Resolutions. Goals. Progress trackers. Vision boards. Bullet journals.  

With the arrival of the new year also comes the inundation of these all-too-familiar buzzwords, each one reminding us that now is the time for setting goals. 

For those of us feeling the overwhelm of not having it all figured out as soon as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, the debut episode of the We Spotlight season of the NPW podcast brings some much-needed reassurance and advice for setting achievable, yet measurable goals for the next year.   

On this week’s episode, Simone Roche MBE was joined by Sam Walker, award-winning broadcaster, podcaster and NPW co-host extraordinaire, as they discussed their goals for 2022 and how they plan to achieve them. 

Rather than projecting lofty and unattainable aspirations to where you should be in December 2022, both Sam and Simone advise that being kind to yourself should be the first item on your list of new year aspirations. As Sam said when she spoke of her own goal setting process, “I’m not going to beat myself up if I don’t get this nailed down instantly”. 

Setting purposeful goals takes time and careful consideration, and self-chastisement isn’t going to speed up that process. Instead, Sam suggests investing the time to break down your longer-term goals into quantifiable difference you want to see in 12 months’ time. She explains:  

“As opposed to saying “I want to get some more clients this year” or “I want to hire a couple of extra people”, focus in on those goals and go “what does it mean to want some more clients? How many more do you want? What sort of clients do you want to attract?” Really dig deep into those sorts of things”. 

From here, you’ll be able to see what small, tangible steps you need to be taking over the next days and weeks, which will ultimately bring you closer to where you see yourself this time in 2023.  

If you’re ready to take the first step today and bring yourself closer to your goals, why not take part in our next PoWEr Up Networking session? Created in partnership with Barclays, this free virtual session will get you connected with industry leaders eager to share their skills and experiences to help you on your career journey. Click here, sign up as a mentee, and get ready to PoWEr Up your Network.