Welcome to the Very Well Mind podcast. We've interviewed over 100 authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and others to help you learn strategies to care for your mental health.

This episode is hosted by psychotherapist and bestselling author Amy Morin. Now let's get into the episode.

Okay. We're listening to the Friday fix.

Every Friday, I share a quick mental strength strategy that will help fix the thoughts, feelings, and actions that can hold you back in line.

Today I'm talking about creating goals and how to avoid three common goal-setting mistakes most people make.

A lot of people talk about the importance of sticking to goals and reaching goals,

but none of that works unless you know how to create a really good goal in the first

place.

As a therapist, my job with every person who comes in

my office involves creating a short-term goal with them. We identify what they want to get out of being

in therapy. People often tell me that they want to be happier or they want to be less anxious.

So we take those ideas and turn them into clear goals. But creating healthy, helpful goals isn't just for

therapy. Most people do better when they have some kind of goal that they're working on. Fitness goals,

relationship goals, financial goals, or professional goals, or just a few examples. No matter what kind

of goal you're creating for yourself, it all starts

with establishing a good goal to begin with. Here are three goal-setting mistakes to avoid.

Mistake number one, creating a goal you can't measure. One of the reasons why many goals

just don't work is that they're more like resolutions rather than goals.

People say things like, I want to be healthier.

But what does that really even mean?

If you want to eat more vegetables, did you meet your goal?

If you exercise twice a week, are you healthier?

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