The new year is coming quick and with that comes new goals that we want to set for ourselves. I recently read an article by  Katie author of joyoflanguages.com on goal setting when learning a new language and the tips she had made goal setting seem like the easiest thing to do.

When we think about goals we set for ourselves, we always seem to have a voice in the back of our head that tells us to make them smaller and more attainable. The theory behind it; we believe that we can reach the smaller goal and be happy than setting a big goal for ourselves and not reaching it. The good thing about big goals is that even if you don’t reach that big goal you still have improved substantially from when you started. Don’t be afraid to set that big goal because you will feel like you reach your full potential even if you didn’t reach it.

With setting goals a big thing is how long the goal should take you to achieve. The best way to achieve any goal is to allow yourself to have a time frame. Don’t make the time frame longer than half a year or else you’ll postpone starting. Keep the time frame short but reasonable that way you can focus and get the things done you need to in order to reach your goal in your time frame.

When you decide your goal and your time frame, next is to decide the concrete steps you need to take in order to reach the goal. The steps shouldn’t be crazy but they should stretch you. If you decide that you want to learn a new language in 3 months then have weeks where you do certain things in order to reach your goal. If you want to go by week, have one week be about basics, then each week after, make it a little more interesting. Add a little excitement to what you’re doing so you don’t get bored.

Getting bored of attempting to meet your goals is a common obstacle that people often meet when setting goals. The best way to avoid this is to make your goal something you’re passionate about. If you have a passion for food but want your goal to be about expanding your horizons, hone in on the goal and make the goal about trying and cooking new foods from different places.

Your goal can be anything you make it and don’t be afraid to make it something completely out of the normal. Your goal can span anywhere from getting enough at least 7 hours of sleep at night to learning to dye your own hair and dying it 50 colors before the year is over. Your goal is what you make it so don’t be afraid to be creative and stretch yourself.