How To Formulate Your 2023 Goals

We usually have the most exciting resolutions at the end of each year. But we will forget some of them since the first months of the new year. And we are more likely to lose sight of many others by the end of the year.

On the other hand, we tend to avoid most of those resolutions that we remember because they either drain us mentally or are not compelling enough for us to sacrifice. Those last two categories are what I call missed opportunities. The reason is that every time you fail to complete a goal, you miss out on opportunities to become your best self.

Because first, there is a high probability that you are talented or at least somewhat equipped to pursue the path your mind is constantly urging you to take. By avoiding your main dreams, you are hence wasting your time and energy on things that are unimportant to you.

Second, most goals are time-bound. When we fail to accomplish them within their timing, they become less reachable.

Third, people who do not achieve their most important goals set themselves up for long-term failure. When we accomplish one goal, we gain the stamina to achieve more.

However, as we continue avoiding our dreams, we lose energy, confidence, and opportunities to learn and gain experience.

If you do not want to miss out on any more chances to succeed, here are some strategies to help you achieve your most exciting goals step by step.

How to reach my goals

According to Merriam-Webster, a dream is a strongly desired goal or purpose. However, to transform any idea into a clear purpose, you must consider your environment, identify the appropriate habits and behaviors associated with that given purpose, and, most importantly, determine what you truly want.

Knowing how to articulate your dreams will make them more compelling and realistic. And we can determine whether a dream is worth fighting for as we formulate it.

The best way to formulate a dream is to ask the following questions:

1) What?

You should know what you want before you start doing it, although you can be open to other possibilities. An idea like “I want to have money.” is unclear because having money is a passive state. You cannot make money out of thin air, but you might start a real estate company and make a lot of money.

Focusing on the action you want to take rather than the outcome you want to achieve is the best way to formulate your goals. If you want to get healthier, for example, reframe the concept by focusing on exercising, eating healthy foods, and so on, so you do not get lost in the impossible.

2) Why?

While identifying our goal helps avoid confusion, we gain stimulation when we understand why we want to accomplish something. The more meaningful that reason is to us, the more determined we are to face the difficulties that arise along the way.

For example, a person who wants to become a doctor because most people in their environment are doctors is more likely to abandon that goal if they change their environment or feel differently about it.

However, if that person’s purpose was to help people, there is a good chance they would continue to study even if they faced difficulties.

3) Who?

It is not true that anyone can accomplish anything. Sometimes, you may need to mature or evolve to achieve your dream. In other cases, it’s the dream that you will need to tailor to your specific situation.

Everything comes with a cost. If you want to achieve something, consider whether you are already a person who can handle the lifestyle that this goal requires. Are you willing to face the consequences if you can’t live that way?

For example, if you want to become a famous singer, can you handle the fame? Are you that type of person?

4) How?

It is not necessary to have a well-developed and precise plan; however, you must know the first steps that you intend to take to achieve your goal. It would be challenging to start if you did not even know the first step.

For example, if you want to be a successful writer, your first step might be reading about the subject that interests you.

You should also consider the overall quality of your actions, as they may impact your goal. For example, if someone asks you how you plan to become a successful writer, you could answer “by reading actively.”

5) When?

Most goals have an internal or/and external timeline. The internal timeline is all about you. That is when you are biologically and mentally prepared to achieve your goal. For example, if a person wants to have a biological child, they must consider their age. Otherwise, they would have to broaden their perspective.

Something as simple as your dream’s schedule can impact your success significantly. For example, if you perform better in the morning, you have a better chance of success if you also do most of your dream-related activities in the morning.

The external timeline is the time imposed on you by the law or other rules and patterns. For example, becoming president at the age of 15 is nearly impossible.

Studying at night may be difficult if, for instance, you live in an apartment where people party every night and you are not good at concentrating when there is noise.

6) Whom?

We can phrase the word “whom” using a variety of prepositions. The most important ones, however, are with whom and to whom.

Nobody can achieve success without the help of others. That is why you should try to figure out who you are supposed to surround yourself with from the start.

Besides, most of our dreams are about resolving human problems. Because human beings are very different and complex, we must identify our target audience and get to know them well before tailoring our service or product to their needs.

7) Where?

The place or modality in which we do something can significantly impact our journey, how people perceive us, and our success.

For instance, someone who sings in a nightclub near their home will struggle to reach a diverse audience. However, someone who sings on TikTok or YouTube can reach a large and diverse audience if they know how to promote their content.

A person who wants to become a YouTuber cannot simply publish content on Medium; instead, they must begin to post videos on YouTube, as that is where they want to be successful.

The covid-19 crisis made it more evident that the place or modality matters. Many people get impressive success on social media because that was where most of us spent our free time during that period. However, someone who didn’t understand the context and decided to sell on the street would have lost money.

Conclusion

Although it is not always necessary to have all those questions answered, I believe that, as soon as you start investing money and time, you must figure out these aspects of your goal: why you want to accomplish it, what it is about, and who will act (your personality, beliefs, sets of values, etc.).

Furthermore, you might have to update those answers over time because you will evolve and eventually change your mind before you achieve the dream.

However, keep the question words “how, whom, when, and where” in mind as you work toward your goal because they are often crucial.

Even though those four questions are frequently situational and can change quickly, not considering them when necessary can lead to failure.

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