New year’s goals. New year’s habits.
As you may know from experience, most new year’s resolutions don’t see March. That’s because they’re usually more wishes than real resolutions. Instead of making a new year’s wish I encourage you to set a new year’s goal(s).
What should your goal(s) for 2023 be?
Business coaches and experts ask entrepreneurs like me to define our “why” in order to set business goals and lay out plans and tasks to accomplish them.
The answer to my why, “why do I work on women’s health and specifically in menopause?”, is
- women need to be aware of menopause,
- women need good science-based and reliable information,
- women need to know where to get support.
But recently I read—in This Year I Will by M. J. Ryan—a better approach to setting and working towards my goals.
Instead of “what is my why?”, the question becomes “what do I most want?”
- I want menopause to be normalized,
- I want women to know what to expect during the menopause journey and beyond,
- I want women to have access to good information and support.
It’s a subtle change but it has made a big improvement in how I now define and work towards my goals.
You can also ask “what to I most want?” to define your health and other personal goals.
What do you WANT in 2023?
When setting a goal, be specific about what you want to accomplish.
- To achieve a goal you need to focus your attention and resources on what is most important so you can set your priorities.
- How important is the goal to you and what you can do (alone or with help) to make it attainable?
- The goal is meant to inspire motivation, not discouragement.
- You can set goals, but if it lacks realistic timing, chances are you’re not going to succeed.
- Write it down.
- Share your goal intentions with others ( let me know what your menopause goal for 2023 is)
For better results when setting a goal make it S-M-A-R-T – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.
For example, if your goal for 2023 is to manage your menopause symptoms so you can enjoy a vibrant and productive life, then the S-M-A-R-T criteria may look like this:
Specific – I WANT to reduce my menopause symptoms.
Measurable – (What data will measure the goal? How much? How well?)
I WANT to decrease hot flashes/night sweats; I WANT to treat vaginal dryness & decrease pain with sex; I WANT to experience less brain fog, I WANT to minimize anxious thoughts, I WANT to increase my energy).
Achievable – (Is the goal doable? Do you have the necessary skills and resources?)
Do I need help? I know I can call Teresa Isabel to figure out my best course of action to improve my menopause symptoms.
Relevant – (How does the goal align with broader goals? Why is the result important?)
If I stop the night sweats I will sleep better and have more energy. If I initiate a treatment for vaginal dryness then my relationship with my partner will improve and we’ll feel closer to each other. If I control my anxious thoughts then I will feel more relaxed, work more efficiently, and enjoy my life better.
Timely – (When are you going to do this?) A vague “I’ll do it someday” or “soon” or “when I have time” is unlikely to succeed – it’s too easy to put things off indefinitely.
A timely goal sets a timeframe – I will do X (i.e. book a Discovery Call with Teresa Isabel in January), Y in February, and Z before my summer vacation. Something like that.
Go ahead: Figure out your goal.
What do you most WANT for 2023?
Write down your S-M-A-R-T goal.
Allow me to help you decrease your menopause symptoms in 2023 and beyond so you can feel like yourself again and enjoy a vibrant, and productive life.