How to Set Holistic Goals for the New Year
Are You Setting Goals This Year?
Jessica Powell
Statistics show that 80 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions fail to keep them (Luciani, 2015). You’ve probably heard that the key to sticking to your New Year’s resolutions is to create specific, measurable goals.
But what happens after you reach that goal of losing ten pounds? Will you keep your new exercise routine going or will you let it slide since technically, you reached your goal?
This demonstrates the importance of a setting superordinate goal that is related to your more specific goal.
Superordinate goals sit at the highest level of your goal hierarchy and are vague, and subordinate goals define precisely what to do and how to do it (Hӧchli et al., 2018). These different levels of goals work together to ensure you’re successful in keeping your New Year’s resolutions.
When it comes to taking a holistic approach to goal setting, it’s important to consider both the physical and mental aspects of your well-being. Read on to learn how to set effective goals in each area and how to combine them to create your overall holistic goals.
Photo by Melanie Ruth Photography
PHYSICAL GOALS
Physical goals are often the most common type of goal found on our list of New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s to lose weight, to eat healthier, or to try a new hairstyle, these all deal with physical appearance. However, most people only write subordinate physical goals, so let’s discuss how to write superordinate physical goals.
For example, let’s use the previously mentioned goal of losing ten pounds. This specific goal falls into the mid-level of your goal hierarchy, since it tells you what to do, but doesn’t quite mention how to do it.
To create a more effective physical goal, start from the top and work your way down.
What is the highest level of your physical goal? This could be to have a healthier body or to be in better physical shape. This is your superordinate goal.
What is the mid-level goal related to your superordinate goal? This could be to do some form of exercise, but you should be more specific here. Using the previous example, your mid-level goal could be to lose ten pounds.
But how will you accomplish this?
This is where your lowest level, or subordinate goal, comes in. This could be to do Pilates three times a week, or to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Now, you have a complete goal hierarchy related to your physical well-being. Here’s what your goal looks like:
“My goal is to be in better physical shape. I am going to accomplish this by losing ten pounds. I will lose ten pounds by going to my Pilates class three times a week.”
You can’t get any more specific than that—although if you wanted to, you could specify how you’re going to get to Pilates class that often, to which the answer is: discipline.
By combining your superordinate, mid-level, and subordinate goals, you’ve created a physical goal that gives you specific details on how to reach it. By adding a superordinate goal, you now have an overall motivator when you’ve reached your specific goal.
Photo by Victoria Gloria
MENTAL GOALS
Anyone who follows a holistic lifestyle knows that your mental wellbeing is just as important as your physical wellbeing, and in fact, the two are intertwined. Learning to set goals for your mental health will help ensure you’re in the right mindset to fulfill your physical goals.
Perhaps your overall mental health goal is to be more aware of your thoughts and emotions. Let’s look at the goal hierarchy for this goal.
Your superordinate goal is to be more self-aware. However, this doesn’t specifically mention how to do that.
This is where your mid-level goal comes in. This goal could be to journal more or to keep a mood diary.
Finally, the most specific level of your goal could state how often you’d like to journal to reach your highest goal of better self-awareness.
Combining these together to create your goal hierarchy, this goal becomes: “My goal is to be more aware of my thoughts and emotions. I am going to accomplish this by journaling every night before bed.”
You now have an overall goal for your mental health and a specific, measurable way to reach it. This is the key to effective goal setting.
Photo by Victoria Gloria
HOLISTIC GOALS
Your physical and mental health go hand in hand to determine your overall wellbeing, but it doesn’t stop there. As humans, we’re complex creatures, and the more ground you can cover when goal setting, the better. If you’re feeling creative, why not set some spiritual goals if that’s something you’re into?
Leave a comment below with some of your holistic goals for the New Year!
References
Höchli, Bettina, et al. “How Focusing on Superordinate Goals Motivates Broad, Long-Term Goal Pursuit: A Theoretical Perspective.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 13 Sept. 2018, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01879/full.
Luciani, Joseph. “Why 80 Percent of New Year's Resolutions Fail.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 29 Dec. 2015, health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2015-12-29/why-80-percent-of-new-years-resolutions-fail.
Jessica Powell is a freelance writer and Tampa native who credits yoga and plant-based eating for starting her holistic health journey. She runs a lifestyle blog and enjoys reading poetry in her free time.