Now that we’ve discussed a few positive things about the goal-setting process, it’s time to focus on something that isn’t quite so positive – making adjustments to your goal. You need to remember that you may not meet your goal on time, and you might even find yourself needing to change your goal as time goes by. Nothing is permanent, and in order to meet those goals, you might have to tweak things a little. This doesn’t have to be an overwhelming negative process, but it really isn’t a positive one either.
Remain Flexible
Flexibility is the key. This is always tougher than it sounds, especially if you have anxiety, which forces you into a rigid mindset. (People with anxiety disorders like patterns and schedules, and don’t do so well when they need to be flexible about things.) However, if you’re flexible and open to change, then you’re more likely to meet your goal, in whatever form it ends up taking.
What can you do in order to be flexible? Be realistic. You need to remember that nothing is in stone, even if you believe that it is.
Reevaluate Your Goals
Let’s go back to the beginning –what was your main goal? You may need to reevaluate it slightly. For example, if you wanted to read one book a week just for fun, but ran out of time, rather than try to catch up and read a lot of books at once, why not change your goal? You can try for one book every other week, or even set a certain goal – maybe 30 books in a year. What seems like a realistic reevaluation? How can you change your goal to make it a little easier to meet, yet still have it fulfill your “why?”
Revision, Revision, Revision
Now that you’ve reevaluated your goal, it’s time to go back through and revise it completely. Put it down on paper. Change your visualization exercises. Adjust your smaller goals and plans. Do whatever you need to do in order to make this new goal something that you can meet. You can do it!
Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Most importantly, don’t beat yourself up about this. Everyone needs to change their goals a little as time goes on. You aren’t perfect and you don’t live in a vacuum. You can readjust your goals without feeling bad about yourself.
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