Acıbadem Maslak Hospital Specialist Clinical Psychologist Seren Öztoprak Kılıç stated that the new year, new age, and actually every new day is a good opportunity for us to set goals for ourselves, and said, “Don’t wait for special days to make a good start in your life. Dates are not under your control. If you can’t control a new day, month and year, but change about yourself, you are in control. But if you want, your dreams come true and change begins.” says. Specialist Clinical Psychologist Seren Öztoprak Kılıç talked about what we should pay attention to and what we should avoid in order to be happy for life; Made some great suggestions!
MAKE “REALISTIC” PLANS
Clarifying the issue from the past year that bothers you the most should be the first step you take. Specialist Clinical Psychologist Seren Öztoprak Kılıç draws attention to the fact that you should set realistic goals on the subject and explains her recommendations as follows: “Having more expectations than your needs will negatively affect your progress. Therefore, you should make plans that are compatible with your life. Setting goals that match your interests and abilities will make it easier for you to be successful. The important thing is to know your wishes and to weigh whether it is suitable for you, and to work hard for it. When setting goals, make sure you only decide on goals that you can achieve. Otherwise, the goals cannot go beyond being dreams postponed to the next year.
CONCRETE YOUR GOALS
Make sure your goal is realistic. Difficult plans such as “I will lose 10 kilos a month” are not a meaningful goal; It may cause you to relapse. Also, don’t forget to question why you’re gaining weight. Is unhappiness, comfort, desperation or hunger driving you to overeat? Or do you lead a sedentary life? If you can determine what the truth is, you will have taken steps towards your goal.
SAY “I WANT”
One of the most important factors in the success of your plan is to be able to say “I want this” and to define it correctly. E.g; What do you want to achieve, what do you want to be? as!
WRITE YOUR PLAN
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Seren Öztoprak Kılıç warns, “Not planning is planning for failure,” and continues: “Create a timeline for your goals. Prepare a written plan for how long it will take to achieve them, and put a tick next to each goal you’ve accomplished. In this way, you will see what you can achieve and you will be motivated.”
CUT BIG TARGETS INTO SMALL PIECES
Determine your long-term goals and the sub-works you need to do to reach this goal, that is, your short-term goals. If you have goals that span a large area, break them up into small chunks. Put each piece in your action plan according to what dates it can be. Put your main goal at the end.
MAKE CLEAR AND POSITIVE DEFINITIONS
Make clear sentences when setting your goals; Being clear makes it easy to develop various strategies and tactics to achieve the goal. So instead of saying, “I’m going to save money this year,” say, “I’m going to set aside this much money each week.” Instead of “I will go to the dance this year”, use the sentence “I will go to the dance on Tuesdays and Wednesdays this year”. Specialist Clinical Psychologist Seren Öztoprak Kılıç also stated that you should pay attention to the fact that your sentences contain a positive language while implementing your goals. Therefore, using positive language is a very effective tool to be happier, more peaceful and successful. E.g; Instead of saying ‘I will not eat heavy meals from now on’, prefer the sentence ‘From now on I will eat mostly vegetables’”.
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
Continue to maintain a positive attitude about what you do; trust yourself. Share your goals with your close circle, because the best way to interact is to share! Also, make sure that your conversations are more about what’s accomplished, not about goals that haven’t been met.
PUT YOUR GOALS WHERE YOU CAN SEE
Write down exactly what you want to achieve on a piece of paper and hang it where you can see it every day. This will be a reminder for you what to watch out for. For example, instead of writing “I’m going to make time for my family” and hanging your note on the refrigerator, when you enter the house, hang it on the opposite wall and be clear: “I will have dinner with my family at least once every two weeks”.
DON’T LOSE YOUR FAITH
“Remember that failures can always happen. You may have messed up the diet you just started on Monday night. But that doesn’t mean not being able to start again on Tuesday.” Specialist Clinical Psychologist Seren Öztoprak Kılıç continues: “When there are disruptions, don’t lose your faith and motivation. As long as you try, you will see the rewards. Just don’t give up on your effort! Babies fall on average 200-250 times as they transition from crawling to walking. Every fall is a reason to get up. Experience and learning on the way to success in every failure”
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
Life doesn’t always give us everything we want. But the realization of your goals is in your hands. You should make yourself aware of this, know your responsibilities and act accordingly.
AWARD IMPORTANT
Recognize your achievements, be proud of yourself. Reward yourself with a small gift for each goal you reach. E.g; like a cup, a book, an ornament! In this way, you will motivate yourself and you will be more stable.
GET HELP IF YOU NEED IT
On realizing your goals; Get help from your children, spouse, family, and even from an expert if necessary. In this way, you will not be deprived of the support you will receive from your closest relatives.