5 Tips for setting goals in the New Year
Is goal setting a controversial topic after the year that we just had? Possibly. But I am a firm believer of the law of attraction: getting super clear on what you want your life to look like so that it can become a possibility. Where your attentions goes the energy flows (I can’t promise that will be my last cliche I throw at you) and I will walk you through the steps I take every year to make sure I am setting up my next year to be better than the last. Typically I do this either at the end of December or beginning of January.
Can I honestly say that 2020 was a better year for me than 2019. Yes! Granted I had some life milestones in there like taking my engagement photos and picking my wedding venue, I also had my fair share of hiccups as well. Gyms were closed for a majority of the year and as a fitness instructor that can pose a problem. Especially when you sign the contract for a wedding venue right before businesses shut and and still need to pay for said wedding venue.
I choose to look at it the shut down as a blessing. I no longer needed to wake up at 3:30a which my body greatly appreciated and I wasn’t commuting 1.5hr a day anymore. I got to spend more time at home with my dogs and my partner. We also were presented with the opportunity to move into a house 2 miles from the beach since easy highway access was no longer needed. I got a business mentor and dabbled in different arenas of virtual fitness that I had never thought about and started my own business.
One of the reasons that the phoenix is my favorite mythical creatures is because from the ashes something is reborn and it can be better if you let it. This reflection into 2020 may seem like a ramble BUT I believe that in looking back we can gather information that we need to set our new goals. I start by asking myself a few questions. I encourage you to grab a piece of paper or open up the notes section of your phone.
Goal Setting Reflection Questions:
What were the 10 greatest things that happened to me?
What are the 3 things I am most proud of?
What are 3 things that I have learned over the year?
By doing this first it sets a tone of positivity and gratitude to put myself in the mood to dream big. Plus we now start to see what is working for us. We get to see what things are making us happy in life, what do we want to have MORE of, what areas are we already seeing success in and where we can keep growing (these were our lessons learned). We review so that we can improve.
2. Reviewing your past year to set next year’s goals:
Next I assess the different facets of my life even though a majority of my goals are business related. The different facets of our life are all interconnected and the Pilates instructor in me strives for balance & alignment. I think it’s important to know what kind of life you are striving for and to have our business/fitness/professional plan fit inside of that. Most of us build our business plan first, outlining all our big goals, plans and ambitions, then figure out how to fit our life around that (usually sacrificing our health, social and family life in the process). So I assess the following areas of my life:
Relationship/Family
Physical Health
Business
Financial
Spiritual
Mental
Lifestyle
“Life without balance can cost you your relationships. Life without balance can cost you your health. Life without balance can cost you your spirituality. Life without balance can cost you your wealth and your happiness. So find things to motivate you from all areas of life. Your success depends on it.” Jim Rohn
Interested in my Review Worksheet? Click here to receive a copy.
3. Brain Dump Goals, Ideas, and Dreams
This is where the magic starts happening and when you start designing what is to come in the next year. I believe that happiness and success comes from balance in all 7 categories that I mentioned above so I write down ideas for what I want to come to fruition in each of those category. I let myself write without limitations. They’re not my goals (yet) just ideas. Put on some feel good music while you’re letting the ideas flow. Suspend reality and imagine what would you want for each section if resource or ability were not a factor. I want to emphasize that the brain dump is not a commitment. It’s like going to the store and trying on clothes. We’re picking out ALL the things that we like at first glance without looking at the tag or picturing it on us. We’re even picking out clothes that might be outside of what we would typically wear because maybe it’ll surprise us when we try it on! Hopefully that analogy makes sense.
4: The Rose Ceremony, Narrowing down your goal sheet
No I don’t watch the bachelor but even I know that the rose ceremony is when you narrow down your selection. For this ceremony we have 10 roses. Remember how I said you weren’t committing to everything in your brain dump? Now we get to review which clothes really are the best fit for us. A couple things to keep in mind when narrowing them down:
Make sure they are your goals- I know it can be hard to NOT look at others in a similar industry, at a similar life stage, others our same age etc. Sometimes we (yes, including me) get distracted by other people’s direction. Put those blinders on and stay in your line. Is what you wrote down on paper what YOU want for yourself or is it an expectation that is being influenced from somewhere else?
Don’t be afraid of choosing a big goal: A big goal can push you to grow your skill set. It’ll expand your talents and will help you grow into the person you need to be to reach it.
5: Goal Check
Are your goals S.M.A.R.T.?
Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Time Specific.
Did you write down “I want to be fit” or did you write down I want to run a 5k by this upcoming summer. Be specific with your goals and give yourself a deadline. Once you have that, think about what it would take to achieve it. What type of habits would you need to incorporate? Is there anything you need to learn about? Do you need to hire a coach? What tools or resources do you need to accomplish your goal? Ask questions like this for each of your goals to start creating a plan for each one.
Darren Hardy says “When it comes to achieving your goals, remember it is not your goals that need to be worked on; it is YOU. It’s important to understand that you don’t get in life what you want; you get in life what you are.”
Now that you have decided what you want and who you have to become to achieve your goals. The time to begin is when the emotion is high and intentions are strong. Grab a copy of my habit tracker worksheet to start implementing and tracking the habits you need to reach your goals below:
