Two Simple Words that Will Change Your Approach to Goal Setting (& Will Actually Help Achieve Them This Year!)
Here we are one month into the New Year and how are you feeling about those goals you set so fervently at the beginning of January?
Research says most people will have forgotten, or even have abandoned, those goals by now or will within the next few weeks.
But what if it didn’t have to be that way?
What if we changed our approach to goal setting?
What if we embraced a more Christ-focused approach to setting goals & actually acknowledged that slow and steady, DO in fact, win the race?
Goal setting seems to be ever changing in my life.
I used to create a mountain of a list, mostly filled with unrealistic to-do items. Then I moved towards creating goals that were more grace-based and focused as I adapted my Goals with Grace system.
The process continues to adapt and unfold and this year as I continue to work towards setting them, I’ve tweaked my method one more time.
This year I’m doing something different than I have ever done before.
I’m changing the wording to make them more than just action statements but rather belief statements.
Instead of just writing out a goal that follows the PMSART method outlined in Goals with Grace, I am adding two simple words to the beginning of each goal…
I Will
Two simple words, yet this subtle change in my mindset has already had dramatic results in just the first few weeks of the year.
It’s sort of amazing what this pronoun and verb combination do in our minds. These simple words, only five letters in length, completely change the way we view our goals.
No longer are they just something we hope to accomplish but now they are action phrases that we sincerely believe.
When I add these two words to the beginning of my goal statement, I believe I will reach my goals this year.
Simple and effective, not complicated.
When I set my goals this year, I did so by simply adding these two words to the beginning. I don’t know the science behind it but when we change our mindset from one of passivity to one of action and belief, real action and change comes.
I’m not sure why I haven’t discovered this method before but I’m sure glad that I decided to embrace it this year!
I know that now when I look at each of my goals and read the simple words I will, I will clearly see what I am working towards this year and will truly believe that I can accomplish those goals. <— see how impactful that statement alone right there is! 😉
Have you tried it?
It’s not too late. Whether you are reading this in January or later on in the year, you can restructure your goals by simply adding I will to the front of them.
Embrace the belief that you willachievee what you set out!
So what does that look like practically?
Take a look at my goal statements:
I will cultivate my faith by growing in the knowledge of the Word and strengthen my prayer life.
I will strengthen my marriage by daily acts of affirmation, affection, and service towards my husband.
I will build our family culture by pouring into and investing into each of my children.
I will embrace homemaking and create a life-giving home.
I will fill my cup with soul-care activities that pour in, so I can pour out and love well
I will continue to pour into this online community by growing and maintaining the blog.
You can read a more detailed view of my goals here, including what action steps I will take to acheive these goals.
This shift in my mindset as already been working in my heart & mind this year. For example:
When I was standing in front of the pantry ready to eat something I shouldn’t have been, I remembered my goal of filling my cup so I recited:
I will take care of my body by finishing my Whole30 this month so instead of grabbing this snack, I’m going to drink some water and if I’m still hungry in 30 minutes, I will make a Whole30 approved meal.
When I was tempted to skip my morning Bible reading to get a head start on my work before my kids woke up, I remembered my goal for cultivating my faith, so I recited:
I will cultivate my faith by spending time digging into God’s Word this morning because this is the most important part of my entire day.
When I was annoyed by a silly, non-issue, thing my husband did, I remembered how I was going to work on flirting more with him, so I recited:
I will walk over to my husband and give him a hug because he loves our family so much. Then I did and that non-issue thing was put to rest 🙂
These are just a few examples of small mindset changes I repeatively said to myself when I was about to make a choice that would have a negative impact on my heart, my faith, my family, my health, and my goals.
Just the choice to say… I WILL helped me to remember what I viewed as important for my year.
So I want to encourage you to give it a try for yourself.
Think back to those goals you set, or start fresh today.
Think through your priorities and what matters most to you and then craft Goals with Grace that are purposeful and intentional.
But instead of starting your goals with statements like I want to, I hope to or even jumping straight into the action itself (Read my Bibe every every day), add in those two simple words.
I WILL
Change your mindselt and see what happens this year.
Thanks for this idea. I have just finished going over my January calendar and I had way too many jobs not completed. Now I need to rush and finish them during these last days of the month. I will start February items with your suggestions. Thank you for helping me along the way.
Glad these two simple words helped change your mindset 🙂