When you set a goal it’s best to buddy up! Rely on friends, or a community of people, to stay motivated and help you become your best self. Friends and networks, especially healthy ones, are good for motivation and accountability. Here are some practical tips for finding these people – both near and far – to help you achieve your goals.

The Power of Healthy Friendships

People need friendships to help them thrive. Friendships are an antidote to loneliness and isolation, conditions that pose several health risks and plague people of all ages. The healthier a friendship, the more you get out of it.

Having supportive friends help us set and achieve goals. Good friends aren’t afraid to tell you the truth. Lovingly and respectfully, they’ll be honest. Setting (and achieving) goals should come from a place of honesty about where you’re at, all the stops along the way, and where you ultimately want to be. A good friend can help you reach these milestones successfully.

If you enlist a friend to work toward a goal, like running your first 5K, it’s more fun to get up in the morning for a run if you have someone to run with. Not only is it more fun, but you know someone is counting on you to meet them, so it encourages you to follow-through on your plans. And with friends who aren’t working toward the same goal as you, good friends check in, they cheer you on, and that also helps with motivation. Good friends know what’s important to you. As you set goals and seek ways to stay motivated, surrounding yourself with good people will boost your chance of success.

The Power of Accountability

Without accountability, it’s easier to lose motivation to achieve your goals. Accountability comes in many forms and see what works best for you. Accountability might look like some combo of the following:

• Use the buddy system: Ask a trustworthy friend with a knack for honesty to periodically check in on your progress. Or maybe they’ll want to do it with you!
• Make a plan: Put it in writing and share it with your buddy or support network. 
• Schedule it: Set reminders and reserve time on your calendar to work on your goals. 
• Tell the truth: Be honest about the progress you’re making on your goals. And make sure you’re honest with them if they’re working toward the same goal. 
  

Let’s focus on the way friends – aka the buddy system – can help hold you accountable. If you have goals in mind but never tell anyone, what are the chances that you’ll achieve them? The chances are slim. 

We all know it takes a village to achieve a lot of goals, we sometimes hesitate to tell others about our dreams and goals. We might fear judgement and rejection. We may worry we won’t get the support we need to achieve health goals. Here are some tips for getting over these fears:

• Acknowledge that you’re not alone. Fear of rejection is common.
• It's likely that you respond kindly and with willingness when someone opens up to you and asks for help. Imagine someone doing the same for you.
• Consider the act of asking for help as a way to practice and model vulnerability, something the world desperately needs more of.
• Contemplate what you may gain. Telling just one person about your goal may act as a perfect catalyst toward achieving it. And you may learn your friend shares the same goal, so you can tackle it together.
• Ask yourself this question: what might happen if you don’t ask a friend to hold you accountable and help you stay motivated?

The Power of Your Inner Circle

As you look for people to help you achieve your goals, start with your nearby friends. Chances are there’s someone else in your social circle who wants to dust off their roller skates, start eating more plants, or cook more and order less takeout. 

So team up with a walking buddy; start meal prepping and swapping healthy, homemade dishes with a coworker; or work with a neighbor to plant a community garden. Or all of the above! In community, we can accomplish so much and stand a better chance of achieving our goals.

The Power of a Virtual Village

It’s not always possible to meet in-person or buddy up with someone in real life to set and achieve health goals. And sometimes, you might find it easier to declare your goals and work on them with people you don’t know as well. Friendships we form and maintain online can have tremendous impact. A meaningful sense of belonging awaits us online, and it can be extremely motivating.

Here are some ways to stay motivated and achieve your health goals when your village is mostly virtual:

• Declare your goal on social media: If you spread the word and know that people are watching you, that’s instant accountability. 
• Curate your feed: Follow #couchto5k, #eatmoreveggies, etc. on apps like Instagram and Tiktok to find a virtual village that’s compatible with your goals.
• Create a shared calendar: Don’t let living far apart keep you and your friend from pursuing health goals together. Add check-ins and milestones to a shared calendar.
• Start a themed group chat: Text the group updates, be honest, and lovingly hold one another accountable.
• Phone a friend: Do you know who can hold you accountable to completing a 30-minute walk each evening? Your friend or loved one in another time zone who’s expecting you to call them during your stroll.
• Join an online group: There are lots of online spaces where people support one another in pursuing goals. Thistle even has one! It’s geared toward people who aspire to eat more plants. Check out our Plant-powered Community on Facebook.
  

Get started - state your goals, make a plan, find the support you need, and give support when others ask you. You’re worth it. Your friends are worth it. Together you can achieve your goals.