Three Benefits of Goal Setting

Looking for more motivation? What about more ownership of your life or more positive emotions? Goal setting might be the key! Keep reading to learn about the three benefits of goal setting.

More Motivation

There’s nothing like goal setting to help you get to where you ultimately want to go! Especially when you face setbacks that might ordinarily derail you.

“Not completing a goal can feel like a failure, but in truth, these setbacks are a part of long-term success,” according to Healthie . “Talking through the setbacks, and creating new goals to help address these underlying issues, will allow [people] to break down their barriers to change and create sustainable change.”

The way you talk to yourself can help you stick to your goals when you’re having a hard time. For example, you might choose to say something like this to yourself: “I’m never going to get up early consistently. I will never have the motivation to get all my chores done early enough so I can go to bed on time and then wake up when my alarm goes off.”

Instead, say something like this: “I’m not where I want to be yet. I’ve been struggling with going to bed early and waking up early, but I’m working on it.” This way of thinking about things will help you stay motivated to stick to your goal.

More Ownership

“When you set goals, you are saying ‘This is what I want to accomplish. This is what I’m going to do,’” says Thomas R. Harris at The Exceptional Skills . “You are stating what you want and doing something about it. You are taking responsibility for yourself.”

Instead of relying on fate, goal setting gives you ownership over your life, even if you are experiencing hardships. For example, let’s say you have a goal to write a book by the end of the year, but you get carpal tunnel syndrome in February, and typing becomes really difficult. Instead of giving up on writing, your goal can motivate you to find creative solutions, and you can still make progress! (Even if your novel turns into a short story.)

More Positive Emotions

Accomplishing things without having specific goals is good, but when you set goals and accomplish those, that’s even better! It gives you a nice mood boost.

“The dopamine release you get from achieving your goals is like a little reward for our brains that continually motivates us to try and hit that next goal!” says Mark Lynch at Lifehack. “Having some clearly defined goals will help you to feel better about yourself and your life in general, especially when you stick to those goals, actively work towards achieving them, and end up accomplishing and surpassing your initial expectations.”

Goal setting can help you enjoy your life more, especially when you really absorb the sense of direction and purpose that comes with it.

At Northwind Apartment Homes , it is our goal to help our residents live happy! We encourage you to set goals with us to feel more motivated, have more ownership, and experience more positive emotions. Let’s make 2021 our own!