We hope you have had an exciting week so far!
Thank you for joining us in the process of making a change. As with everything, the first steps are always the hardest. Thus, if you have made it here, do give yourself a pat on your back. If you are new here, this is part three of a four part series on making sustainable changes to achieve your goals. Similar to previous weeks, please have a place where you can jot down your answers to the questions that we will be going through in this article.
Over the past two weeks, we first reflected on possible areas of change that we wanted. Thereafter, we evaluated our lifestyles and how we have been using our finite resources. This reflection then led us to prioritize our commitments and reallocate our resources so as to achieve our short-term and long-term goals. Take a moment to look at the answers that you have jotted down in the last two weeks.
Now, are you satisfied with the reallocation? If you have doubts, it is okay to reprioritize and reallocate your resources before we move on.
In this step of change, we want to reflect on our progress so far and ensure that we are moving towards our long-term goals. The process to reach our goals would take time and adjustments to the lifestyle that we are comfortable with. Hence, it is key that these steps towards our goals are sustainable for us to eventually achieve them.
Firstly, our short-term goals have to be attainable. Attainable goals are specific, realistic, and not overwhelming. Attainable goals are important in the process of change as it would act as motivation and encouragement for us to continue to progress in our journey of change. For instance, recall our example of May whose long-term goal was to learn how to play drums. Her short-term goals are as follows:
Sign up for drum classes by 1 April 2022
Watch 3 youtube videos on how to play the drums a week
Practice the motions 3 times a week for 30 minutes to improve her coordination
These short-term goals are specific as there is a set time period and frequency. Moreover, these are steps that May can take right now by adjusting some of her spendings and allocating some of her leisure time to practice. For May, these adjustments to reach her short-term goals are attainable.
Secondly, short-term goals should be aligned and contribute to reaching the long-term goal. In May’s case, all three of her short-term goals would contribute to her eventual goal of learning to play the drums. Therefore, these goals are aligned to what she wants.
Thirdly, as some lifestyle changes will be made to accommodate your goals, there are some existing behaviours that would have to change and some new ones to be developed. In May’s case, the change is to reduce the number of visits to fancy restaurants while the development is to dedicate time to watch YouTube videos on learning how to play the drums and practicing these motions. Both the change and development are helpful behaviours to reach her goals.
Fourthly, the change and development of behaviour should not break any rules. For example, May should not be dedicating the time that she is working to watch YouTube videos and practice the motions of drumming. She should dedicate her leisure time to do so. Therefore, this can prevent other issues from arising as you move towards your goal.
Last but not least, commitment to making necessary changes. As we progress, these changes and development of behaviour are fundamental to achieving our short-term goals and eventually the long-term goal. Therefore, it is important to know how much change you are willing to make for your goals. Changes and development does not need to be drastic to count. As long as you are moving towards your long-term goal, you are on the right track.
As you evaluate your plan of action, were you able to achieve the steps above? If yes, good job! You are ready to start on your journey of change. If not, do not fret. Let us go back to the drawing board. Which steps have not been achieve? Take some time to readjust then launch your plan.
If at any point you feel that your long-term goal is not what you want to achieve anymore, it is okay to change your mind. Redefine your goals, rework your plan then let’s go again! Congratulations on making it thus far. We look forward to seeing you next week for the last instalment of our series of change.