My last post explored some of the reasons New Year’s resolutions are often short-lived. In this post, I’ll explore some approaches to setting and achieving goals which can increase your chances of success. Here I’ll focus on the importance of knowing yourself. I’ll share links to activities designed to enhance your self-awareness and which may inform your approach to goal setting.
Understanding why achieving a specific resolution or goal is important to you is key. If your goals align with your values, strengths and personality, you’ll be more motivated to achieve them.
Your Values
Values will guide the decisions you make, the people you become friends with and the jobs you apply for. If the choices you make align with your values, they’ll feel comfortable. You’ll probably have a good idea of many of the values that are most important to you but here is a link to a comprehensive list of values. From this list, select your top 10 values. Use this checklist when setting goals or making resolutions to ensure they’re in alignment with one or more of your values.
Your Strengths
Strengths hold the key to how you approach goal setting. Harnessing your unique Strengths- the things you’re both good at and enjoy, can make achieving your goals energising and fun. Understanding your strengths can ensure your approach is more likely to lead to success.
For example, if you have the strength of Creativity, a visual approach to goal achievement- a collage or colourful picture may be a more stimulating way to achieving and keeping track of your goals than a spreadsheet. Capturing your goals in that way will appeal more if you have the strengths of Detail and Planner.
When you spend time using your Strengths, you’re more likely to be in what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes as ‘Flow’ …when you lose all sense of time you’re so absorbed in what you’re doing. Using your Strengths is energising. Doing so and means you’re more likely to attain your goals.
When I make time each week to write posts for my blog I experience Flow. Time passes and three hours can go by in what feels like in an instant while I’m absorbed in the writing process. It’s perhaps no surprise that my Strengths profile includes Writer.
Strengths profile
If you’d like to know what your Strengths are, here’s a link; one to a FREE profile and one to an Introductory profile (£15.00 + vat) which provides a more comprehensive and detailed profile of your unique Strengths.
What’s Personality got to do with it?
Another interesting aspect of goal setting links to Personality. The Big 5 Personality theory identifies your Personality traits across 5 dimensions. This link outlines the theory in more detail. Below is a brief summary of the 5 dimensions:
- Openness to Experience – prefers routine, practical vs. imaginative, spontaneous.
- Conscientiousness – impulsive, disorganised vs. disciplined, careful.
- Extraversion – reserved, thoughtful vs. sociable, fun-loving.
- Agreeableness – suspicious, uncooperative vs. trusting, helpful.
- Neuroticism. – calm, confident vs. anxious, pessimistic.
Completing the Big 5 Personality questionnaire determines where your traits sit. If you’ve not completed one before, here’s a link to a FREE version of the questionnaire.
Personality and goal setting:
Personality traits influence an individual’s motivational patterns. In relation to goal achievement, that means:
If you’re an Extravert you’ll prefer extrinsic motivation, rewards and recognition. Goals may involve social interactions with others or public achievements. If you’re an Introvert, you’re more likely to set intrinsic motivational goals for personal satisfaction.
If you’re Conscientious, you’re more likely to set ambitious goals and employ effective self-regulation, breaking large goals down to manageable tasks, maintaining consistent effort.
Openness means you may set goals with a learning orientation as you’re are motivated by curiosity. You’ll view challenges as growth opportunities.
Neuroticism suggests you’re likely to focus on goals which avoid failure rather than achieving success. You may prefer to set less challenging goals to minimise potential disappointment.
If you have Agreeableness as a trait, you may set goals which benefit others or which focus on harmonious relationships.
Source: Big 5 Personality Traits: The 5-Factor Model of Personality
The goals you set may be more likely to lead to successful goal achievement if they link to your Personality traits. However, effective goals should require a degree of stretch and discomfort as you learn new and different ways of doing things and create new habits. Goals which are too comfortable risk resembling a ‘to do’ list, so don’t be constrained by your personality traits when creating yours.
The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Og Mandino.
Coming up:
My next post will focus on how to create new habits. If you’re looking to improve your productivity, write that screenplay, make a career move or improve your health and wellbeing, I’ll explore some practical approaches to help you succeed.