Use these tips to get geared up to successfully set goals.
Making positive and lasting lifestyle changes starts with goal setting. Whether you aspire to eat more plants, be more active, spend less time on screens, or get more sleep, the steps for successful goal setting are the same. Here are our top tips for goal setting and making positive changes.
Goal Setting Tip #1: What’s Your Why?
Goals can’t be set, let alone met, without intrinsic motivation. You may have some goals in mind, but before you embark on achieving them, take some time to explore the “why.” What’s motivating you to eat more plants? Why do you want to increase your activity level? What’s behind the desire to spend less time on screens?
So grab a notebook and start writing your “why.” Jot down whatever comes to mind. It doesn’t need to be an orderly list. Akin to freewriting or a stream of consciousness journal entry, this is a creative exercise to help you unearth what’s motivating you in your goal setting endeavors. Take a few moments over the course of a few days to get these thoughts on paper. What patterns do you see? If your goal were a mission statement, what would it be?
Hold onto these words. Tape them on your bathroom mirror. Use them as your phone’s lock screen image. Transform them into a dreamy adult coloring book-style illustration. Whenever you experience moments of weakness and vulnerability, as though you may give up and fail in meeting your goal, return to these words of goal setting wisdom. Revisit the message of your core motivation as often as needed. Intrinsic motivation is powerful; harness it.
Goal Setting Tip #2: Create SMART Goals
Now it’s time to get a bit more technical and precise. For successful goal setting, start with SMART goals:
- Specific: What exactly do you want to accomplish? What steps must you take to achieve the goal?
- Measurable: Numbers and data are goal setting superpowers. “Eat plant-based lunches Monday-Friday” is a SMART-er goal than simply aiming to “eat more plants.”
- Achievable: The goal should be realistic. If you want to start running, think “couch to 5K” instead of “couch to marathon.” But also somewhat challenging! If the achievement were easy to accomplish, goal setting would be unnecessary.
- Relevant: This is a good time to revisit your “why.” How does this goal align with broader goals and core values? Why is this goal important to you?
- Time-bound: Let’s say you want to cut your evening screentime in half. What’s the deadline for reaching this goal? A ticking clock can be a great motivator for success.
Just as you wrote down your goal setting “why,” be sure to also record what makes your goals SMART. Add this info to the notebook you used for tip number one, or use a chart or planning form. If you’re feeling visually creative or derive motivation from a pretty presentation, embellish your SMART chart with color, stickers, collage items, etc. Use whichever methods work best for you.
Goal Setting Tip #3: Break It Down
To prevent feeling overwhelmed or tempted to throw in the towel, it’s important to break a goal down into steps. This is in keeping with the “S” in SMART goal setting: What steps should you take to achieve a specific goal?
If your goal is to adopt an entirely plant-based diet within the next three months, instead of cutting out animal products cold turkey (no pun intended!), break the goal down into several smaller cumulative goals. That could look something like this:
- Week 1: Order plant-based lunches and dinners from Thistle
- Week 2: Eat a plant-based breakfast three mornings per week
- Week 3: Learn to cook one plant-based meal (here are some recipes to get started)
- …and so on
When you break a big goal down into smaller goals, you build momentum and confidence, two key ingredients to setting goals and achieving them.
Goal Setting Tip #4: Use the Buddy System
Instead of trying to make positive changes solo, invite a friend or two to join you in goal setting. You could also join a group to help you feel supported and inspired. These are great ways to inject some accountability and camaraderie into your pursuit. Two things humans need to thrive!
Let’s say you have a goal to run a 5K. If it’s a solo pursuit, you may snooze through a 7am Tuesday run. But if you plan your morning runs with a buddy, chances are you’ll show up. So find a friend with similar aspirations and team up to set and achieve those goals.
If your goal is to “eat more plants”, Thistle has a community at the ready. Check out our Facebook group: Thistle’s Plant-Powered Community. It’s a great place to get support on your journey toward eating more plants. You can also find inspiration and dozens of recipes on the Thistle blog.
Goal Setting Tip #5: Be Gentle with Yourself
Just as the importance of goal setting can’t be overstated, so is the importance of being gentle with yourself. Your journey toward making positive and lasting changes won’t be 100% smooth-sailing, and that’s OK!
