Whether you’re a pro at setting New Year’s goals or fail as soon as the clock strikes January, incorporating goals and action steps into your life can benefit you.
As soon as December rolls around, the Christmas wrapping paper crinkles as sharply as the winter wind does when it tries to get through your front door. And at some point, all of the Christmas wonder and joy gets overshadowed as we reminisce on the year and look forward to the next. Then you ask yourself the dreaded question:
What are my New Year’s goals?
There are so many different things to consider when you’re setting your goals. Sometimes, we just need to simplify the process to get started. I recommend doing these things:
- Focus on six areas – relationships, finances, physical health, personal growth, work and fun
- Know your why
- Celebrate when you do hit your goals
Where are you now?
Consider six different areas of your life – relationships, finances, physical health, personal growth, work and fun. Address a few pain points you’ve experienced this past year. Think about what you wish you would have done.
Where do you want to be?
When you’re examining your goals, simply list where you want to be. However, be intentional about how you talk about it. Instead of “I want my home to be cleaner,” say “I’m going to implement a cleaning routine that works for my family.” After you list your goals, write two action steps you can begin incorporating into your weekly and monthly plans to achieve those goals. For example. your cleaning routine requires you to clean bathrooms and wash towels every Thursday.
Do you need help hitting your goals? Become a member of my Learning Community and get access to a FREE 3-page ebook that will give you the template you need to hit your goals this year!
Know your why.
I feel like the first reason we don’t stick with our goals is because they don’t mean anything to us. We see how someone else is climbing the corporate ladder, organizing their kitchen or parenting their kids and think to ourselves, “wow. I should do that, too!” But what we don’t realize is that we’ve already set ourselves up for failure, because what works for them might not work for us!
How can you fix that? Know your why. When you’re creating your 2021 goals, ask yourself, “does this mean something to me? How is this going to impact me and my family?” If the answer isn’t immediately clear, it may not be a goal worth pursuing.
Incorporate accountability to keep your goals.
The second reason why I think we don’t stick with our goals is because we set them and forget them. This works great for crockpot meals, but not for an area of our lives that we want to make a change.
So when you’re creating your goals, consider how you’re going to keep yourself accountable. Referencing our earlier example, you’ll know if you’re new cleaning routine is effective because you will be able to tell if your home stays clean through the week. If you’ve set a financial goal, you’ll either see debt decrease or savings increase. If you’ve set a physical goal, you’ll see your reps increase and your waist shrink.
Learn more about my love for goals on my about page.
Celebrate when you hit your goals!
There’s nothing worse than actually accomplishing something and not patting yourself on the back for it. Did you keep your home clean? Buy yourself a cleaning product you’ve been eyeing. Did you consistently work our for a month? Get yourself a new pair of athletic wear. Are you simultaneously working on financial goals and don’t want to spend the money? Plan an outside or free, at home activity to help you celebrate!
When you don’t hit your goals, adapt.
When you can’t seem to hit a goal, don’t throw in the towel and say “I can’t do this.” Have an honest conversation with yourself and see if this is a goal worth pursuing. Does this fit your current lifestyle? Does this get you to where you want to be? Do you actually want to do this?
I love creating my goals for the new year when the time comes. Do you? Swing by my Facebook page and let me know!
Leave a Reply