The importance of goals

Today's post is going to highlight the importance of having goals and things to aim for to keep us motivated and excited about future achievements. I think this is especially important in the current lockdown period.

When I was in deep depression I couldn't engage with anything at all, so trying to make goals seemed totally impossible and a complete waste of time. As I started to recover however, I realised that I needed things to aim for ( small things at first) to give me a goal and then a sense of achievement after completing them.

I started with doing more walking. The aim each day was simply to get up, out, walk for an hour a day and if I achieved nothing else at least I had benefited from some fresh air.

As I slowly started to improve mentally, I discovered that my old interests were gradually returning. I started to learn French again and gave myself a goal of learning 50 points a day on Duolingo. I have since increased this to 300 points a day and I feel better and better about myself the more I learn, achieve and improve.

The next goal I gave myself was writing my book which I have now completed. The goal now is to get it published, polish it until it shines, and get it to as many people as possible to help their recovery. It has really helped enormously to write it, cementing the self help techniques and tips and practical steps that I learnt and then reaping the benefit of the improvement in self-worth and satisfaction.

I have also started riding again. At first I just rode a few of my friend Lucy's horses, just one quiet hack a day, until it dawned on me that I actually enjoyed doing this again.

When I was severely depressed I wouldn't go near a horse because I knew that it was something I was capable of doing really well yet with depression I was unable to take part in it. I was just so exhausted by it, disinterested in it completely, in fact I will go as far it say as I hated everything to do with horses and riding. I think this happened because I associated the illness with the horses since I had battled on with my equestrian career while suffering from depression and suicidal ideation. The two things were totally connected in my mind.

Little by little I have retrained my brain to enjoy my old passions and I am even riding out for the local racehorse trainer now! This is something I never thought I would ever be involved in again.

So my goals now are; achieve fluency in French, get my book published, write a good and interesting blog, maintain optimal mental health wellness through practicing all the techniques mentioned in the book.

That's enough for me at the moment I think! What are your goals? How do they help give you a sense of purpose and achievement? Please do let me know!

Speak to you soon!

TR