by Maria Mylona

As we slowly leave winter behind us, the desire to make a change in our lives by setting new goals, through which we will adopt a sense of order in our lives as opposed to the chaos that may prevail in our times, is created. When you have goals you feel more productive, enthusiastic, optimistic and less sad. Optimism is inextricably linked to advancing our goals, which must be aligned with our values and personal growth.

To begin, write a list of your life goals (Life Goals). Its structure is no different from a simple bucket list, but this time it will not be about a holiday trip, but the journey of your own life. Then set the length of time in which you wish to accomplish each thing included within it. It is important to target and set a time frame in which things need to be completed, otherwise procrastination will take over believing that we have time… and time will pass without being constructive.

In addition, it is important that our goals are realistic, otherwise the frustration will be double, psychological and practical, if something does not go according to our plan. Our expectations act as a guide to our behaviour in the present so that our hope for the future can flourish. Of course we need to distinguish how we use the widely known words “hope” and “optimism”. Hope = is related to the events we control, as it enables us to discern how our goals will be achieved. Optimism = the anticipation of a positive manifestation of events, whether we control them or not. We just believe that everything will work out! In conclusion, it is useful to know in which situations we have control and in which we don’t. For example, we have control over the diet we choose to follow, but not over some unexpected weather events. So too, our goals must be specific and within our control.

This can be more easily achieved by breaking down large and difficult goals into smaller ones, to avoid any frustrations, because we will see our daily but easier goals come to fruition. In addition, our ability to think positively about the future develops. We gain motivation and optimism. Consequently, a desire for positive change.

Our life story in conjunction with our goals are usually in perfect harmony. Goal setting represents our departure from a life trajectory that no longer serves us. Do not fear any failure, as our brain craves routine and will do anything to resist change.

Maria Mylonas is a Psychologist and a professor of psychology. She is a Synthetic Psychotherapist. She is trained in Positive Psychology by Stanford University. She holds an MSc in Health Psychology from the University of Surrey and a BSc in Evolutionary Psychology from Empire College, State University of New York. She is also certified in the application of Psychometric Testing by the University of Cambridge. E-mail: contact@mariamylona.gr