There is a close relationship between goals and motivation. Many people find it difficult to take action due to a lack of motivation. We dedicate some time and attention to setting goals in our counseling practice. The reason for this approach is that clearly stated goals rooted in reflection and planning are more likely to succeed.  

Think

Recognize

There are multiple versions in this first step of setting a motivational goal. It is a significant accomplishment to recognize what you want to change. You are the only one who can do this task effectively. You can get feedback, but if you don’t accept it, you can’t move on. 

Changing destructive habits requires us to look at the truth of what damage our behaviors have caused in our lives. It’s human nature to minimize and justify realities that do not fit our narrative. It’s tempting to skip this step because it is difficult to do, but DON’T! By looking critically, but kindly, at our situation, we can better assess where we need to change. By telling ourselves the truth and recognizing the impact of it, we prepare ourselves to accept the challenge of creating a reality that is closer to what we want and need to have in our lives.

Truth                                                                                                                                                       New Reality

Physical consequences                                                                                                               Health and wellness

Family conflict                                                                                                                                   Positive family interaction

Marital instability                                                                                                                             Marital happiness

Financial problems                                                                                                                         Financial security

Addiction                                                                                                                                               Freedom from addiction

Overeating                                                                                                                                            Healthy relationship with food

Here are some questions to guide the process:

What changes do you want/need to make?

Are there consequences you may be experiencing related to what you think needs to change?

Evaluate

Weighing the pros and cons of making changes is an important part of setting a goal that will help motivate action. Understanding your reason for setting the goal helps cement your desire to accomplish it. The reason for your goal should be personal and uniquely yours. A goal that grows out of what someone else wants can be more difficult unless you also want it.

Often, we attempt goals several times in different ways before we accomplish them. Reflect on your past successes and failures in achieving this goal. Consider new ways to achieve your goals. Some tools can be helpful for a variety of goals, such as apps to track steps toward your goals, specific to the goal itself.  

Another part of assessing your past and future is looking at where previous efforts failed. It is common to have multiple attempts at achieving a goal, but understanding the reasons it didn’t stick or you returned to the situation will allow you to avoid the same pitfalls or navigate them differently.

What is your “why” that makes change necessary for you?

Are there areas where you have been sabotaging your success?

What are your needs in relation to your goal?

What are your wants in relation to your goal?

Do they conflict?

Dream

Allow yourself to imagine your best-case scenario. Think about the details of what you want to accomplish for yourself. Most goals have at their center a positive change that will improve the quality of your life. Take time to visualize what a positive change might look like. The greater the detail, the more likely it is to motivate action. Every successful goal starts with a dream. The key is to turn the dream into action.

Plan

The plan is a combination of articulating the change you want in your life and developing a map to get there. People who write out their goals are 20% more likely to achieve success. If a person writes out their goals and reviews them regularly, they are 42% more likely to achieve them. When they write out their goals, review them regularly, and develop a concrete, specific plan, they are 10 times more likely to achieve them. Success increases to 55% if you also track your progress toward your goals. By holding others accountable, the probability rises to 76%.  

General goals tend to be harder to accomplish because they are not concrete enough. Being specific and developing a detailed action plan makes the achievement of goals significantly more likely. Using the SMART formula has been successful in businesses for some time.  Writing out your goals in a Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound way makes the goal concrete. For example, if my goal is to lose weight, stating it clearly and specifically with timeframes, such as “Over the next six months, I will lose 25 lbs by eating a diet high in protein and fiber and low in carbohydrates, including daily physical activity, which I will track using an app.”

Once you have your goal, you need an action plan. Break down the goal into action steps. Small steps allow you to build motivation and experience success over time. For example:

• Write out your goal

• Download a tracking app

• Drink 80 oz of water

• Move for 10 minutes per day

• Eat your daily protein, fiber, fat, and carbs

• Meal prep on Sundays for the week

• Try new healthy recipes each week

It is also important to regularly reevaluate your action steps to move your plan forward.  Movement for 10 minutes a day is a good starting point, and as you progress, slowly increasing it will help you improve over time. One tiny daily action leads to big accomplishments.

How will you get where you want to go?

Action

After the goal has been established and the action plan is in place, it’s time to start. Start small

It’s not necessary to change everything at once. Keep in mind that action builds momentum with each step. Start with the things that seem easiest for you and work up to the rest. It is important to be kind to yourself when implementing a new plan. Motivational goals and action are built step by step.

1. What short-term goals can I set to ensure that I am on track to achieve my long-term goal?
2. What environment (people, places, and things) will increase the likelihood of my success?
3. How can I celebrate short-term successes along the way?