Goals Just Got Easier

Get Real About Your Goals

Tis the season for goals. So why not set them in a way that you’re more likely to accomplish them? I’m not talking about lowering your standards. I am talking about getting real with the ways we get in our own way. Gabriele Oettingen’s Rethinking Positive Thinking details her research on increasing the likelihood of persisting to achieve goals. Wishful thinking is not enough to make it so. You have to admit to yourself what you do to sabotage your own success. Then you make a plan for a self-intervention when you catch yourself getting in your own way. Oettingen devised the WOOP acronym (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) which I have modified to GRACE. Here are the prompts:

GOAL: What is one thing you want to accomplish over the next month? Pick something that is important to you, achievable with effort, and doable in the next two to four weeks.

RESULT: What will happen if you achieve your goal? Picture accomplishing your goal. How will you feel? What will the results be?

ACTION: What action within your control could block your goal? Identify any of your thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that could get in the way of your efforts to get your goal.

COUNTERACTION: What can you to to counteract any internal obstacles to completing your goal?

EFFORT: What effort can you make now to get your goal?

Interested going after your goals in 2019? Want good vibes going your way? Join me on a monthly call for support, accountability, and inspiration.

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