Setting Goals for the New Year

Setting Goals for the New Year

Date: December 2022

Author: Mandy Dennis, RDH

As the end of the year approaches, we begin to reflect on 2022.  Each of us has moments we can smile about and unfortunately there are moments which probably bring sadness. However, every experience makes us who we are. As we reflect on what we experienced over the year, it’s also important to look forward to next year. What does it look like and how are you going to get there?

Setting Goals

Every January 1, we get a chance to start over and make resolutions.  We make personal and professional goals, which is just part of the process. To make these goals actually happen, action must be taken.  Sometimes the best thing to do is to think back to the beginning of the previous year. What things had you thought about wanting to accomplish? Did you make those happen? While it’s important not to get hung up on the negative, it is important to think about whether those things are important enough to want to accomplish them in 2023. Don’t be discouraged by the things you didn’t get to. It’s ok to move on and maybe you didn’t accomplish them because they didn’t hold the value you thought they would. or you needed accountability and support.  Appreciate and celebrate what you did accomplish. 

Break down the goal and give yourself small steps to help you achieve the goal.  

Making a Want into a Goal

We all have things we want to accomplish in life. Sometimes these are “bucket list” items we want to accomplish in life. Sometimes we put something off because of life and family. However, year after year that something creeps in as something we want for ourselves. For me, I’d always wanted to write a children’s book, however I hadn’t put the “want” into the “goal” category. This past year, I made it an actual goal, reached out to a friend to assist me in the process, broke down all of the steps and held myself accountable for accomplishing it. In February 2022, I published my first children’s book. Having goals without steps in place are just “wants”.    

Other goals could include additional training through CE courses. Is there something you’ve wanted to learn more about? Find a CE course that matches the goal you have set. There are also many topics outside of dentistry which can still contribute to us being better clinicians.

The Process

How do you put the goal into motion? Having goals means you write it down and make it happen. Are you setting SMART goals?  SMART stands for:

  • Specific

  • Measurable

  • Attainable

  • Relevant

  • Time Bound.

Putting goals on paper and breaking them down in an outline form, with specific dates to hold you accountable, will help you reach them.  Understanding things don’t just happen by accident, but by action and work will help you appreciate the outcome.  Find someone and share your goals with them and be accountable to that person. 

With this in mind, you can set your goals for the New Year and look forward to achieving them. 

 

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