New Year’s Strategies: Setting and Accomplishing Goals as a Couple
Do you want to focus on accomplishing goals as a couple, especially now that the New Year is here?
More than any other time of the year, people tend to evaluate their lives as they put a new calendar up. They decide if they’re happy with how they’re living and resolve to change for the better.
Sadly, most fail to accomplish what they set out to do. In fact, according to a University of Scranton study, only 8% of New Year’s goals are reached as shared by forbes.com.
While that statistic can feel discouraging, you can still accomplish your goals as a couple this year. In fact, working at goals together will make meeting them easier.
Accomplishing Goals as a Couple Increases Your Odds of Success
Ever try going on a diet while everyone else in your house was eating junk food? If so, chances are that your attempts to eat healthier were derailed pretty quickly.
You felt like you were having to constantly fight against the current. Eventually, you got tired and gave up.
That’s because goals are difficult to achieve on your own. They’re even tougher to find success in when goals that are important to you aren’t important to your partner.
But what if you and your partner decide collectively that something has to change in your lives?
You’ve now laid the groundwork for a much more obtainable goal because you’re on the same page. You’ll be able to hold each other accountable to that goal, problem solve when obstacles arise and encourage each other along the way.
Too Many Goals Will Hinder Accomplishing Goals as a Couple
One accomplished goal is worth far more than 10 unaccomplished goals. We all have many things we’d like to change about ourselves. At times, it’s easy to become so frustrated that we set too many goals at one time.
Setting too many goals almost guarantees failure. The best way to handle goal setting as a couple is to focus on the one goal that’s most important to you. Once you make that goal a habit, you’ll be ready to set the next goal.
Until then, be kind to yourselves. You don’t have to be superhuman. You only have to be committed and consistent.
What Goal Should We Focus on First as a Couple?
Everyone’s New Year’s goal setting as a couple will be a little different. That said, a great question to ask would be, “Is this the most important goal to accomplish first?”
It’s important to keep your focus. Have a heart-to-heart discussion before goal setting to make sure that what you hope to accomplish is worth the sacrifice. If not, come up with a different goal that is.
What is a potential goal you can set as a couple? There are many possibilities but here are a few categories your goals will likely fall into:
· Spiritual
· Relational (as a couple and/or with your children/grandchildren, etc…)
· Financial
· Generosity towards others (in time and/or resources)
· Mental Wellness
· Physical Health
· Educational
Accomplishing one goal in a certain category will make it easier to reach your next goal.
For instance, achieving your financial goals would allow you greater ability to be generous towards others. Also, meeting a physical health goal would greatly improve your mental wellness.
That’s the encouraging part about goal setting. The more goals you accomplish, the more empowered you’ll be. You develop a forward momentum as a couple, which improves your relationship and the lives of those around you.
Summing things up, Dr. Barton Goldsmith had this to share about accomplishing goals as a couple in his Psychology Today article, “Goals Are a Relationship Necessity—Here Are Ten Tools to Help”:
“I believe that happiness comes from moving toward what you want, not necessarily getting it.”
Do you need to change for the better as a couple in 2019? Change can be tough but you can greatly increase your odds of success by taking part in couples’ therapy.
You can easily schedule an appointment with Therapy With Compassion. Our Valencia, CA counseling office is conveniently located 12 miles from the San Fernando Valley.