Are You a Goal Setter or a Coddiwompler?
Happy New Year!
May your 2021 be full of health, love and fulfillment.
Many of you have either set goals, chosen a word/mantra, or set an intention that will be your guide for the year.
Some of you find this stifling and you prefer to coddiwomple your way through the year instead (to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination).
Others like to pray to your God or do a combination of the above. The choices and approaches are endless.
There is no right or wrong way to do things. There is only what works for you. It never hurts to experiment and try things on until you find the right fit for YOU.
Sometimes you know right away what works for you. Other times it takes some experimenting to figure out what works and even that can change over time.
The key is to love what you choose.
Just because it works for one person or thousands doesn’t mean it has to work for you or that there is anything wrong with you if it doesn’t.
Let your inner wisdom be your guide. Uncover it. Listen to it. Nurture it. You know what is best for you.
I tend to be a goal setter for the priority areas of my life but I also do the word of the year, mantras, intentions and even coddiwomple in certain areas of my life. They all serve various purposes.
My word for this year “inspire.” I want to be inspired in various areas of my life, as well as inspire others.
If you like to set goals like me, I’ve found the following three ingredients key in making them a success. Try them out and see if they work for you too.
1. Align your thoughts with your goal.
Pay attention to your dominant thoughts about your goal. Notice if they are creating feelings that are leading you to want to take sustainable action towards your goal.
For example, if your goal is to submit all your projects on time this year, an aligned thought would be “I have what it takes to turn in my projects on time.” An unaligned thought would be “I’m not disciplined enough to work that efficiently.” The former thought creates a feeling of self-confidence, the latter one of self-doubt.
The key is choosing a thought you can genuinely believe.
2. Make a plan and be willing to pivot when needed.
Brainstorm the steps it will take to achieve your goal. Then break them down into manageable bite size tasks and find time for them on your calendar.
How detailed you get is up to your personality, but my preference is the more detail the better.
If you don’t know all the steps, just take the next step that you do know.
Goals rarely go as planned so get comfortable re-visiting your plan, re-evaluating, learning from your mistakes and pivoting as needed.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable along the journey. The worst that can happen is usually just a negative feeling.
That is a normal part of the journey of stepping outside your comfort zone.
3. Don’t judge yourself. Offer self-compassion.
One of the biggest lessons I learned in 2020 is letting go of self-judgement (and judgement of others!). It never adds value and only hinders your progress.
It’s one of the biggest reasons my clients get stuck.
On the other hand, self-compassion is the key to progress and moving forward.
It doesn’t mean you are always giving yourself a day at the spa. It just means you recognize you are human - you have feelings and make mistakes. The key to success is processing them in a productive manner and moving on.
Whether you are goal-setting, choosing a theme for the year or coddiwompling, these three ingredients will serve you well.
If you’d like a coach to help you fast-track your growth in 2021, give me a howl. There’s nothing like having a coach in your corner to guide, support and inspire you.