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How to Crush your New Year’s Resolutions
(Tips Originally Posted Dec. 27, 2016)
I have been reflecting on the goals I made this time last year, and I am going to share how I crushed my goals last year by using a guiding word for the year, and by using the tips from Crystal and Jesse Paine’s course Make Over Your Year.
I took this course a few winters ago, about how to set and achieve your goals for the year. Since then I have been more driven by goal setting and challenges than ever before.
Your goal can be anything – to become healthier, make a lifestyle change, pay off debt, start a blog, travel more… The list goes on and on. Whatever it is you choose, make sure it aligns with your current priorities.
My biggest piece of advice: Choose a goal that fits your lifestyle and you will be more likely to succeed.
Two years ago I started doing yoga daily. Off of a whim I started posting poses on Instagram @rebeccalynnyoga and I had no idea how much that would change my year and my life. It became my priority, and most of my time was spent participating in yoga challenges. Practicing daily, posting photos, and taking part in a community. I have made so many friends and connections from Instagram. Since I gave this priority in my life, I no longer had to convince myself to get on my mat everyday and practice, it came naturally. My goal turned into a lifestyle.
How to Achieve Your Goals This Year:
Write it down. This is important. Saying it out load is the first step but writing down your goals will make them come to life.- Create a plan. How are you going to accomplish your goals. Do you need to take a class? Find a work out partner?
- Give yourself a time frame. Setting a timeframe in which you complete the goal will give you something to look forward to. A year is a long time, but still achievable if you stay focused. I recommend breaking your goal up into quarters or months. Write these dates on your calendar and tackle your goals bit by bit!
- Limit the number of goals you have. If you are new to goal setting I highly recommend limiting your goals to 2 or 3. This will help you stay focused with out getting overwhelmed and giving up.
- Find accountability. Ask someone to keep you accountable to your goal. This can be a friend, neighbor, a sibling or parent, even someone at your gym. Have them check in on you and your goals. Consider offering the same favor and work on your goals together!
One fun way to approach your goals is to set an intention for the year by choosing One word to focus on this year. One word to umbrella any goals you set through out the year.
Last year I chose to set an intention for the year. One word to define all of my goals for the year. My word for 2017 was Thrive. Using what I learned about goal setting with the Make Over Your Year course, I started by setting monthly goals which included: new activities to try, hobbies to pick up and places to visit. I even made a bucket list of things I wanted to do while I was 24. The monthly goals were fun. Until summer came and I finally fell into an environment where I thrived naturally.
I started working at a small organic market garden. Each Thursday we took the produce to my town’s farmer’s market. It was such a cool feeling to know the veggies I had started from seed were on their way to someone’s table. I didn’t need the monthly reminders anymore. I found my community, and truly became a part of it. The best part of setting your own goals, is that you can decide when they are completed. I enjoyed setting monthly goals, but they had done their job for the year so I stopped.
I was working two jobs that I loved (The second at a wedding venue down the road), I worked as much as I could to save up to take the winter off to blog. I would say I crushed my intention to Thrive. I was doing what I loved, earned a small income but still amped up my savings, moved out into an apartment, and found a community in the people I worked with. In 2017 I thrived.
This year, for 2018, my one word is Free. To me free means many things:
- Becoming independent
- Forgiving and letting go of the past
- Going plastic free
- Becoming financially free
- Getting free from a mountain of student loans
- Living in the moment
- Being free to love again
- Allowing myself to soak up quiet moments
- Being myself
This year I plan to continue to thrive, to be set free, perhaps I will even fly.
Recommended Inspiration for Goal Setting:
Make Over Your Year Course by Crystal Paine from moneysavingmom.com – Crystal and her husband take you through the steps of goal setting, starting by determining your priorities and taking you through the process of determining the necessary steps to achieve your goals. This is online course is ideal for anyone with a goal in mind who needs the help and motivation to start.
Beautiful Uncertainty by Mandy Hale – While this is written with single women in mind. I would recommend this to anyone who wonders about, or questions what their future will look like. During Chapter 2, Mandy suggests making a dream board for the year. Reading this at the beginning of the year while thinking of goals is a great way to dream a little bigger while focusing in on the goals that are of priority to you!
On Having a Guiding Word for the Year, a podcast from elisejoy.com – I listened to this episode last year, and the idea has stuck with me, so I listened to it again this week! She and her guest Ali Edwards explain what it means to set an intention for your year, and choosing one word to focus on.
How to Choose Your Own Word for the Year:
Brainstorm words that speak to you. The word free kept standing out to
me when I thought of becoming financially free, going plastic free, and finding my independence.
hat speaks to you?- What do you want to accomplish this year? What mountains do you want to take on this year:
- Improving relationships with others
- Buying your first house
- Paying off student loans
- Going zero waste
- Getting married
- Choose the word that excites you the most.
Several years ago I heard about choosing one word for the from Elise Joy’s Podcast. I love her style, she inspired me start using one word for the year. This is her forth year sharing how she chooses a word. For more help choosing a word pop over and give it a listen.
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Happy New Year!
Rebecca
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I love that you wrote about how to accomplish goals for the new year. It takes a variety of strategies to buckle down and knock them out. These are great!
Thank you! Best wishes this year!
This is really useful, I’ve got a few goals this year, this is going to make it much easier to achieve them!