When you get off course on your goal setting journey, what’s the best way to respond? First, remember you are human. You’ll have good days and bad days. On the bad days, take a nap, drink some water, do something you enjoy, review your “why,” and try a mindfulness meditation – it’s a non-judgmental and resilience-building approach to reflecting on failure and mistakes.
And remember this: consider how you’d speak to a friend or loved one about this. Nix the negative self-talk and speak to yourself in a calm and compassionate way, how you would kindly speak to a friend. If you didn’t make your goal one week, here are some things you can tell yourself
- “It’s okay, I’m not perfect, I’m human.”
- “I’ve made a lot of progress. Look at what I have already accomplished.”
- “I got distracted last week, but I’m going to do it this week.”
- “Maybe it’s time to re-examine and re-adjust some of these goals.”
It’s time to go forth with setting goals! We’re dedicated to helping you set and achieve goals around health and wellness. That’s why we always encourage readers to give a Thistle meal subscription a try. Subscriptions are easily customizable, and you can pause at any time.
We also have a plethora of great blog content to help jump start your health and wellness goal setting. Here are just a few to check out:
Eat More Plants (Thistle’s specialty!)
A Plant-based Starter Menu: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Going Plant-Based
10 Reasons to Eat More Plants
How-to Guide to Plant-based Treats
7 Tips for Easy Plant-based Eating
Get Ready to Eat More Plants
Your Starter Guide to Going Vegan
Prioritize Physical Health
Move to Improve Heart Health
10 Tips on Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
What to Eat For Your Workout Meals
Tend to Social and Emotional Health
7 Ways to Practice Gratitude
Top Five Tips for Self-care While Working From Home
Prioritizing Self-care: Healthy Meals & More
Get Started Volunteering
Create a Chain of Kindness
Take Better Care of the Earth
Top Food Waste Solutions
Tips on Reducing Food Waste at Home
Composting 101
Why Eating Clean is a Sustainable Choice
What is the Environmental Impact of Eating Meat?
Use these tips to get geared up to successfully set goals.
Making positive and lasting lifestyle changes starts with goal setting. Whether you aspire to eat more plants, be more active, spend less time on screens, or get more sleep, the steps for successful goal setting are the same. Here are our top tips for goal setting and making positive changes.
Goal Setting Tip #1: What’s Your Why?
Goals can’t be set, let alone met, without intrinsic motivation. You may have some goals in mind, but before you embark on achieving them, take some time to explore the “why.” What’s motivating you to eat more plants? Why do you want to increase your activity level? What’s behind the desire to spend less time on screens?
So grab a notebook and start writing your “why.” Jot down whatever comes to mind. It doesn’t need to be an orderly list. Akin to freewriting or a stream of consciousness journal entry, this is a creative exercise to help you unearth what’s motivating you in your goal setting endeavors. Take a few moments over the course of a few days to get these thoughts on paper. What patterns do you see? If your goal were a mission statement, what would it be?
Hold onto these words. Tape them on your bathroom mirror. Use them as your phone’s lock screen image. Transform them into a dreamy adult coloring book-style illustration. Whenever you experience moments of weakness and vulnerability, as though you may give up and fail in meeting your goal, return to these words of goal setting wisdom. Revisit the message of your core motivation as often as needed. Intrinsic motivation is powerful; harness it.
Goal Setting Tip #2: Create SMART Goals
Now it’s time to get a bit more technical and precise. For successful goal setting, start with SMART goals:
- Specific: What exactly do you want to accomplish? What steps must you take to achieve the goal?
- Measurable: Numbers and data are goal setting superpowers. “Eat plant-based lunches Monday-Friday” is a SMART-er goal than simply aiming to “eat more plants.”
- Achievable: The goal should be realistic. If you want to start running, think “couch to 5K” instead of “couch to marathon.” But also somewhat challenging! If the achievement were easy to accomplish, goal setting would be unnecessary.
- Relevant: This is a good time to revisit your “why.” How does this goal align with broader goals and core values? Why is this goal important to you?
