5 simple tips for nailing your 2021 personal goals

This past year has been exhausting… mentally, physically, emotionally, you name it. It’s reasonable that many of us out there are dreading this ‘new start’ and fear the unknown lying ahead. But setting yourself up for success in 2021 doesn’t need to be draining. In fact, learning how to set and conquer your personal goals can be an incredibly liberating experience. We recommend taking 10 minutes out of your day to sit down and map out what you want to achieve this year. To make matters easier, here at Treetop Digital we’ve come up with a recipe for success for becoming a goal-getter and making this year your best one yet.

There’s a big difference between being a high reacher and an overly optimistic planner. Setting goals that are out of your wheelhouse leads to unnecessary stress and pressure to succeed. Instead, work to craft goals that are concise, realistic, and time-bound to ensure you know exactly how to pursue them. Choose to set monthly or weekly goals for easy monitoring. Remember, a goal that was reasonable for you last year may not be in the cards this time around and that is more than okay. Treat each goal-setting experience as a clean slate where you reassess your current capabilities and strengths.

It is scientifically proven that the way in which you frame your goals influences your likelihood of achieving them. Here’s a hint. When writing out your future goals, try setting them in the present tense as if you have already achieved them. Replace “I want to eat healthier” with “I am a healthy eater and I feel great”. This small shift in mentality can make even the biggest goals seem within arms reach.

Setting a wide variety of goals helps ensure balance in your life before the year has even begun. Corporate trainer Jack Canfield suggests dividing your personal goals into seven clear categories: financial, career, family, health, relationships, personal growth, and community outreach. Then, make an effort to do one thing a day that helps you reach a goal in each category. No need to pressure yourself to achieve them all at once. After all, slow and steady wins the race.

Arguably the most important tip for goal-setting is acknowledging once you’ve worked on or met an outstanding goal. Achieving your goals takes effort and merits celebrating. So have that tiny dance party when something goes right. Remember that not too long ago that goal was merely a vision and you’ve come a long way since then. Celebrating your victories, no matter how small, gives you the motivation you need to take on more challenges. 

If 2020 and its “unprecedented times'' has taught us anything, it's that there is so much of our lives that are out of our control. Try as we might to plan every second, there will undoubtedly be things we can’t prepare for. The sooner we learn to accept this, the easier goal-getting can be. That’s not to say that planning is pointless and you should give up goal-setting altogether. Instead, set goals with the expectation that life may throw many curveballs and your goals will need to change accordingly.

Remember that goal-setting is a process that takes time to perfect. In our opinion, choosing to stay positive and optimistic for the year ahead is the best goal you could have.