So You Reached Your Goal. Now What?

At DIAKADI Fitness, a gym in San Francisco, there’s a “results wall” covered with plaques commemorating clients’ achievements. After more than two decades, Billy Polson, a founder and co-owner of the gym, has seen milestones of all kinds make it onto the wall, from personal records in races to lifetime bests in the weight room. One woman even added a plaque once she was able to play the piano for 30 minutes without back pain.

For many people who put a plaque on the wall, Mr. Polson said, their sense of accomplishment is followed by a burning question: Now what?

Goal setting is part of how we demarcate time, said Dr. Katy Milkman, a behavioral scientist at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of “How to Change.”

Similar to a graduation, accomplishing a goal is a way of bookmarking the end of a particular chapter of life, Dr. Milkman said. So it’s natural afterward to wonder what comes next.

If you just ticked off a goal, here’s how experts recommend approaching the uncertainty that can follow.

Don’t fear the comedown.

It’s normal to feel a bit lost after reaching a goal, especially one you’ve been working toward for a long time, said Dr. Emily Balcetis, an associate professor of psychology at New York University.

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