Recalibrate Your Goals for Growth and Renewal 🧧
Welcome to 2025! And the Koi Wellness blog, your trusted resource for child development and empowerment. The beginning of a new year is a time for reflection, recalibration, and a renewed sense of purpose. As we turn the page, it’s important to revisit the goals and aspirations we set for ourselves.
How are you doing with yours so far? If you’ve veered off course, don’t worry—starting over is not failure, it’s part of the process.
Last December, I shared strategies for effective goal-setting to help you begin the new year strong. As we step into 2025, I find myself revisiting these ideas with a deeper lens of cultural connection and diversity.
A Dual Celebration: New Year and Chinese New Year
As an occupational therapist in Japan, I work with families from many cultural backgrounds, and this diversity enriches my perspective. My sister-in-law is Taiwanese, so in addition to celebrating January 1, we also prepare for Chinese New Year, which falls on January 29, 2025. This duality reminds me that renewal isn’t confined to one date—there are countless opportunities for fresh starts.
Even if the year hasn’t started as you envisioned, remember that you can always begin again. Sharon Salzberg’s book, Real Happiness, offers a valuable lesson about meditation: the most important moment isn’t staying perfectly focused but recovering when your mind wanders. This applies to life and goal-setting.
Each time you start again, you’re building resilience and self-compassion.
So let's try this again!! Let's re-calibrate our goals! Starting with Goal Attainment Scale:
A Dual Celebration: New Year and Chinese New Year
Whether you’re refining your existing goals or starting fresh, structured goal-setting tools can help you stay on track. Here are two approaches I’ve used to bring clarity and focus to my goals:
1. Goal Attainment Scale (GAS)
GAS is a structured tool that helps you set, track, and measure progress toward personalized goals. It uses a 5-point scale to evaluate how close (or far) you are to achieving your desired outcome.
Key Components of GAS:
Individualized Goals: Tailored to your needs and circumstances.
Scale Levels: Rated on a 5-point scale, from -2 (much less than expected) to +2 (much more than expected).
Quantitative Measurement: Enables clear tracking of progress over time.
Example:
Last year, I set a goal to increase my daily movement. On workdays, I easily exceed my step goals, but on days off, I often fall below 500 steps. I realized I don’t feel as good on those less active days, so I’ve decided to adjust my movement goal specifically for days off.
Here’s how I’ll use GAS to measure progress:
This approach helps me track progress and make adjustments if needed—because progress isn’t always linear, and that’s okay.
2. SMART Goals
SMART Goals are another excellent tool for goal-setting. The acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Sensitive.
Example:
Instead of saying, "I want to read more," a SMART goal would be:
"I will read one book a month (12 total) by December 31, 2025."
Breaking it down:
Specific: 12 books in 12 months.
Measurable: One book per month.
Achievable: Realistic pace for most readers.
Relevant: Aligns with a personal growth objective.
Time-bound: Includes a clear deadline.
SMART Goals bring clarity and structure to your aspirations, ensuring they’re actionable and achievable.
Progress Over Perfection
Both GAS and SMART Goals provide practical ways to track your progress and hold yourself accountable. Remember, it’s not about perfection—it’s about persistence. Starting over when things don’t go as planned builds resilience and strengthens your commitment.
As you recalibrate your goals, keep in mind that growth happens through small, intentional steps. Whether you’re revisiting last year’s aspirations or setting new ones, take a moment to reflect on what matters most to you.
I’d love to hear what you’re planning for the year! Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook and share your goals. If you’d like personalized guidance, feel free to schedule a call with me here.
Let’s make 2025 a year of growth, resilience, and success—together.