5 Steps for Having an Amazing Year
As I was dreaming about this upcoming year, I realized that I accomplished all of the goals that I had set for last year! When I realized this, I wanted to share the system that I have found to work for me in order to accomplish my goals and have an amazing year! In this blogpost, I will be sharing five steps that have helped me do just that!
STEP 1: CLOSE OUT THE YEAR
I believe that it is really important to close out the previous year and to start fresh with the new year. I do this by reviewing my previous year’s goals. As I look through my goals, I assess if I completed them. If I didn’t complete them, then I assess how far I got with them. I also like to ask myself why I didn’t finish them. Was it because I watched too much TV? Was it because I didn’t use my time well? Or was it because I didn’t care enough about the goal? The reason why I ask myself these questions is so that I can set myself up for success in the new year! If I watched TV too much or I didn’t use my time well, then I will need to readjust those things so that I can succeed at my new goals!
There have been years that I have not succeeded at my New Year’s goals. When that was the case, I totally did not beat myself over it! I chose to celebrate where I was at and dream for more in the future. All that to say, choose joy!!! Celebrate your small victories even if you didn’t succeed at your big goals!
STEP 2: DREAM + CAST VISION
I absolutely love this step! I love to dream and cast vision! I would encourage you to start fresh with new goals. As you closed out your year in the previous step, there may have been goals that you didn’t quite accomplish. I would throw out these goals and start over. Start with baby steps. A lot of times people will have HUGE goals and do not accomplish them, so try starting small and working your way toward bigger goals.
With all of that being said, dream about your life. Who do you want to be? Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? 20 years? As you are dreaming, start writing down what you are picturing for yourself. From there you will then have somewhere to start with choosing your goals.
Make sure that your goals can be measured and have a deadline! When goals do not have those two factors, a lot of times people will not actually have forward movement with their goals. It would be like driving down a road and not knowing how far you are going or if you are going to have enough gas to get there!
If you are overwhelmed or want wisdom in the area of goal making, check out my previous blogpost about making successful goals.
STEP 3: PREP YOURSELF
As you are making your goals, you will need to make space in your life to accomplish them. I am a firm believer in making a peaceful environment so you can thrive. This could mean cleaning out a corner of your room so you can have a workspace or cleaning out your garage so you have a space to build things. This could also mean buying the materials you need to actually accomplish your goals.
Over the past year, I have been really intrigued by minimalism and have started decluttering and downsizing our home. I love the idea of everything having a purpose or a reason to be in my home. I have found that it brings a sense of peace and calm to my life. My latest project has been decluttering and making an office space in our guest bedroom. Since I have done that, I have been very productive! I have actually accomplished the things on my to do list and I have a space that feels peaceful to work in!
As you take the journey of having a successful year, start brainstorming how you can make space and prepare your life for your goals. If this seems overwhelming, start with only one goal. What do you need to do to succeed in that goal? Have an office space? Buy art supplies? Buy a new journal? Once you have figured out what you need, make it happen!
STEP 4: GET SOME CHEERLEADERS
As you are starting on the journey to accomplish your new goals, it is very important to have accountability. Share your goals with safe people in your life. Share them with people you know will actually help you along and not belittle what you are trying to do! It is important to have people celebrating those small victories in your life!
I have shared my goals with some of my friends and I love how they see the things that I am doing and are constantly reminding me that I am actually moving forward! They are always so encouraging but will also call me out if need be! I am not sure if I would accomplish my goals without my faithful cheerleaders!
STEP 5: DO IT!
I know that this seems like a no-brainer step, but I know plenty of people who will dream about their lives but won’t act on any of those dreams! I have found that I do a better job of making movement towards my dreams if I keep to-do lists and a calendar to help me use my time wisely!
I am a little old school when it comes to my lists and calendars. I LOVE paper planners, but I also see the value in using the calendars and reminders on my phone. With that being said, I use both! I keep up with all of my calendars and lists on my phone, but once a week I update my paper planner with the content of my lists and calendars from my phone. I have found this to help me because I am a visual person and for some reason I can not picture my events or appointments when they are just on my phone calendar. I would encourage you to use whatever methods work best for you!
I hope that as you have read through this post, that you are encouraged to get your year organized so that you can accomplish all the things you want to do! You got this!
CHALLENGE: Take some time this week to do these 5 steps! Document your journey on social media by using the hashtag #faithfultomypurpose.