Day 5: To Achieve Your 2022 Goals, Stop Focusing on Them
Advice from Prakash Raman, Raman Consulting
Prakash Raman, Raman Consulting
During the pandemic, we learned to embrace uncertainty. Yet two questions remain: First, “How can I strive for excellence beyond what I already do?” Second, “How can I find peace with where I am relative to my goals?”
In 2022, there is a way to navigate this apparent paradox. It’s important not to over-index on “goals” and instead focus on the following:
Start with who you want to be at the end of 2022. Write this like a narrative using plain, tangible terms.
What do you want to achieve, and why? Be concrete. Be honest. Personalize it. If you don’t, it will be difficult to weather the inevitable ups and downs.
Master what you control, and let go of the rest. Success is about habits, which you control. The outcomes are byproducts—keep them in mind, but let go of your attachment to them.
Reflect compassionately on your progress. Reflect on your progress toward your goals, and be kind to yourself. You can’t make the necessary tweaks if you’re berating yourself.
Iterate. There is always uncertainty. If you do something that impedes your progress, accept it, then make adjustments.
You are your own best coach. Goals are great, but to make progress with peace and contentment in the now, focus on tangible intentions, master what you control, and be kind to yourself.
Deb’s Note: Sometimes hardline goal setting can be counterproductive. We often set lofty goals, like working out every day, but once we miss one or two workouts, we unintentionally feel like we’ve failed and give up. Instead, we can leverage Prakash’s advice to create consistent and positive habits. Rather than saying, “I am going to write a book”, start with, “I am going to write more every day.” Create the space and consistency to fit more of what you want into your life. Then continue to add more. We set ourselves up for failure when we set hard goals. Instead, be kind to yourself and make space for iteration.
This resonates. I’m disciplined about my fitness. But what most people don’t know is that my only rule for myself is that I must workout 3 days a week. That’s it. It’s been my rule since college. By setting an achievable goal I am able to stay motivated and most weeks pst myself on the back for exceeding it. The same practice makes sense for my efforts to keep growing professionally.