Christine Marie

I don’t know about you, but I just love spring. The promise of warmer weather, longer days, and new growth around every corner is a recipe for unbridled optimism, one that we are fortunate enough to be privy to every year. Recently, while sitting on my porch for the first time this season, I found myself reflecting on the unrelenting onslaught that was this past winter.

Man, this winter sucked.

This winter sucked not just because we got record amounts of snow as late as April, but because this winter my little family experienced what has been the most harrowing, exhausting, terrifying, emotionally draining challenge we have ever faced. I don’t mean to leave you hanging, but I am not ready to write about it just yet. Maybe one day. Until then, know that we are recovering – just like those precious perennials daring to peek out from their winter cocoon, we too are reaching for the sun and optimism that the season brings.

Back to my porch on an early spring evening, I found myself reflecting on the past few months, overcome with the urge to set goals for moving forward. I’ll be honest, I am a huge advocate for speaking, creating, documenting, and reviewing goals (both professional and personal) as a guide for our own arrows – but this time around it just feels different.

Whether your winter was an unending drudge, or just another few months, spring is the season of growth and renewal, which means it’s also the perfect opportunity to shake off the winter doldrums and make progress towards your goals (or set some, if you don’t have a few in mind already).

As life continues at its unrelenting pace, we often find ourselves juggling multiple responsibilities and roles in our personal and professional lives. From managing family commitments to advancing in our careers, it can be challenging to find time and energy to pursue our own goals and objectives. Setting personal goals, or using the season as on opportunity to revisit those you currently have, can help us stay focused, motivated, and energized as we work towards living as our authentic selves.

When it comes to setting goals, whether they be personal or professional, the first step is to define what “success” means to you. I’m fully aware, “success” is a deeply personal and subjective concept, and what it means to one person may be different from what it means to another. So take some time to reflect on, and document, what’s important to you, what you want to achieve in your life (personally and/or professionally) and what success looks like for you. Take out a piece of paper (seriously, I’ll wait). Ask yourself questions like the following, and write down your answers. Don’t bother with making the paper look neat, use the margins if you must.

Start by reflecting on what is most important to you in life. Consider what principles and beliefs guide your behavior and decision-making.

• What qualities do I admire in others?
• What gets me out of bed in the morning (in a good mood)?
• What makes me feel fulfilled and satisfied?
• What do I want to accomplish in my career, personal life, or relationships?
• What are my passions and interests, and how can I incorporate them into my personal or professional goals?
• What is my definition of success, and how can I ensure that I am staying true to that definition as I work towards my goals?

Once you have a clear vision of your desired outcome, the next step is to set specific, measurable goals that will help you achieve that outcome. Your goals should be realistic, achievable, and relevant to your vision. Whether you’re looking to improve your health and fitness, learn a new skill, or pursue a passion project, setting specific goals will help you stay focused and motivated on your journey. Add steps, both short and long term, to your paper against the goals you just identified.

• What do I want to achieve in the short term and long term, and how will I know when I have achieved those goals?

Breaking down your goals into actionable steps is another key component of goal-setting. When you break your goals down into smaller, manageable tasks, it becomes easier to track your progress and stay motivated along the way. And when you achieve those smaller tasks, it provides a sense of accomplishment and progress towards your larger goal.

• What is my immediate next step? Once I have accomplished that, what is the next small step?

Tracking your progress towards your goals is another critical step in achieving personal success. Regularly reviewing your progress helps you stay on track, make any necessary adjustments, and celebrate your successes along the way. I personally use the changing of the seasons to remind me its time to take out my messy piece of paper and review my goals and make any adjustments as needed. If you find yourself falling behind, don’t get discouraged. Instead, use it as an opportunity to reassess your goals and adjust your approach as needed.

• Are these goals still relevant? Do any of them need to be updated/changed/modified?
• What have I been able to accomplish against these goals since the last time I looked at them?

Finally, it’s essential to hold yourself accountable for achieving your goals. This means setting deadlines for yourself and sticking to them. It also means finding ways to stay motivated and focused, whether that’s finding an accountability partner or joining a community of like-minded individuals.

• How will I celebrate when I accomplish X? (remember, you should celebrate your successes along the way, not just at the end)

Setting goals is a powerful tool for achieving your own objectives and realizing your full potential. By defining success on your own terms, setting specific, measurable goals, breaking them down into actionable steps, tracking your progress, and holding yourself accountable, you can achieve the success you desire.

This spring, as the promise of a longer tomorrow lifts the heaviness sitting on my heart, it feels as though these goals, these steps, are exactly what I need – and I hope they can be just as cathartic for you.