New Years Goal Setting: Thoughts and reflections on how to best approach those New Years Resolutions
Perhaps it was a rough year where you had difficulty in your relationships, went through a break-up, experienced loss, had financial struggles, or health issues.
Perhaps it was a year of tremendous change where you switched careers, moved cities, got married, became an empty nester, or became a parent.
Perhaps it was a joyous year where you reached weight loss goals, got out of debt, met the love of your life, and traveled to your favorite places.
Whatever the case, the past is in the past. Let's move forward. There is always room for reflection and to cast a vision for what is to come, as the saying goes
"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail".
I am a professional goal setter, literally. In my job as a PTA I have to review and help patients set their goals for treatment all the time, but also personally I have set goals every year since I was a teenager. I know what works and what doesn't. I would love to leave you with some tips and wisdom as you sit down to reflect and set goals for this New Year.
1. Write down your goals
A simple but valuable first step. Write them in your journal, on a note in your phone, on a sticky note to put on your bathroom window. Do this so you can be accountable to yourself and so you can review them every day. I have gone as far as to record a voice note that encompassed what I wanted to accomplish that year. I would listen to it every day on the way to work. That was one of the most successful years I had were meeting personal goals is concerned. The regular reminder both encouraged me and held me accountable.
2. Break down your goals into actionable steps on a weekly/monthly basis, and TRACK
This is more important than the goal itself. At times I have even argued to forget the more general goal setting all together and just focus on the process, but I'll save my thoughts on that for another blog. What you wind up doing on a daily/weekly/monthly basis is how you reach your goals. This is so obvious but so many people forget to take this step seriously. Let's take one of the most common New Years Resolutions: Lose Weight. Ok, great. How? Here is an example of how to break that down:
Goal: Healthy lifestyle changes to lose weight and be healthier.
Weekly Breakdown:
Week 1 - Go for three 1 mile walks. Do 2 YouTube workouts. Eat eggs and fruit for breakfast. No Soda
Week 2 - Go for three 1.5 mile walks. Do 2 YouTube workouts. Eat eggs and fruit for breakfast. No Soda. Prepare healthy lunches to take to work.
Tracking: Buy a dry-erase calendar and write down each walk/workout so you can see all you've done by the end of the month. Keep a simple food diary of what you eat at each meal this could be in a written journal or on an app.
This is just one example of how to approach this goal, you'll have to find what works for you through trial and error. This same process can be applied to any goal: writing more, learning to play guitar, running a marathon, paying off debt, etc.
3. Review your goals each week/month
Now that you've done all that work and tracked your efforts, you must reflect each week/month to see what is working and what is not, and to stay connected to your goals. Perhaps your weekly goals were too challenging, and you felt overwhelmed. Maybe the weekly goal was too easy, and you blew right through it without difficulty. Adjust as necessary. One month after I had my son I figured I was feeling good enough to start exercising. I set off to do a 2 mile walk every day as well as at home pelvic floor rehab. Additionally, I decided to make big changes to my diet as we had been going on weeks of holiday eating (he was born in December) and post-partum meal train food. Although on paper my plan was perfect, I didn't account for what a curve ball breast feeding needs and post-partum hormones would be when it came to what I could handle and how my body responded to such big changes. I had to review and make several adjustments to my plan along the way, and that's ok, it's part of the process.
4. Create accountability
Accountability can come in many forms: Joining a gym where you pay a membership and have group classes, joining a writing club online or taking a class at your local community center, deciding to meet weekly with your best friend to review your weekly goals and reflect together, taking a budgeting class with a financial coach, sharing your journey on a social media platform, joining a book club to read more, joining a bible study, scheduling guitar lessons at the local music store, etc. We need each other for so many different reasons, especially when we are trying to do hard things or change. My pride often wants me to do everything alone, in secret, so that I can just present my accomplishments to the world as if they exist effortlessly. But I know how easy it is for me to get off course. This year I won't be downplaying the power of community and accountability as I approach my goals, and I hope you don't either.
5. Set yourself up with the right environment/tools
Some goals will require that you change your environment and get the proper tools. Some examples of this could look like:
- Setting new alarms on your phone for wake up/bed time/movement/prayer.
- Buying a new Calendar, paper and/or dry erase, for tracking.
- Downloading new apps to track budgets, food intake, exercise, steps, etc.
- Purging your fridge/pantry and buying fresh groceries.
- Buying good containers for meal prep.
- Making sure you have tennis shoes that fit and the right clothes to work out in.
- Cleaning your room/house
Behavior change is very hard, but you all can do hard things. For many people making changes this year isn't just about vanity or feeling a little better, it is much more serious. Many people are sick, anxious, and feel out of control. Making changes this year may be the difference between chronic disease, financial freedom, and more. You CAN do it.
Your health is worth investing in.
Never give up.
With love,
-Sarah
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