A new year not only means new dreams but also new goals for many. Whether it's being able to deadlift 150 kg, run a mile once a week, learn French, drink more water or learn to dance salsa, it's important to be able to pursue your goals. Here at Gococo, we believe that setting good goals is the best way for you to live your life to the fullest. Setting goals shouldn't have to be hard or anxiety-filled, it should be fun! Start by thinking through what you really want to achieve this year!
To help you succeed and achieve your goal, we have thought about what we think is important to think about when it comes to goal setting. As you probably already know, Gococo's founders, Annie and Linnéa, are real fans of working with goals. They won the World Championship Gold in sailing by simply deciding that they wanted to win the most out of everyone on the course... Or almost, but it wasn't really that simple... First, they had sailed and trained hard and focused for 25 years ;) During all these years, many small milestones have been reached along the way that ultimately laid the foundation for finally reaching the big goal - becoming the best in the world. So even though it was an extremely high goal, with focus and will throughout the years it was still achievable! And we just say - if we can, so can you!
Write down and repeat your goals – One of the most important parts of achieving your goal is getting it into your mindset. Make yourself believe that you can do it. By repeating your goal images in your head in the morning when you wake up or before you go to sleep, you will subconsciously make your body feel that you can do this and that you can do it. Another way is to write it down on paper that you put visibly by your bed or put on the fridge. Take a look at it and repeat it out loud to yourself every day. Or take it a step further, stand in front of a mirror and say it out loud to yourself. It's scary and challenging but super effective! Annie and Linnéa's own favorite is to work with goal images, and preferably several times a day before important competitions!
Be positive in your goals – Find a positive goal instead of a negative one by turning the negative into something positive, then you will gain something instead of losing. For example, instead of saying “I will stop being so hungover on Sundays that I can’t leave my house” say “I will go to brunch with my friends every Sunday”. This way it will be much more fun and it will be much easier to reach your goal.
Make it achievable – Big goals don’t happen overnight, whether it’s winning a World Championship Gold or losing 30 kg. Break it down into smaller milestones and make it possible for you to actually achieve your goals. By breaking down your goals, you can celebrate a little along the way and then the path to the big goal will also be easier to walk. For example, if your goal is to win the World Championship, start by making a plan for how you are going to do it. The first step might be to get a really good coach or start doing more mental training. But be clear about your milestones so that you can constantly follow up and feel the success even though you haven’t reached the whole way to the big goal. YET!
Make your goals personal and specific – Your goals should be set based on yourself and no one else. Starting with an “I” makes your goals personal and gives you a greater sense of responsibility. By adding determined and strong expressions such as “I will”, “I do” or “I am”, it will be easier for you to succeed in achieving your goal.
Sharing is caring – By sharing your goals with friends, family or a supportive partner, you increase your chance of successfully achieving your goal. It will help you keep your goal in sight and not lose your grip when things get tough, because they often do. A few supportive words can do the trick when it feels like you can't reach your goal. Annie and Linnéa often talk about their goals with both Gococo and sailing and are not afraid to show where they are aiming!
