Do you like to set new year’s resolutions? Or maybe you like to set new goals on your birthday for the coming year. Maybe you set new goals whenever you feel like it throughout the year.

Goals are super important for helping us achieve our dream life. They give us something to strive for, to be motivated by. They encourage us to do better and be better. 

But a year can be a long time. A lot of things can happen in a year. Not only can our outside circumstances change, but our mindset and priorities can change as well. I mean look at last year, nobody in January 2020 saw the rest of the year coming.

You might start the year with the goal to travel a lot, but then find out your pregnant and will have to conserve your sick time. Or you might set the goal of creating a new product and then realize that you are actually more interested in creating an online business or a service business. 

What should you do when your goals are not or can no longer be your goals?

1. Assess

The first thing you should do is really assess your original goal and determine why it is either no longer possible or why you no longer wish to achieve it. You shouldn't only do this when you come across an issue, but instead you should regularly assess your goals and your progress towards them throughout the year. I like to make my assessments either monthly or every 3 months, depending on the goal.

When you perform this assessment, you should really evaluate why this is no longer a goal for you.  If you are following the example that pregnancy is preventing travel, then that's pretty cut and dry. You can postpone that goal for when travel is more realistic. 

In the second example, more consideration may be necessary. You want to evaluate if this is just something you no longer want or if you are just finding it to be too much work. If it just is no longer a priority, then take it off your goals list and make room for something you truly want. 

If on the other hand, the problem is you find it intimidating to find the time to research products and find manufacturers, and figure out shipping, you may want to instead take a step back and plan. Break the goal down into bite sized tasks, reassess your calendar and make time for your goal. Creating a plan can help you realize that what seemed like an intimidating goal is actually possible. 

2. Adjust Your Goal

During your assessment of your goal, you may discover that a goal is not possible in the time frame you set. For example, you may find that in trying to achieve your goal, you learn that there are things that may need to happen first that you were not aware of when you set the goal.

Maybe you set the goal of finding a job in a new industry but in searching job notices, you find that the job requires a certain degree or certification. You still want to switch fields, but you realize that the certification you will need will take time to achieve.  You can adjust your goal to fit your new timeline.  You may decide that your new goal for the year will be to find a degree or certification program and begin your studies. 

There are many situations where you may set a goal and then as you start working towards it, you discover that it will involve a lot more time or resources than expected.  This doesn't mean you should no longer pursue it, but you may need to adjust time frame or set smaller intermediate goals that will lead you towards your big goal.  

3. Replace Your Goal

So you decided that your original goal is just not possible or no longer desired. Time to take the rest of the year off. Just kidding!

When you take one goal off your plate, it's time to replace it with a new goal. This goal should take into account your new set of circumstances or priorities and should bring you closer to that dream life. You know, that life where you have time for the people and activities you love and you spend your days the way you want to. I mean you may still have diaper changes and dishes to wash, but you are able to pursue your ambitions and the way you spend your time matches your priorities.

Need help setting good quality, motivating goals? Check out my post on Goal Setting. 

Have you ever had a goal that stopped being a goal?  Share in the comments. 

Cheers,

Emily