How to set the best goals for your health journey
150 of you messaged us over the last 48 hours to tell us how overwhelmed you feel with goal setting. The main reasons for feeling overwhelmed were:
1️⃣ I don’t know where to start
2️⃣ I don’t believe I’ll achieve them
3️⃣ Fear of failure
We're so pleased to say, we're here to help! Goal setting can be really overwhelming but if we change our mindset, it can instead be incredibly exciting. After all, it’s a new opportunity to create our own personal map to what we call success. Simply changing our approach can be a small starting point.
So where do I begin?
- Buy or create a journal that means something to you.
We have a greater chance of success when something feels like our own rather than writing in a random scrap of paper or a notepad that’s been lying around. Do your goals mean so little that they go onto a scrap of paper?
- Find the right time. Don’t try to squeeze this into a “quick hour” to just “get it done.” Goal setting is important and requires time, comfort and a positive energy. Avoid doing this if you’re stressed or worried about being late for the school pick-up.
- Pick the right environment.
For me, getting out of the house and being alone was important. Few factors that were important to me: lighting, warmth & busyness. I found a coffee shop that looked quiet, had good lighting, and I tucked myself into the corner of the coffee shop, bought a green tea and stuck on my headphones.
- Pick the right tunes. Some people find better focus in silence and if that’s you, make sure you’ve got this prior to goal-setting. If that’s not you, find some music that gives you some zen. There are some excellent study music playlists on Spotify that can really help you go into a zone and focus.
- Own your journal
with your name coupled with quotes, pictures and anything else you love. By making this journal your own, you'll be look forward to using it.
- Make your goals meaningful.
Avoid creating a goal simply because your favourite influencer or a loved one has made. Goals are powerful when they mean something to you and add value to your life.
- Separate your personal and professional goals. Your job is not your entire life so take the time to set goals that appease every part of your life.
- Make goals SMART.
Make goals timely, measured, realistically ambitious and have set time frames laid out so you can track these across the year.
- Lastly, write down daily realistic habits that you’ll commit to to achieve your goals. If your goal is to do a 10K walk every day, write down the habits you’ll commit to to make that happen such as: leave trainers by the door, set alarm to 6:00am, get off the train 3 stops early at Westminster or get smoothie ingredients for breakfast ready before bed. We have an excellent blog on habit setting which you can find here .
If you have a fear of failure set a goal that is not as large. Keep it manageable and super achievable. Once you’ve accomplished this, you’ll feel even more excited to set the next goal and the fear or failure will be something of the past.
Goal setting can be incredibly powerful and personal so don’t feel the need to share it if you don’t feel to. Goal setting shouldn’t be what someone else is doing or what you think you should be doing, it’s about what you want to do. Let go of expectations and move towards meaningful intentions.








