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Do you have goals to set for yourself this year? It’s okay to start goals at any point and today is a good time to evaluate goals to set for yourself for personal growth.

Goals to set for personal development

Why is goal setting important?

Finding goals to set for yourself is important to help in personal growth. These goals should guide you in your path to finding your best self. Whether that’s finding better health or mental wellbeing or even furthering your skills for career growth, setting goals can help you build a better future.

Goal setting can provide you motivation for success. By starting with an end goal, you can create an action plan that will guide you along the way. Breaking down your goal into smaller steps can help you stay on track.

Types of Goals to Set for Personal Growth

I like to think of my personal development goals in seven buckets: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, career and relationships. This helps shape what aspects of my life I want to focus on. You can pick one goal in each area or multiple goals in one area. The goals you set for yourself are based on your needs and desires for the future.

Some of us may be excelling in certain areas of our life while struggling with other areas. For others of us, we may feel we need to level up in all areas of our life. We are all unique and therefore will all have our own needs for growth. I hope the ideas below will help inspire you to set personal growth goals this year. 

39 Goals to Set for Yourself in 2023

Goal setting for personal growth

Here are examples of goals to set in each of the areas:

Physical Goals

  • Workout at least three days a week.
  • Eat more fruits and veggies each day.
  • Meal plan each week.
  • Start a yoga routine.
  • Drink 8 glasses of water every day.
  • Find a sleep routine and sleep at least 7 hours each night.

Mental Goals

  1. Read at least one book each month.
  2. Take a course and implement what you learn.
  3. Take up a new hobby.
  4. Learn a new language.

Emotional Goals

  1. Find what makes you happy and incorporate more of it into your daily life.
  2. Start a gratitude journal.
  3. Develop your self-care plan and implement daily.
  4. Learn to ask for help.
  5. Volunteer in your community to help others.

Spiritual Goals

  1. Meditate at least 15 minutes each day.
  2. Commit to daily devotionals.
  3. Read a bible verse every day.
  4. Join a bible study.
  5. Start a prayer journal.
  6. Say prayers each morning and evening.

Financial Goals

  1. Create your budget and track it.
  2. Pay off credit card debt.
  3. Save $1,000 this year.
  4. Make an extra $500 each month.
  5. Learn about investing and create an investment plan.
  6. Speak with a financial advisor about planning for your future.
  7. Pay an extra $1,000 each month to your mortgage.

Career Goals

  1. Take a class to advance your knowledge.
  2. Find a mentor in your field.
  3. Be a mentor for a new employee in your field.
  4. Join a professional development organization.
  5. Give a presentation in an area of your expertise.
  6. Speak with your supervisor about your career development plan.

Relationship Goals

  1. Schedule a set date night with your spouse each week.
  2. Reach out to friends/loved ones regularly.
  3. Join a recreational club/sports league to meet new friends.
  4. Schedule a family and/or friend game night monthly.
  5. Work on communication skills with loved ones.

How to Accomplish Goals for Personal Growth

This list is by far complete in terms of what goals you can set for yourself. Yet, it’s still a very long list of goals! I would recommend selecting a few goals to start with so as to not overwhelm yourself with too many at once.

According to a 2015 study conducted by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at the Dominican University of California, there are four steps for achieving goals. In fact, 76 percent of participants in the group who did all four steps accomplished their goals versus only 43 percent in the group that did none of these steps. 

First, select your goals and write them down. You can write them down in a journal, on a computer document, in a planner or on a whiteboard. It’s totally up to you where you want to keep your goals, but it should be somewhere you can refer back to often. 

Next, select a timeframe for accomplishing your goal. Many of the above suggestions are ongoing goals, creating a habit or ritual that you will stick to, while others are more finite. You should try to give yourself a timeframe or deadline in order to work backwards with action steps.

According to a 2009 study, it may take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form a habit. Once you form the habit, though, it becomes a part of your daily life. That’s why I enjoy breaking down goals into smaller steps. 

Hence, step three is to write down an action plan for your goal. An action plan is tiny steps that will help you reach your goal. Once you have your goal and action steps written down, Dr. Matthews suggests sharing these with a friend or accountability partner. 

The final step is to check in with your accountability partner weekly to report progress toward your goal.

An Example of Goal Setting

Let’s take one of the examples from above. If I want to set a goal of working out three days per week, I might tackle it like this:

  1. Schedule time Monday, Wednesday and Friday to workout at 5pm.
  2. Join a workout class I enjoy.
  3. Pack a workout outfit Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday night to take to work the next day.
  4. Check-in with an accountability partner once a week to confirm workouts.

While this may seem a little silly and extreme, writing out the steps to reach your goal will help make it more manageable. I don’t know about you, but I tend to feel overwhelmed when I have too much on my plate at once. By breaking down the goals into smaller steps, I’m able to focus better on the task at hand.

This example also shows that accountability is important. How many times have you set a goal to workout more or lose weight, only to falter a few weeks in? By scheduling time on your calendar, finding something you enjoy, planning ahead by packing your gym bag and checking in with an accountability partner, you are more likely to stick with your plan.

Final Thoughts 

Picking goals to set for yourself can be exciting, but sticking to your goals can be tough. Finding the right goals for your personal growth and creating an action plan may help you stick to them.

By writing down your goals and action steps, it helps you to stay accountable. Remember it could take as long as 254 days to create a new habit, so don’t give up! 

Think of goals as helping you to create your best self. Imagine your future self and where you want to be in terms of the seven buckets of personal development: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, career and relationships. If you are excelling in some areas, try to pick goals in areas where you need help. Or pick goals in each area to create a well-rounded base of good habits. 

You can accomplish any goal you set for yourself by planning out the work you need to accomplish it and then working the plan. 

Let me know in the comments below what goal or goals you are setting for yourself in 2023!

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