I dont know about you but for me it seems that as I get older the years seem to go by faster. You know that clich time flies when youre having fun. Well I dont know if thats what happening but here it is again, another year gone by. The end of the year brings about a lot of introspection about what you have accomplished or not accomplished for the year. As I reflect on the year, I feel a mixture of feelings. Some things Im not too happy about while other things I feel pretty good about. All in all I know that I am blessed especially when I thing about the loved ones and others that were lost to death during the year. This year has brought about heartbreaking devastation from the hurricanes, a tsunami, brush fires, earthquakes, mudslides, floods, tornadoes, and loss of jobs that have affected people not only living in other countries but people living right here in the United States. As I reflect, it also brings to mind how much we take for granted, but in reality life is so short. The time we have here on earth is so precious and valuable that we should not ever complain or take for granted what could be taken away in an instant. Thats why I have decided to set some simple goals for myself for the upcoming year to optimize my time. Here are some strategies that you may find helpful in setting goals for your life: A good place to start is reflecting on the past year and identifying your successes and identifying things that didnt go so well for you.Think about areas of your life that you want to improve in. You might want to think about your relationships, finances, health, career, spirituality and narrow down and focus on certain areas by selecting two to three that are most important to you at this time.Set up small steps to accomplish your goals followed by action steps. For example, a goal could be wanting to lose 10 pounds within the next three months. Action steps to make this goal a reality may include visiting the gym two three times a week and eating healthier meals that include more vegetables and less junk foods.Make your goals measurable, achievable, and set a time frame. Set them according to what you can do not to what you think you should do or what others have done.Write your goals down and visualize yourself accomplishing them. In fact you should visualize yourself achieving your goals throughout the time you are working on them. This positive energy will help in your success. Believing that you can achieve the goal is a must. Writing your goals down also makes them seem more real.Share your goals with someone that is important to you. If you think that someone will be supportive and positive in your accomplishments, by all means share your goals with that person.Document your progress. Writing down or placing a star on the calendar when you accomplish something related to a goal gives you a record of your accomplishment and helps validate while giving your self-esteem a boost.Be prepared to evaluate your goals on a monthly or every two month basis. This allows you to see where you are and if you need make some adjustments in your action steps. If you find that you are not being as successful as you think you should, take a look at what is hindering progress and eliminate the obstacle.The best part is rewarding yourself. Rewarding yourself is exciting and helps to motivate. Rewarding yourself can be an inexpensive event or thing such as treating yourself to a long hot bath or a movie that you have been wanting to see.Lastly dont be afraid to change your goals if you need to. Sometimes circumstances change that could affect your plan and you will need to make adjustments. Its okay, dont get stuck. Change what needs to be changed and move on.My hope is that you have found these strategies useful in starting this upcoming New Year off with a plan, a focus and a positive outlook toward the future. Good Luck! |
Home
