Setting Goals for 2020

I love fresh starts. As much as Mondays suck, I’ve always thought of them as a “reset” button - the perfect day to get back into exercise or healthy eating (or any other habit I’m desperately trying to form). For this reason, I love new years too. It always feels surreal to be at the start of a brand new year, with endless possibilities. It also feels like the perfect occasion for huge celebrations. But this year, things were a bit different for me. In all honesty, 2019 was exhausting. It was busy and messy and a wild ride. Due to the academic demands I had to meet, every other aspect of my life took a backseat. So instead of being wildly excited for new years celebrations, I just felt a bit tired. The idea of quietly easing into the new year, was too appealing.

I decided to approach my goals for 2020 a bit differently. Every year for as long as I can remember, I’ve had a somewhat ambitious, unrealistic set of new years’ resolutions that I never really stuck to. As a result, I realised that my goals every year looked the same, and I never really formed any new, positive habits. In terms of academics, I tend to be quite driven so I’ve never really had to set very specific goals in that area. The main “goal” was always just to do as well as I possibly could, no matter what (which wasn’t always the healthiest thing but we learn).

“Every year for as long as I can remember, I’ve had a somewhat ambitious, unrealistic set of new years’ resolutions that I never really stuck to. As a result, I realised that my goals every year looked the same,”

However in other aspects of my life, I wanted my goals to be a bit more specific and measurable, whilst still being flexible and not feeling too structured. In the last few weeks of 2019, I sat down with my journal and set goals in about 4 or 5 categories. Over a few days, I referred back to what I had written, changed and reworked things, and then wrote down a list that felt right going into the year with. But I plan to keep my goals quite fluid. Every month or two, I’ll sit down, reflect on my progress and decide if the goals are still worthwhile and work for my life. I don’t want goal-setting to be something I do once a year and then forget about. I want it to be an ongoing and intentional process that guides the decisions I make.

In 2020, I am going to face some of the biggest changes of my life thus far (some of which are already happening)! Whilst 2019 was a year of ambitious goals, aiming for success, working hard and making what felt like an endless stream of sacrifices, in 2020, I want to give myself the space to step back from the immense pressure I have placed on myself to do well academically and give myself the same to enjoy my youth and freedom. Working hard and doing well academically will always be important to me - that’s just who I am. But I want to teach myself not to use it as a measure of my self-worth and learn to separate myself from my marks (it’s a process).

As good as it is to be goal-orientated and driven, the truth is, sometimes things just don’t go according to plan. It doesn’t mean we’ve failed. It just means we need to be flexible. We need to be able to adapt our plans and goals as life throws hurdles our way. Finding a good balance between being goal-orientated and letting your goals and plans consume your life, can be tricky. But the more you work at it, the more natural it will feel and eventually you will find what works for you.

Nabeela Parkar is one of our monthly Comeback writers. She has a keen interest in writing and would be more than happy to read her way through an entire library. She enjoys being challenged and facing tasks that require her to think for a little longer. She is fascinated by maths and science and also have a deep appreciation for the ocean, mountains and the natural world at large. She is currently in her last year of school and is on the path of deciding what to do with her life as of next year. She’s an avid believer that whilst everything happens for a reason, taking action towards achieving your goals and dreams is key.