Find Your Reasons Before Setting Your Goals

It’s been a while since we’ve talked about goal setting, and I want to take a different angle on it, especially as we are drafting our New Years Resolutions. Not much changes from the previous conversation. Use smart goals that are specific measurable attainable realistic and time bound. Leverage some of the principles in habit formation like starting small, being consistent, making sure you find a way to reward yourself to drive the cycle. This is all good and important, but I realize it’s missing what is most important, the bottom of the pyramid so to speak that everything depends on.

Before setting a goal or committing to a habit you need to know your reason why! You won’t have the discipline required to achieve your goals if you’re not motivated to achieve it, and your reason is that motivation. It’s best summarized in the timeless quote, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how”.

So, as you’re setting goals and getting ready to hit your stride in this new decade, ask yourself why those plans even matter. For me, my overarching “why”, the truest motivation I have, is I want to impact others and leave this world better than I found it. After gaining that clarity, we can brainstorm themes that contribute to our why, and find the tactics and resolutions themselves that support those themes.