Small goals

“Make small obtainable goals!” is what we hear most of our lives growing up in school from teachers. I’ve never really thought about this until this point in my life where I am trying to grow and make changes in my life to be happier and live a calmer life. An example I’ve heard in therapy is that if someone wants to start going to the gym in the new year, they usually make a goal to go 3 times a week. If they currently go to the gym 0 times a week, 3 times is usually way too many to start out with. In a lot of cases, it is better to start out with 1 day a week as your goal. This is more attainable and if you achieve it, your brain will be happy. When we divert too far from routine, our brain gets scared and can sometimes just not accomplish the goal at all.

Going along with the example, I used to be the goal setter that would try for 3 days a week. I’d attain it for a few months and then it would just disappear from my life. As I’ve gotten older I have learned that I need to start with 1 day a week and slowly build up. It’s okay sometimes for goals to fall through as we grow and change, but for the goals that I want to be long lasting, starting slower than I think is always a good option because I can slowly build it up as I see fit.

Do you ever set goals that are too large to complete? Could setting smaller goals and building up to your ideal be beneficial to you? What are some of your small goals? Comment below!