After all the craziness of 2020, I’ll admit it’s a little hard for me to get excited and motivated about setting goals for 2021. There is still so much unknown about how we will be able to live our lives this year. 

With all the uncertainties in life, it seems to be a waste of time to even think about setting and achieving goals. I mean, why spend all that time and energy when things may come up that will keep me from achieving my goals?

Can you relate?

As I questioned what I thought might be possible in 2021, I came up with a list of reasons to go ahead and set goals. Goals that will not only be meaningful but will also help move the needle forward with my overall life goals.

Why You Should Set Goals

Every new year is uncertain

I think it’s important for us to recognize that it could be said every year is uncertain. I mean, do we ever really know what is ahead of us in the coming year? Oh, we may have a good idea, but there are always things that happen that we could never expect.

That doesn’t keep us from setting goals, though. We have hope that what goes on in our day to day lives will allow us to achieve those goals. And when life changes, we pivot and reassess what we really want to accomplish.

So, ditch uncertainty as an excuse not to set goals.

Goals provide a sense of stability in uncertain times

Think back to when the pandemic hit and things began to shut down. What did you do first? Most likely you tried to create a routine to help find a sense of normalcy and stability. 

Doing things we have control over helps to ground us in uncertain times. Having goals can help us maintain control over different aspects of our lives.

When we have goals to focus on, even if we have to tweak and adjust them, it gives us a feeling of control. And it helps us to continue moving forward until life gets back to normal.

I don’t know about you, but I accomplished so much more in 2020 than I might normally have done. Even in the midst of uncertainty, I was able to take advantage of the extra time I had because so many of my previous commitments were canceled. 

Take some time to figure out what goals could serve you well in this uncertain year. We have the advantage in 2021 of knowing that most likely this year will still not be totally normal. That makes it easier to choose goals with that in mind.

When life returns to normal, you will be halfway there

Think about it. If you don’t set goals and begin working on them now, chances are when your life starts returning to normal, you may find yourself lost and without focus.

Setting and working on goals now allows you to continue to make progress and puts you in the position to be ready when you can start resuming normal activities.

For instance, say you want to set a goal of getting your home decluttered. The first part of 2021 is an ideal time to do this. However, if you decided to put that goal off because of uncertainty, then when life gets back to normal you most likely won’t have the time to work on it.

Choosing to do what you can now will pay off in a big way in the future. You can set yourself up for future success and peace if you act on some of your goals now.