How to set goals for the year plus a free goal setting worksheet included.
As the euphoria of the holidays is starting to wear off, it’s time to get buckled in for 2022.
When I started planning my move to Canada in 2018, I had specific goals in mind but infused them with a dose of reality based on my research about Canada.
It was with the same train of thought I moved to Canada eventually. I exceeded my goals last year.
A lot of focus, hard work, strategizing, building relationships, and being in the right place at the right time came into play in all this.
These are all traits that must go hand in hand if you hope to succeed in Canada, or any new environment really.
I’m starting this year in the same vein. I share the process of setting my goals, best goal setting tips and also include a free goal setting worksheet for subscribers at the end of this article.
What is Goal Setting?
Goal setting is the process of thinking about what you want, laying it out, and motivating yourself to turn your vision into a reality.
It’s very easy to have random expectations in your head or on some sheet of paper somewhere.
However, this will never translate into anything without action and the way to instigate action is by creating a plan around achieving your goals.
I’m not talking about New Year resolutions. Research has shown that over 60% of new year resolutions fall by the wayside by February 15th.
Why do you think that is?
- Lack of clarity
- Lack of planning
- Setting expectations too high or not setting any at all
- Trying to conform to what everybody else is doing because it’s in trend
- Lack of accountability and so many other reasons…
For instance, one of your goals could be weight loss. This is one of the top 5 resolutions every year by the way. Great goal but what’s the SMART plan around it?
- What kind of weight loss? – Specific (S)
- How are you going to lose weight? – Measurable (M)
- What steps are you going to follow to lose weight? – Actionable (A)
- How much weight are you going to lose within a specific time? – Relevant (R)
- What’s the deadline to achieve your weight loss goals? – Timeline (T)
That is the baseline of goal setting in a nutshell. No goal can be achieved if they are not SMART and clearly defined.
Until then, it’s just wishful thinking. For instance, some of my most important goals for 2021 included:-
- Growing my business to a place where I can be a bit more hands-off
- Recoup all the money I spent moving to and settling in Canada
- Which way do I want to go with my career? (I hadn’t planned on working when I moved to Canada but things fell in place and I ran with it)
- Start traveling again
- Meditate more
- Read 2 new books every month
- Finish the first draft of 2 books
On the backend, I devised a SMART plan around each of these goals and began implementing them the second week of January.
If you want to immigrate to Canada, it has to be a bit bigger than saying you want to move to Canada and then sending in an application.
Not if you want to be a successful immigrant.
Are you applying for the right program? Everybody goes the way of Express Entry because it’s the fastest but is it the right program for you?
Do you have enough money to immigrate? What are you going to do when you arrive in Canada?
Have you researched your intended city and tried to connect to people already living there? And I don’t mean your relatives by the way.
Is Canada even the right place for you to move to?
It’s a lot more than just wanting to move to Canada because it’s the place to be right now.
This involves the rest of your life. And it is going to cost a lot of money. Maybe most of your money. You cannot afford to gung-ho it.
Long-term planning and goal setting are required to succeed anywhere. I cannot say this enough. Now, on to the process of goal setting.
How to Set SMART Goals
Print the SMART goals worksheet available at the end of this article before you start this exercise.
What are your goals? Why do you want to achieve them? Why is it important to you? What’s the point?
How are you going to achieve them? What do you need to achieve them? Is there anything in the way of your goals?
Writing down a goal will force you to be accountable to yourself in its achievement.
Using the weight loss goal as an example, a SMART statement around it would be:-
I want to lose 15 kgs by the end of December 2022. I will join Planet Fitness and go to the gym at least 3 times a week.
I will also attend group classes at least 2 times a week. I will engage in meal prep services to optimize my diet.
I will have one cheat day on Saturdays where I can eat out. I will weigh in once on the last day of every month.
This is a SMART statement around losing weight. It’s hard to give up when your goal leaves no questions unanswered.
As the year progresses, you can reevaluate, reassess and tweak the plan where required.
As you form a habit around this, you will begin to find SMART goal setting becomes 2nd nature to you and easier to apply to almost anything in life.
Best Tips for Goal Setting in 2022
- Write your goals down but brainstorm before that. What do you really want? YOU? Not what’s trendy. Not what everybody else is doing. Not what the media or Kardashians tell you is the thing to want? It’s about what YOU want.
- Think big when setting your goals.
- Set goals within your purview. Goals that you can control and keep track of. Your goals should not rely on other people because people are mostly unreliable.
- Manage the risks associated with your goals and weigh them against the rewards. Is it worth it?
- Hold yourself accountable so you can follow through.
Download SMART Goal Setting Worksheet
I’ve created a free SMART goals worksheet printable available free to subscribers. Enter your details HERE to grab the worksheet.
You will receive an email with the download link. Click on it to be taken to the page with all the resources.
It’s never too late to start setting SMART goals and I hope this post has inspired you to go in a positive direction in 2022.
Don’t jump at everything at once so you don’t burn yourself out. Start slowly, build up over time and follow the plan.
Believe in yourself and the power of you. Best of luck in 2022!
This post may contain affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase through those links. Read full disclosure HERE.