Successful Practices: Goal Setting for 2022 in 4 Easy Steps
A new year is full of possibilities. Start the new year with renewed focus through a personal inventory and goal setting. When was the last time you took quality time to ask yourself about your goals for this year—and beyond? Pour yourself a warm drink and find a quiet place for reflection. We have four questions that can help you define goals to make this year remarkable and rewarding.
- What do you enjoy most about your current job? Before you consider the future, you need to have a proper understanding of the present. While many of us could rattle off the things we’re dissatisfied with in our career, we spend less time understanding and appreciating what’s working. What are the areas of your job that give you the greatest satisfaction? What areas would you like to expand?
- Where do you want to go? What are your career ambitions? Note the use of the plural: you don’t have to have a single, rigid idea. Dream big as you think about the long term. Then, circle in and sketch out ideas for the near future. A 20-year goal without a 5-year plan is worthless.
- What can help you get there? Are there additional trainings or certifications that would give you tools to achieve more professionally? If you could attend one conference this year to grow your career, what would it be? Bring your lofty ideas down into concrete steps. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Make your action steps concrete, sustainable, and measurable.
- Who can be part of your team? You can’t achieve your goals alone. Don’t think of others as resources to exploit, but fellow travelers. Seek out other individuals that will spur you on to greater growth, even as you aid their career ambitions.
