Yep, I’m one of “those people.” I love a goal. A plan. A resolution, if you will. So despite the cold, and the post holiday funk that many folks have, I am pretty energized at this time of the year. Reflecting and reviewing the past year and crafting a plan for what I want the next year to look like really is one of my favorite things to do.
I’ve always done resolutions- for as long as I can remember, really, but I’ve definitely gotten better at making them work for me over the last ten years or so. That means gone are the days where I just say, “I’m going to…. this year” and hope that I can make it stick. I have a system, and a plan, for making those plans, and for sure, for making them come to fruition.
So what is this special sauce, you ask? (At least I hope you ask if you’ve found yourself discouraged by resolution fatigue in the past!)
First, take a look at your life now. Your WHOLE life- not just your appearance, your business, or your bank account. That means doing an assessment on your relationships with friends and family, your business, your money, your spirituality, your health, etc. You get the picture. Give them each a rating 1-10, even. That’s always a great starting point. Jot down some notes about the good points and the areas of improvement you see. Likely a few things will start to reveal themselves, and more often than not, these are the areas you’ll want to work on.
I work on paper, but wherever and however works for you- once you get clear on those things you want to improve, get really clear on HOW to do that. If your goal is to grow your business, you need to get SPECIFIC on how much you want to grow, and how. For me at least, that specificity is the difference in getting to my goals, or falling off by February.
I’m sure you’ve heard of SMART goals. If not, this stands for
Specific – (Don’t just say, “grow business.” Say “Grow by 30%)
Measurable – (Know your numbers, whether it’s your weight or your biz growth)
Achievable – (Make your goals ambitious, but attainable.)
Relevant – (Does the goal actually make sense and work towards a greater goal?)
Time Bound – (Set a realistic deadline, and progress points)
I find when I chunk my goals into smaller pieces to achieve monthly, weekly, and daily, they are all much easier to manage than just creating a huge goal with no smaller steps. Creating a plan that you can work a bit on every day to get to where you want to be can make a world of difference in making those incremental changes that will, in time, lead you to achieving that goal- whatever it is.
Whatever your goals are, or are not, I’m wishing you a happy, successful, and healthy 2023!