By Trafalgar’s Editorial Team
This Content is Created By Kinga Burjan, M.A., R.P.
Goal Setting Prep
What is Goal Setting?
Hi there, thank you for joining me on your wellness journey. My name is Kinga Burjan and I’m a registered psychotherapist with Trafalgar Addiction Treatment Centers.
This video is for you, if you’re not quite sure what kind of goals you want to set in your life.
For this first step, I’d like you to identify what you know best about yourself, what areas do you have the most insight in? Feel free to pause the video and make a list of different areas of your life: And any strengths and weaknesses that you might have.
Now, identify what you’d like to learn about yourself. What areas do you feel that you actually want to understand better?
For example, maybe there’s an unhealthy behaviour that you’re engaging in and you’re wondering why you’re doing it. Or perhaps there is this certain relationship pattern you get into and you’re not sure why.
Next, prioritize what areas are more important for you to understand than others, what’s most critical for you to understand?
So, for example, you might notice that in different areas of your life, say at the workplace and with your family relationships, there is an issue that comes up around communication. So this might be more critical because it affects more than one area of your life.
If you’re not sure where to start, write down the different areas throughout the week, jot down what you’d like to work on so that by the end of the week, you’ll have an overview of where you could possibly make a positive change in your life by starting with understanding that area first.
Next, identify what small steps you need to take in order to learn more about this area.
For example, you might want to journal about this topic, track it throughout the day and write down what you notice, bring it up to someone that you trust for their insight. Connect with a professional or a peer support group to learn more about this topic and in essence, more about yourself.
Identify what barriers might get in the way
What could prevent you from taking the necessary steps? Could it be the way that your life’s currently structured, perhaps associating with someone that brings you down? Perhaps just the different energy levels you have during the day and there might be a more productive time of the day to review and reflect rather than another part of the day.
The first step is usually the hardest
This is the step where you overcome the inertia of not following through with things from the past. Determine what your first step will be. Make it as simple as possible, what date you’ll start the first step and how you can be accountable to getting this first step accomplished.
Remember that many of our small decisions throughout the day help us move us in the direction of our goals. And other decisions, move us away from our goals, even if they don’t seem like big steps.
For example, at night you have a choice of watching TV or practicing your guitar. If you play guitar, you’re welcome to watch TV. But even if you make that choice to practice your guitar for five minutes, then you’re creating an action step to move toward your goal.
And the more time you spend practicing that step over and over again, the easier it is going to be and that practice will compound, so, over time you will see the positive benefit of that practice.
Don’t give up. Each day is an opportunity to work on your wellness and create a meaningful life. Thank you for joining me in this video and be well.
