had around 10,000 viewers that night (so grateful to have experienced this!!).
I used this time to talk about Goal Setting Strategies. Specifically, we created a quick and easy guide that I'm sharing with you here.
Download this file to create your own Goal Setting Guide. (You may also use a clean piece of paper and follow the pictures below, if you'd like!)
The first part of your Goal Setting Guide looks like this:
Begin by writing down ALL your goals - everything that you wish for next year. Do not filter yourself or judge your ideas. The key here is to make an exhaustive list, at least for now.
Next, make these goals more specific. Specific goals give our brain better targets. We can better recognize when we are on track if we can measure our progress, and having a specific idea of what success looks like can help us create smaller targets that we can keep track of.
Then, we give these specific goals ratings based on three aspects - urgency, challenge, and excitement. It's important to consider these 3 aspects:
Urgency - this gives you an idea of your reality. We must consider that some goals have to happen because they may be essential for you, for others, or for your other goals to be realized.
Challenge - We all have different capabilities. What is hard for some may come naturally to others. Thus, it's important to be real with ourselves when assessing how difficult a goal may be for us to achieve.
Excitement - We need this excitement to stay motivated. Goals that bring us joy are more likely to be acted upon.
Take the total score for these 3 aspects and look at the TOP 3 goals that you came up with.
As a start, focus on your top 3 goals first. Going beyond 3 tends to be overwhelming for our brain and gives us too many options; which means, it's less likely that we actually follow through with them.
We are not yet done! Now it's time to get into Part 2.
Take those top 3 goals and think about these 3 questions:
What makes this goal important to achieve? Knowing our why makes our goals more meaningful.
What is the first small step you can take? Once you take the first step, you get more motivation to take on the next. Small but consistent is more effective than big but sporadic changes.
Who can support you as you achieve this goal? This year more than ever, we recognized that we do not live in isolation. As we go into 2021, we can find more ways to involve our community so that together, we can support each other as we get through the year.
This has been an incredibly tough year for everyone. Lives have changed - and unfortunately, not all for the better. The reality is that not all of us are well-positioned to start the next year on a high note.
But for those of us who can, I hope we can take the time to set plans in motion for next year. Maybe, as we try to figure out our goals, we can also gain clarity on our purpose and the impact we can create for the people around us.
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