Setting Achievable Goals in Sobriety

I don’t know about you, but in my case, if I just think about things or talk about things I want to do, I don’t do them. I have to set clear goals, and that means writing them down and committing to them.

I remember reading about a study that showed people who came up with concrete goals and wrote them down were more likely to reach them than people who just sort of imagine the goals they’d like to achieve.  My experience certainly bears that out.

Setting goals doesn’t have to be a painful exercise. I have a few rules because in the past I’ve set unachievable goals. I’d find that list a few years later and read through it and feel like a real loser. So rather than setting big grandiose goals I set small goals that will lead me to the place I want to be.

Avoid grandiosity.  If you can’t carry a tune don’t make a goal “Win American Idol.” If you prefer working in a public service sector, probably shouldn’t make the goal “Make a bazillion dollars.”  Being realistic will make the goals achievable and the feeling of accomplishment when you meet your goals spurs you to take even more action to meet higher goals.

So, instead of setting the goal “Lose 40 pounds” make the goals:

“Walk for 20 minutes in the evening”

“Cut out nightly desserts  to one per week”

“Substitute whole grain cereal for Pop Tarts” (grin)

Those are achievable, discrete goals that lead to the ultimate goal of losing weight.

Many of you might be saying – hey, this is sort of like the principle “One Day at a Time” – exactly. We all know where “I swear I’ll never drink a drop again” got us when we were drinking.  I Won’t Drink Today is manageable, doable. It’s the perfect example of good goal setting.