3 Reasons Why I Set Achievable Goals over New Years Resolutions

Did you set New Year’s resolutions this year? Setting resolutions can be really fun! And while I think it’s a good thing to do, this year I’m skipping the resolutions and going straight to goal setting. In this post I’m sharing 3 reasons why I set achievable goals over New Year’s resolutions.

Whether you set resolutions or goals the key is creating healthy habits and having a plan. Two weeks into the new year many of us are already abandoning our resolutions. Statistics tend to vary, but we are good at setting intentions. We are not always so good at the follow through.

Our lives are so busy. Do you ever feel like you’re losing sight of what your passions and priorities are? We are living FULL lives, but having too much on our plates can leave us overwhelmed, worn out and passionless.

When I find myself doing things because I’ve always done them or because I think they are expected of me, I find that I’ve lost sight of my creativity and direction. I recognize that sometimes setting goals actually requires dropping things. I can get so busy going through the daily motions of things that all of a sudden I realize I’ve stopped dreaming!

If you thought setting goals was about MORE of something. I have good news for you. Setting goals is about focus, getting organized and re-prioritizing. For me, I didn’t want to add more, do more, or have to be more. Instead I wanted to refocus.

What if you don’t have to say yes to everything? What if you don’t have to do it all? What if you felt free to drop a few things this year?

Here are my top three motivating reasons why I set goals. 

3 Reasons Why I Set Achievable Goals over New Years Resolutions:

1. Purpose 

Goals help you live intentionally. When we make goals they give us clear objectives and take us beyond hoping to actual achievement. What excites me about goal setting is that it’s a great tool to help you prioritize things. When I start to set goals I think about exactly that, priorities.

I ask myself what am I passionate about and what’s really important to me? I find that goals are key in helping you identify what your actual priorities are, as well as how to set healthy boundaries and build margin into your life.

Be intentional with your goals to live with purpose.

Set goals to prioritize the important things. If you know what you’re working towards you can make better informed choices to meet your goals. Living a life with purpose means figuring out the things that mean the most to you and pursuing those things.

2. Direction 

Goals not only give you direction, they give you a destination. You need a point to work towards. Think of your goals as your mapped out route to success. Goals not only keep you organized they keep you on track. You can live life passively letting time go by or you can be intentional about where you are headed. Now is the time to start thinking ahead and come up with a plan.

I like to look at the big picture and take a look at everything I have going on. I came to the realization that for me goals help me identify the things that are most important to me. I came to a point where I felt the freedom to actually cut things out. I was saying yes to too many things and feeling burnt out all the time.

So instead of using goals as some sort of to do list, I use goals to help me create action steps in work, blogging and in my personal life. Now I can do more of what matters most and not just “do” more. Read about the six powerful steps I use to set goals.

3. Accomplishment 

It feels good to accomplish your goals! When you set goals and focus in on your passions it enables you to translate what you love into something you can share with others. Coming up with goals means narrowing in on what you want to accomplish. But it also give you a pathway to follow through on those goals. The whole reason we set goals is to make changes and find forward momentum. 

Goals help us live intentionally, with purpose and with passion. Goal help us stay organized, on track and give us check in points. There’s nothing better than that sense of accomplishment when we’ve achieved them!

I hope you found these 3 reasons why I set achievable goals over resolutions helpful. 

Do you set goals? Let me in on your thoughts in the comment section below!

xoxo Naomi

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