STAY GROUNDED IN THE MOMENT

Genevieve Cunningham
4 days ago
3 min read

This is the theme I want for myself this year. Last year was all about a constant “next”: six jobs, getting married, moving into Thomas’s apartment, starting a new job, moving again into a bigger apartment, and even trying out van life. Now, I’m in a place where I feel a little antsy. I’m settling, but my body hasn’t truly settled in so long, and I’m feeling the withdrawals.

Speaking of the New Year, it always comes with talk of resolutions, and the inevitable joke that they won’t last past February. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been trying to change that stereotype by building a system of goals and habits that I can actually cross off, or carry forward. I recently got to help my sister think through this, and it made me realize how I can help others as well.

Write Down Your Goals

Easy, right? It might seem obvious, but this is where we start. For example, here are some of my goals that I will adjust to make them actually doable for me:

Travel
Create a morning routine
Read
Invest money
Start working out

These are all true goals of mine, though they’re also pretty common ones. That’s why I’d love to walk through them and make them actionable. Let’s do it!

Get to the Root of Each Goal

This step is mostly for personal clarity, but it’s also helpful later on to see if your goal needs to be adjusted to fit your schedule and lifestyle while still fulfilling your core desire:

Travel → See something new
Morning routine → Create structure
Read → Expand my mind
Invest money → Prepare for the future
Work out → Be more active

Fit Your Goals to Your Lifestyle

These next steps are game changers in determining whether your goals will actually stick. The key is to fit them into your current lifestyle. You’re more likely to build habits and check things off if they align with what your body is already used to doing:

Travel with cousins – It’s hard for me to travel unless I’m pushed, and my cousins are avid travelers. We’ve talked about this over the past year, so this works well.
Start with the same habit each morning – One small habit can kickstart a productive morning and help me create structure.
Read more than last year – Since my root desire is to expand my mind and I already read last year, I’m simply pushing myself a little further.
Set up automatic investments – This allows me to prepare for the future without relying on my memory.
Join Thomas’s gym – I’m not highly motivated to work out, but I enjoy it. Having a buddy and signing up for classes motivates me, and since Thomas is consistent at the gym, this also doubles as bonding time.

Make Goals Measurable

This is so important! Measuring your goals gives you the dopamine hit of checking them off. Some goals happen throughout the year, while others won’t come to fruition until December, but all are worthwhile.

Measurable goals can be numerical or task-based. For example, if you want to work out every morning, a simple task could be putting on your workout clothes each morning. This encourages you to exercise, but even on low-energy days, you’ve still achieved a step toward your goal. This strategy helps prevent burnout when pursuing goals that require a big shift.

Here’s how it looks in practice:

Travel with cousins in April – Having a specific date gives me a deadline to plan, book, and execute the trip, aligned with my work schedule.
Walk Obi (my dog) every morning – This starts my day with an existing responsibility, helping me build a consistent morning routine without overcomplicating things.
Read 20 books – I read 15 last year, so this number pushes me while giving me a clear target to work toward.
Invest $200 in a Roth IRA – Specifying an amount and account removes uncertainty and allows me to start immediately.
Go to Thomas’s gym whenever he goes – This provides both motivation and flexibility to maintain my activity level.

Hopefully, this approach will help you create goals that are achievable—and truly tailored for YOU!