Up until just a few years ago, I NEVER set goals for myself. I’m a fairly driven person, so I never saw the need to “waste time” crafting a bunch of words or thinking through what I wanted out of life, because I was fairly content. Thankfully, my hubs is an AMAZING goal setter, and showed me the light!
Now, I can’t IMAGINE not setting goals for myself. I’m no longer content just cruising through and letting life happen to me, because I’ve seen the difference keeping my goals front and center in my life can make! I’m more driven, better at saying no to things that don’t align well with my values, and all around happier… all from writing down those words I once thought silly.
Below are just a few tips we like to use to set goals- we hope they’ll help you in making this the best, most intentional year yet!
1) Write them down
I’ll say it again: WRITE. THEM. DOWN- The simplest and yet most overlooked piece of goal setting. I’ve heard it said a goal not written down is just a wish: and I wholeheartedly agree. There’s something final about putting pen to paper and actually writing what you want into existence.I should note here that I’m not just taking about writing them down in your spiral notebook, turning the page, and never looking at them again. Write them anywhere and everywhere you can! Write them in your journal, on a card that you keep in your wallet, on a post it stuck to your steering wheel, on your bathroom mirror. We are big fans of creating a vision board as well! We have something similar in our home to this . Write down your goals, and then keep them in sight as much as possible! This re-affirms what you want and keeps it in your mind all day long!
2) Make them specific
Don’t just make the goal “I want to spend time with family this year” or “I want to help more people this year!”. Vague goals are just asking to be forgotten! Instead say “I will plan two trips with my family this year- one in March and one in September” or “I will to sign up for Big Brothers Big Sisters by February”. These goals are actually something you can look at and work towards!
3) Break them into manageable steps
Do you have a big dream for your year that seems impossible? Something huge like “Lose 60 pounds this year” or “save enough to buy a house”? I always say it’s great to dream big, but sometimes looking at a sentence like that is enough to overwhelm you. For these goals I always suggest breaking them down into smaller steps and keeping it all written somewhere you can see it. For example, for losing 60 pounds this year you could say: I want to lose 3 pounds per month in January through May, 10 in June July and August when I have extra time, and 4 pounds September through December by cutting more sugar from my diet”. This way, you can look at January and know- all you have to focus on at that moment is losing 3 pounds- not 60! Take baby steps one month at a time until you accomplish your goal. Justin and I LOVE using Powersheets to break down our goals. We’ve utilized these magical workbooks for years and swear by them! Shop them here.
I hope these tips have helped you, friends! Go out and write down those goals, make them specific, and break them down into baby steps. I know this is going to be your best year yet!
XO,
Ashley
