Goal Setting After A Year of Setbacks

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

I’m 100% positive that I would get the consensus when I say that goal setting feels a lot different this year. I am a goal-getter type of person, which means that I am a hard-core goal-setter. Planning and organizing are my jam. I make lists and because I’m a Virgo, of course, I check them twice. Think Amy Santiago of Brooklyn 99 meets Miranda of Sex and the City. And to those like me, every New Year is the pinnacle of goal setting. Armed with a brand new planner and multi-colored pens, we face each year with high enthusiasm, ready to conquer the next 12 months. 

However, this year feels different, because this year IS different. We have just barely survived the catastrophe that is 2020. I remember this time last year, I was so optimistic and dare I say, living the best life I could have had at that stage of my life. But then the world came crashing down and boy did it crash hard and fast. Needless to say, the past year has swerved so far from the path that we intended to have. 

It may be a brand new year, but that doesn’t mean that everything that happened last year can be easily forgotten. It’s not a simple do-over. This time the “fresh start” just hits hard this year especially for those like me who are starting the new year coping with a loss in the family. Or it could be a lost job, lost business, or just general loss of enthusiasm and confidence during these uncertain times. The pain is still there, the injustices are still there.

So what do we do now?

We do the one thing we can do right now.

We move forward.

We still face this year head-on. Because we owe to those who aren’t able to.

So how is goal setting different this year for me and other driven women?

1. Staring small and taking the pressure off. 

Yes, I still bought a planner and I still wrote down my big picture goals this year. But unlike last year, I don’t pressure myself with too many details and a pressing timeline. Starting small goes a long way. I’m allowing myself flexibility and also asking for support. There are days I am hyper-productive and there are days that I don’t feel like getting anything done. And I tell myself that’s okay. I don’t always have to be a lean, mean, productivity machine. By giving myself space and time to cope, I’m giving myself grace.

2. Just taking it one day at a time. 

This is graphic designer Geli Balcruz’s approach. After the year we’ve had where so much seemed to happen in so little time, we can’t help but think this way. Setting achievable daily goals is an effective way to move forward. Besides, looking too much into your big future goals sometimes makes you fail to see the day to day small wins and achievements along the way. 

3. Living by values, not goals. 

Ilona Duda, a New York City-based life coach shared, “This year I started setting goals, not for achievements I wanted to reach, but based on values I want to live by. That helps me to enjoy the journey more, knowing I am doing what's important to me, rather than focus solely on a destination.” Knowing your values will serve as a foundation to everything - your thoughts, decisions, actions, and sets the tone for how you live your life. Living by your values gives you a compass in living an authentic life, aligned with who you are, while, as Ilona mentioned, enjoying the journey.

How about you, how are you setting goals differently this year?