The Greek philosopher Epictetus believed that although external events are beyond our control, everyone can observe and manage their own actions. By working toward goals that support our personal wellness, anyone can have greater resiliency and happiness across all areas of their lives.
Assess your happiness: Creating a meaningful wellness goal
Goals focus our intentions and guide our actions toward your desired outcome. Regardless of whatever your desired outcome is, everyone should form goals using the same basic framework. In Greek NLP Program we will guide you through specific steps that will help you pursue your goals.
- Let happiness guide you toward the right goal
- Begin by assessing the things in your life that bring you the most happiness and the things that cause the most stress. Identify the thing that would either maximize your happiness the most or minimize your stress in the most meaningful way in order to form your overall goal.
- Set realistic benchmarks to track progress
- Break your large goal into smaller, more manageable benchmarks that you can celebrate and learn from along the way. For example, if your goal is to drop 20 pounds, focus on losing one pound every week or two.
- Physically write down your goal and the benchmarks you need to achieve. Studies show that people are 33% more successful when they write their goals down.
- Create a plan to support positive behavior
- Identify the day-to-day things you can do to slowly progress toward your wellness goal, and how they can fit into your existing routine. Slowly implement the changes into your routine, adding more as you feel ready.
- Put in the work: The process of working toward a wellness goal
Goals can take months, years, or even lifetimes to achieve. Everyone’s journey is different, but enough effort and consistency can bring even the biggest of goals within reach.
- Commit to changing bad habits
It’s crucial to identify and change any existing habits that are sabotaging your progress toward your goal. Start by scaling back and eventually eliminating bad habits and replacing them with habits that bring to closer to your goal.
- Note physical improvements as you go
Staying motivated as you progress toward a big goal can be challenging. One way to keep going is to keep close track of improvements, no matter how small they may be. Try taking photos or recording measurements regularly to appreciate the progress you’ve made.
- Pay attention to your mental health
Another way to gauge progress is to notice how your thoughts and feelings change. If you feel confident and proud of your achievements, you’re probably on the right track. If you feel burnt out or hopeless, you may need to reassess your goal or adjust your benchmarks to make your progress sustainable.
- Seek out social support for inspiration
- Surround yourself with helpful and positive people who support you and your goals. Friends, coworkers, family, and support groups can be a great place to turn when you need advice or motivation to keep working toward your goal.
Sources: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epictetus/#MinBod
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-moment-youth/201803/goal-setting-is-linked-higher-achievement
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