5 Steps to effectively set your goals for the New Year

 

 

Happy New Year y’all!!!!!  It’s that time of the year. THE time of the year. That time when there’s an overwhelming flow of hope and motivation going around. Everyone wishing each other great things. People praying for breakthrough. Resolutions lists being made. So many inspirational thoughts, quotes and ideas being shared. I just love it!

What about you? What are you hoping for this year?   What are your goals ? What are you dreaming of? You are wired to have dreams and they’re great, but without a plan, they’re just that, dreams tucked in our imagination. I think many of us struggle with visualizing how to make our dreams come to life and placing the right components in our life that will help us make them happen. I know far too well what that is like! So I decided to share with you five effective steps to take with you this in New Year in the hopes that it will help you and empower you to achieve what you deserve!

 1. Look back at 2017 (one last time)

I try my best to live in the present and not dwell in the past. But in order to realize what you need more of and what you need to let go in this year, this step is necessary!

• Identify the times you felt accomplished and the times you wished perhaps you could have done things differently. There’s nothing wrong with the latter, every experience, good or bad,  should be taken as an opportunity to learn. Mistakes and failures are your greatest teachers! Don’t beat yourself up when it happens but take notes. Also take notes on your wins! Take an inventory of the factors that contributed to them. What is your “winning” recipe?
• Identify distractions and motivators. Can you tell what causes you to get off track? If something tends to hold you back and slows you down, then perhaps it’s time to let go. If that thing is yourself, then it’s time to break free of the strongholds in your mind that keeps you from moving forward. What fuels you? When do you feel the most motivated? What gets you upbeat? You need more of that in your life!
• Recognize positive and negative influences. This one is a big one! Identify the factors in your life that make  you feel emotionally drained, hurt your self-esteem and hold you back. Then, identify the ones that make you feel good, inspired, enabled, empowered and that increase your well-being. It’s extremely important to surround yourself with positivity. Actually, it is essential in achieving your goals. Invite people, places and communities in your life that will influence you in a positive way and help you be the best version of yourself. Surround yourself with people that genuinely care for you, love you and want good things for you and let go of anything negative.

 

2. Set REALISTIC goals

No dream is too big but your plan to achieve it has to be realistic. Dreams are about the destination not the journey. Goals aim at the dream, but are much more about the journey. If you want to stay motivated to achieve your dreams, it’s important to set practical, attainable and measurable goals attached to a timeline. By doing so, you’ll get a clear vision of the bigger picture and be able to focus on the smaller steps to get there. Every time you’ll check one step off, it will feel so good and you’ll get even more motivated which means more happy dances! (Insert flamenco dancing lady emoji 🙂 )

When planning your goals, keep your list short and break it down in categories and deadlines.

Example:

 

3. Make A Vision Board

There’s a lot of power in visualizing your goals and dreams. Get creative and cut photos, words and quotes from magazines that inspire you. Draw, write, paste whatever helps you visualize good things ahead. Place it somewhere you can see it every day. In your office, in your wardrobe, on your bathroom door, anywhere! You could even make a framed picture collage on your wall! No matter what you choose to do, take a few minutes to look at it and reflect on it every. single. day.

 

4. Fill your planner with important dates, to-dos  and reminders

I’m a planner girl! I love planners…I love them a lot! Crossing things off my to-do lists in my planner makes me very happy what can I say.

Once you’ve set your goals and figured out a plan, stay organized. Get a planner to help you. Set reminders on your phone and put that calendar to use. I believe everyone should own a planner, from business owners to stay-at-home moms! BE READY. Set yourself up for success by planning ahead. Write your goals and deadlines down in your planner. Also write the daily, weekly and monthly to-dos that will help you meet those deadlines. That way you won’t be overwhelmed with the thought of achieving something when you feel  like you don’t even know which way to start. It will also  be easier to change things up along the way if you need to, rather than letting external factors decide for you. You’ll be more confident because you know you have a plan and less likely to feel discouraged or feel like giving up.  You want to be prepared, you just don’t know when the right opportunity will come along and you want to be ready for it!

I just ordered my 2018 planner from Plum Paper and can’t wait to receive it! Last year I used The Simplified Planner from Emily Ley and I liked it a lot. The only reason I switched is because Plum Paper offered so many customizable options and add-ons that fit my needs perfectly! When I was shopping for my new planner these are the ones I seriously considered:

Life Planner by Erin Condren

The Day Designer

The Simplified Planner by Emily Ley

 

5. Enjoy your journey!

It is so unique to you and only you can live it! No one else can. Live in the moment and try to not live by no one else’s expectations but your own and don’t set expectations on others as well. Don’t stress if you don’t meet your deadlines, just set new ones. Celebrate your wins and try to find good in every circumstance even when things get hard. Just never give up and remember that you are worthy of your dreams. Always. ♡