Happy New Year

It’s a new year, and a perfect time to set new goals! The week between Christmas and the New Year can be a little tricky, as many of us are somewhat working somewhat in vacation mode. However, I love using that week to reflect on my year, and set goals for the coming year. In this post, I am going to share about my process.

I feel like setting New Year’s Resolutions gets a little flack these days in social media. I mean, what is the point if we don’t stick to them right? Well, what if we do stick to them? I think that it is very valuable to think about what you would like to accomplish in a year. I am not going to claim that 2022 is going to change your life, but maybe it will be a year that you accomplish something that you have aspired to.

How do you set goals?

• Step 1: Reflection

I begin by reflecting on the previous year. I look back in my journals, or wherever I had written down my goals, and see which ones I achieved. Believe me, I have had years that I barely accomplished anything I had set out to and that is okay! No one is perfect! I can be a little overly ambitious and unrealistic about what I can achieve.

If you do not have any goals written down from the previous year, you can reflect on what you did not like about the year. Oftentimes, the things we do not like can lead us to the things that we actually want. Think about what made you unhappy, then you can think about how you can change it! I like to reflect on multiple areas of my life as well such as career, finances, fitness, and so on.

• Step 2: Dream a little

Think about your dreams, what you really want out of life. And write it all out!

• Step 3: Break it down

Think about what you can reasonably accomplish in one year for each area of your life that you hope to improve. Maybe you won’t be able to become a multi-millionaire in 2022, but maybe you could start working on that business idea you have. If you have never run a day in your life, maybe don’t aim to run a marathon but rather a half marathon or a 10K. Don’t set yourself up to fail! Set goals that will challenge you, but that feel possible to achieve in a year. Then, when you’re looking back at the end of year and you have achieved them, set a bigger goal for 2023!

• Step 4: Write them down

Write your goals down somewhere that you can refer back to. You can write them in a journal, notebook, your computer, or even on a vision board of some sort. Keep track of them, and refer back to them throughout the year!

I hope this post was helpful! There are also so many resources online for goal setting. I listen to podcasts, and use tips from various sources every year, but I still have used this basic process for the past few years now and I find it works for me! Happy New Year and happy goal setting everyone!