GOAL SETTING. How do you set goals and make them a reality? Are you satisfied when you meet your goal?

[MsPurple]

Hi Everyone. I thought I would make a new thread on goal setting, making a goal a reality and beings satisfied with it.

I have always found making a goal difficult. I either make them to easy or too hard. I struggle to find a realistic goal that also challenges me. It is something that I am working on.

I thought I'd start the ball rolling as I started the tread. I thought I'd share a goal I have always had and how I finally accomplished it.

I have always wanted to do a triathlon (or tri as I will refer to it as). It is something I thought would be challenging, mentally and physically. I have always had unrealistic goals such as losing x kg in x weeks. I have tried to stay away from goals like that as they do not help my self body image/satisfaction and it doesn't help with my anxiety and depression. So I thought doing a tri would be realistic thing I could do this year, with a friend of mine that also does tri. I was considering doing a shorter distance but she encouraged me to do the longer one as I am going to the gym and I am probably at my fittest I have been in a long time. So today I made this goal of completing a tri a reality. I did it today! I was so happy with this accomplishment. I didn't want to compete against others, I just wanted to finish and compete with myself. And I did it. I was happy with everything, happy with my achievement. Later this afternoon I got my time and I was a little disappointed. I finished in just over 2 hours, which is good for a first attempt. But I can't stop thinking, 'man I was so close to finishing in under two hours'. I was happier not knowing my time. Why do we become less satisfied at meeting our goals a little after they are completed? Don't get me wrong, I am now over the moon and so proud of myself, but me just having this thought of 'so close' makes me a little sad that I do this.

So I thought I would start a thread on goal setting so we can help each other set realistic goals, make them reality and to become completely satisfied with meeting our goals. No goal is too small or too big, however a realistic challenge is always good. Hope we can all show support to each other and help each other set realistic goals.

[MsPurple]

That sounds like a really good goal. I agree running in the heat may sound good in theory but heat exhaustion is a thing we can't take lightly.

I have never really run in the rain unless it starts raining mid run which means I usually try get home as quick as I can. Maybe I should try running in the rain instead of 'I can't run today because it's raining'. I would need to buy more water proof stuff though (or an over jumper)

My goal is to be able to run 10km without stopping by June. I can do 6km now (well I did in the tri and only stopped to drink out of a cup) so going up one 1km every 2 weeks will help make that happen 🙂

[blondguy]

Hi MsPurple

This is a great thread and thankyou!

I had a goal to buy an elevated block of land in the late 1980's and build a house on it (a builder did it) which I have achieved and managed to hang on to for 26 years with all the early heavy duty anxiety and then depression with a career....I am proud of that.

My most recent goal was more short term after I was made redundant in Jan 2016.

Beyond Blue (and ChrisB's endless patience with me) gave me a chance to help others on the forums. My initial short term goal was 1000 quality posts. The small goals work better with me.

My goal now is open ended. I just want to provide some comfort to people in pain with my experience. I find setting long term goals tiring. I also assist people off the forums when I can even if they are in crisis.

The pursuit of happiness/peace is my current realistic goal.

Huge Congrats to you MsPurple for completing the triathlon....The time factor is irrelevant....This is a huge achievement!!!!! Great effort & determination!!

my kindest

Paul

[MsPurple]

Thanks Paul

I agree with you I sometimes find short term goals and smaller goals easier to do at times. I think it is good for me to have one long term goal going to keep me motivated, but to get to the long goal I like lots of smaller ones.

A short term goal I am working on at the moment is running 3 days this week(5km minimum). My long term goal for this is to do an Olympic length Tri next season.

Another goal of mine is to do with my new job. I am finally starting to work as a dietitian and I am so scared I am going to screw it up. My goal is to get more confidence in myself and to increase my networks as I gain experience and confidence

Anyone else have any goals they want to share

[blondguy]

Hi MsPurple

"My long term goal for this is to do an Olympic length Tri next season" (MsPurple's goal)

Good on you! What a great attitude!. Paul

[Elizabeth CP]

Hi MsPurple, Sometimes the big goals are easier to set eg Tri as they have a definite way to tell if you succeed. The other goal of gaining confidence & increasing networks are harder to assess as they are more subjective but they are often more important than the other goals. Good luck with it.

I saw my psychologist yesterday after a challenging few weeks due to lots of small things going wrong. My goal now is to get back to writing my weekly planner every week & marking off what I have done each day. I had found this useful but let it lapse when life became too hectic. It felt like another extra thing to deal with!!! The purpose of this goal is so I spend time once a week reviewing what needs doing & writing it down on my planner which is then printed. This will help me feel more in control & ensure the most important things are done. The other side is filling it in each day & ticking off the things I need to do. The aim is so at the end of each week I can look back & be reminded of what I have done & where life has thrown curve balls so plans have changed there is something to remind me what happened so I don't feel I failed when things didn't go to plan. The constant interruptions to plans have been leaving me feeling as if I've failed because I don't get much done. Hopefully if I stick with this goal I might not get any more done but if it helps me feel more accepting of that this will help my mood and ability to cope.

[MsPurple]

HI Elizabeth. That sounds like a really good goal. It helps as it reminds you of all the things you want to do in the week. It also helps you feel accomplished when you get to tick it off. It will also help you not rush everything last minute. It is something I need to do too. I have gotten a new job and need to be more organized too. I can be hard trying to balance two jobs, a social life and managing your mental health at the same time without planning everything out. I think with your goal don't stress if you can't do it perfectly. I try remind myself that change and planning takes time to perfect. If I tick off half of my goals is still an amazing achievement.

I think I should make an organization goal like you have. Maybe if I can go to sleep and have the lights turned off at 10.30m every day before work. Even if I start by doing it once a week it wills till be helpful. I need to get into a routine.

Thanks for sharing your goal 🙂 I love it when people share