It is early January, and if you are like most people, you probably have some things you want to accomplish in 2020. Resolutions are easy to make and difficult to follow through on, and many of the people dealing with rare disease might have different obstacles when it comes to achieving success. Remember, not every goal has to be about adding things to your life. Eliminating the bad is just as important as adding the good. Below are a few tips to help you move in the right direction and create goals conducive to improving your life.
Choose the Right Goal
A goal should be something that your heart is telling you to chase. If you’re not emotionally committed, then you will probably fail. Make sure your goal is something that YOU want, not something someone else wants for you.
Envision the Ends, Not the Means
Going to the gym might seem like a good goal, but it doesn’t wire your brain around what you actually want. Most people don’t want to go to the gym more, they want to look and feel better. Ideate your goals around what you actually want—not the work you have to do to get there.
Make Plans
Every goal needs to have a plan. Maybe you want to help raise awareness about a particular rare disease. That is a great goal, but it is also a bit vague. There is nothing wrong with keeping your goal general, so long as you have some sort of roadmap toward making it happen. Define the ways in which you will win. If you want to raise awareness around an illness, start creating milestones around things like social media engagement, blogs, and video content. How will you tell your story? A plan is the first step on the road to success. Without one, you won’t go anywhere.
Lean on Community
In the rare disease space, most of us understand the incredible power of a community. We can accomplish so much more when we work together, even if that collaboration is the simple exchange of moral support. If you can’t find a community to work with, consider creating your own. If you’re looking for a group that doesn’t yet exist, chances are, other people are as well.
Be Vocal
Announcing your goals to the world does two things. It helps to make them real and keeps you accountable. Vocalizing and discussing your plans will help you get them dialed in, and as a result, you’ll achieve them more effectively. You are more likely to remain committed when you actually talk about your goals and you’ll probably get some constructive feedback along the way.
Embrace Mistakes
For most of us, there will be a lot of missteps on the road to victory, but every mistake is accompanied by valuable information, and that information can help you improve your process. Don’t let mistakes deter you. Instead, learn from them and let them be opportunities to pivot. Make a mistake, find a solution, adjust your course, and keep making positive growth.
Goals and resolutions are all about positive growth. In the world of rare disease, patients and caregivers do incredible things every day in spite of a myriad of adversities. Goals help us stay on the right path and make the most of life, hopefully helping others along the way. So, onward to an incredible 2020!