- Time-bound: Let’s say you want to cut your evening screentime in half. What’s the deadline for reaching this goal? A ticking clock can be a great motivator for success.
Just as you wrote down your goal setting “why,” be sure to also record what makes your goals SMART. Add this info to the notebook you used for tip number one, or use a chart or planning form. If you’re feeling visually creative or derive motivation from a pretty presentation, embellish your SMART chart with color, stickers, collage items, etc. Use whichever methods work best for you.
Goal Setting Tip #3: Break It Down
To prevent feeling overwhelmed or tempted to throw in the towel, it’s important to break a goal down into steps. This is in keeping with the “S” in SMART goal setting: What steps should you take to achieve a specific goal?
If your goal is to adopt an entirely plant-based diet within the next three months, instead of cutting out animal products cold turkey (no pun intended!), break the goal down into several smaller cumulative goals. That could look something like this:
- Week 1: Order plant-based lunches and dinners from Thistle
- Week 2: Eat a plant-based breakfast three mornings per week
- Week 3: Learn to cook one plant-based meal (here are some recipes to get started)
- …and so on
When you break a big goal down into smaller goals, you build momentum and confidence, two key ingredients to setting goals and achieving them.
Goal Setting Tip #4: Use the Buddy System
Instead of trying to make positive changes solo, invite a friend or two to join you in goal setting. You could also join a group to help you feel supported and inspired. These are great ways to inject some accountability and camaraderie into your pursuit. Two things humans need to thrive!
Let’s say you have a goal to run a 5K. If it’s a solo pursuit, you may snooze through a 7am Tuesday run. But if you plan your morning runs with a buddy, chances are you’ll show up. So find a friend with similar aspirations and team up to set and achieve those goals.
If your goal is to “eat more plants”, Thistle has a community at the ready. Check out our Facebook group: Thistle’s Plant-Powered Community. It’s a great place to get support on your journey toward eating more plants. You can also find inspiration and dozens of recipes on the Thistle blog.
Goal Setting Tip #5: Be Gentle with Yourself
Just as the importance of goal setting can’t be overstated, so is the importance of being gentle with yourself. Your journey toward making positive and lasting changes won’t be 100% smooth-sailing, and that’s OK!
When you get off course on your goal setting journey, what’s the best way to respond? First, remember you are human. You’ll have good days and bad days. On the bad days, take a nap, drink some water, do something you enjoy, review your “why,” and try a mindfulness meditation – it’s a non-judgmental and resilience-building approach to reflecting on failure and mistakes.
And remember this: consider how you’d speak to a friend or loved one about this. Nix the negative self-talk and speak to yourself in a calm and compassionate way, how you would kindly speak to a friend. If you didn’t make your goal one week, here are some things you can tell yourself
- “It’s okay, I’m not perfect, I’m human.”
- “I’ve made a lot of progress. Look at what I have already accomplished.”
- “I got distracted last week, but I’m going to do it this week.”
- “Maybe it’s time to re-examine and re-adjust some of these goals.”
It’s time to go forth with setting goals! We’re dedicated to helping you set and achieve goals around health and wellness. That’s why we always encourage readers to give a Thistle meal subscription a try. Subscriptions are easily customizable, and you can pause at any time.
We also have a plethora of great blog content to help jump start your health and wellness goal setting. Here are just a few to check out:
Eat More Plants (Thistle’s specialty!)
A Plant-based Starter Menu: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Going Plant-Based
10 Reasons to Eat More Plants
How-to Guide to Plant-based Treats
7 Tips for Easy Plant-based Eating
Get Ready to Eat More Plants
Your Starter Guide to Going Vegan
Prioritize Physical Health
Move to Improve Heart Health
10 Tips on Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
What to Eat For Your Workout Meals
Tend to Social and Emotional Health
7 Ways to Practice Gratitude
Top Five Tips for Self-care While Working From Home
Prioritizing Self-care: Healthy Meals & More
Get Started Volunteering
Create a Chain of Kindness
Take Better Care of the Earth
Top Food Waste Solutions
Tips on Reducing Food Waste at Home
Composting 101
Why Eating Clean is a Sustainable Choice
What is the Environmental Impact of Eating Meat?
