Goal Setting Help—Counseling, Therapy, and Coaching in Johnson City, TN
What is on your to-do list today? You may be heading to work or the grocery store. You may want to skip out on your responsibilities and play video games or head out for a run. Every day, people make countless choices about how to use their time, and what they choose today affects tomorrow and the next day and the next. The little distractions of today may throw people off of a goal they want to achieve tomorrow or next week or in six months. But there is a better way: goal setting has helped many people fight distraction and stay focused upon what they value and what they want to achieve.
“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts,
liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” —Andrew Carnegie
A lot of people think that goal setting means being miserable and having to do those tasks that no one wants to do: making the bed every morning, flossing every night, eating more vegetables—to name a few. But there is another perspective: goal setting is the key to happiness, focus, and excitement. Setting and achieving goals means people living out their priorities.
Study after study has shown the value of making goals, and yet, a lot of people still struggle. One of the biggest challenges of goal setting is that anything worthy of people’s time and effort usually means sacrificing in the short-term for success in the long-term. There are no silver bullets that can by-pass this sacrifice, but there are supports and guides that can make it more manageable. Mental health professionals are offering appointments for goal setting help, and many people are responding.
The coaches, counselors, and therapists at Thriveworks Johnson City have helped many people set and achieve their personal and professional goals. Our professionals understand what it takes to focus upon what is important and block out distractions that try to hijack people’s achievement.
Setting a Goal Vs. Winging It
Most people have a general idea of what they would like to do or be or accomplish in the next few hours, days, weeks, months, and even years. But having a vision or a dream for the future is very different than having a goal for the future. Dreaming is wonderful and important. People need to dream and ask What could be? Once people identify their most important dreams, they can begin asking How can this be? Goals support people’s dreams with a game-plan.
Setting a goal helps people a number of ways, including…
- Propelling people toward taking action.
- Directing people’s attention toward their own dreams and away from distractions.
- Aligning people’s behavior and their focus.
- Building momentum so that challenges and setbacks can be endured.
- Cultivating self-control.
Setting Up the Target
One mistake people make in goal setting is thinking that they have to be miserable while achieving a goal. Goals should be challenging and exciting, not agonizing. One way of making the process exciting is setting goals in several different spheres of life and within different timeframes. For example,
- Career: In five years, I would like to be in [x] job.
- Financial: Within three years, I want to pay off my credit card debt.
- Pleasurable: I want to visit Rocky Mountain National Park within the next year.
- Educational: I want to read two books on the Revolutionary War within the next six months.
- Familial: Over the next year, I want to send a birthday to everybody in my immediate family.
- Artistic: Over the next two years, I want to participate in an online journaling community.
- Attitude: Today, I am going to listen to my significant other’s day without looking at my phone.
- Physical: This week, I am going to walk around my neighborhood twice before work on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Characteristics of Healthy Goals
While most people might dream about making the US Olympic team or starring on a Broadway musical, the reality is that for the vast majority of people, this will always be a dream—never a goal. How can people choose goals that make sense in reality? Skilled therapists, coaches, and counselors can help people grow in their self-awareness and learn what they prioritize and how they are uniquely talented. An individual’s talents and priorities often fuel the best goals.
The specific features of a goal unique to each goal and each individual who sets it, but the form goals should take is not special or unique. In fact, many of the best goals have the same set of characteristics. For example, healthy goals are often…
- Documented: People often take written goals more seriously for a number of reasons, one being that they can review and revisit goals that have been recorded. These goals can be hand-written or kept as a digital file.
- Timed-bound: Healthy goals often have reasonable deadlines. Keeping a goal time-specific often means people set smaller, less overwhelming goals as well (“spend 10 minutes today folding laundry” vs. “keep the house clean this week”).
- Specific: Goals should be as detailed as possible. For example, “I want to eat less sugar” is not as detailed as “This month, I want to limit my sweets to 2 treats per week.” Specific goals are measurable and allow people to feel more confidence and competence when they are achieved.
- Shared: Encouragement and accountability do not take the difficulty out of going after a goal, but they make the journey better.
Goal Setting Therapy with Thriveworks Johnson City, TN
Are you ready to tackle a new challenge? Do you want help setting healthy goals? Thriveworks Johnson City has appointments available for goal setting help.
If you are ready to get started, so are we. When you call our office for an appointment, you may be meeting with your therapist the following day. We offer evening and weekend appointments, and we work with most insurance providers.
Contact Thriveworks Johnson City today to schedule your appointment for goal setting help.
