As another year comes to an end and a new one begins it is the perfect time for reflection and contemplation. This year marks the end of one decade and a transition to a new one. In this blog, I will review ideas on how you can make this new decade the best one yet.
A few years ago a got really serious about setting intentions and working towards goals in various area of my life. So, I wrote a workbook, Create & Manifest Your Vision: Intention & Goal Setting Workbook, to help me set intentions and get clear on the goals I wanted to accomplish in the year to come.
What Do You Want?
Before you get started on your new journey this year you must know what you want for your life. Where do you want to go? Just like when you want to go on a holiday you not only know where you are going but you also know how you’re going to get there!
To be successful you must set goals. Not everyone likes to take the time to set goals and action steps but the people who set goals and intentions and develop action plans to accomplish them are more likely to be successful. You must have a goal, or destination, in mind so you know where you are going.
For best results, start by examining each aspect of your life and ask yourself a few questions to get you thinking about what you want for this area of your life.
1) Health and wellness: What weight do you want to be at? What fitness level do you want? Do you want to prevent or manage disease? What would you like your eating habits to be? How is your body image?
2) Relationships: What kind of relationship do you want with yourself, family, friends, children and partner? Do you want to find a partner and fall in love? What are you doing to strengthen your relationships? Do you treat your partner with respect? Does your partner treat you with respect?
3) Career and business: What do you like to do for work? What makes you happy? What challenges you, excites you, motivates you? Do you want to start a new business? Do you want to grow your business? How are you improving your career or business?
4) Financial: How much money do you need, or would you be happy with? Do you have a budget? Are you staying within your budget? Do you need to make more money to be happier within your budget? What will you, or do you need to do, to make this happen?
5) Fun: How can you have more fun? Where do you want to explore or travel? What experiences do you want to have this year?
6) Personal development: What are some new things you want to learn, courses you can take or books you can read? How do you feel you can grow as a person (personally, professionally, emotionally)?
7) Feelings: How do you want to feel this year? What are you doing, or can you do, to stay in a positive state of mind?
8) Spirituality: Do you have a connection with the Divine or Higher Power? Do you feel at peace and connected with something greater?
9) Environment: Do you like where you live? Do you want to live somewhere else? Is there order in your environment or is it messy and chaotic? Are you happy with the people you live with? What can you do to improve your living space?
10) Community: How can you give back, or get more involved, in the community? How can you serve others? Are you making your community a better place?
What’s Your Why?
German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche once said, “He who has a why can endure any how.”
Knowing your why is an important first step in figuring out how to achieve the goals that excite you and create a life you enjoy living rather than just surviving. Only when you know your ‘why’ will you find the courage to take the risks needed to get ahead, stay motivated when the chips are down, and move your life onto an entirely new, more challenging, and more rewarding direction.
To find your true why, state your goal then ask yourself why you want this over and over again until your why elicits an emotional response. You will find a worksheet for this process in the book, or simply write this down a piece of paper or a document on your computer.
SMART Goal Setting
To ensure you are clear on your goal, make sure it is SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound. To ensure your goal is SMART ask yourself these questions:
Specific: Does your goal clearly and specifically state what you are tying to achieve?
Measurable: How will you know if progress is being made on achieving your goal? Can you quantify or put numbers to your outcome?
Attainable: Is achieving your goal dependent on anyone else?
Is it possible to reframe your goals so it depends only on you and not others? What factors may prevent you from accomplishing your goals?
Relevant: Why is achieving this goal important to you? What values in your life does this goal reflect? What effect will achieving have on your life or on others?
Time-Bound: When will you reach your goal? Do you need to break your goal down into smaller milestones?
Develop An Action Plan
Once you have set your goal and discovered your why you will develop a series of steps to accomplish your goal. These are the actions you will take each day, week and month to get you closer to accomplishing your goal(s).
To develop your action plan follow these steps:
- Define your goal and the timeline
- Know your why
- Break your action plan into daily, weekly and monthly tasks (use the printable sheet on the next page to keep you on track every day).
- Develop and review your to-do list weekly and at the end of each night. Check off the tasks you have completed and add any new ones that come up.
Write these down on a blank sheet of paper, document or print out the worksheet.
Stay Accountable
The best way to accomplish any goal is to find a way to keep yourself accountable. In the workbook, there are printable worksheets to fill out, look at daily and review at the end of each month. This allows you to see what you’ve accomplished, what actions steps worked for you and what you need to adjust for the next month to be more productive.
You may also choose to find a buddy who you can connect with on a regular basis to keep you accountable. When you have someone checking in with you and who is counting on you to stay true to yourself and your goals, it’s easier to stay on track.
Are You A Drifter or Are You Ready To Live Life?
In his book, Outwitting The Devil, Napoleon Hill says, those who do little or no thinking for themselves are drifters. A drifter is one who permits himself to be influenced and controlled by circumstances outside his own mind (98% of the population)…whereas a non-drifter has a mind of his own and uses it for all purposes.
What Napoleon Hill is saying is that you can control your own destiny if you focus your mind on what you want and take action towards accomplishing your goals. However, if you don’t do the work it takes then you will never get the life you desire.
If you are reading this blog then you are ready and well on your way to accomplishing your goals this year. Congratulations for being one of the 2% of the population who is a non-drifter and doing what it takes to focus on what you what, knowing why you want it and developing a plan for to reach the goals you set in all areas of your life.
My wish is that you manifest all the joy and abundance you desire in your life this year and more to come.
Click the picture below to download your copy of Create & Manifest Your Vision and get started on your dream life today!
Until next time,
Namaste my friends!
Rachel Joy Olsen, BSc., MBA