The end of the year is here, so time to plan and set your new year goals! Some of you may be a little jaded with how unpredictable this past year has been. How can we set goals or make plans with so much uncertainty?
Unpredictability isn’t something new. Life has always been known for throwing curveballs.
But 2020 taught us that we need to take action in our lives. It taught us how to roll with the punches and not let the fear of uncertainty paralyze us.
We can still map out an actionable guide for achieving our dream life.
Because if circumstances change, all we have to do is reevaluate, find the new opportunity, and continue on a new path forward.
In this post, you will learn how to:
- Review how your year went
- Remind yourself of your vision
- Review your daily habits
- Set specific goals for different areas of your life
- Set actionable next steps/map out a plan
Related post: How to Use a Vision Board to Accomplish Goals
Review how your year went
First things first – evaluate how far you’ve come in the past year. Look at the progress you’ve made towards the goals you set at the beginning of the year and review how you’ve grown.
The purpose of this step is to set a clear baseline for where you are currently, which will help you determine areas of growth for the new year.
Here are some example questions to ask yourself:
- Did I achieve the goal I set for myself this year?
- How did I show up in my life this year? Is there room for improvement?
- What was the highest point this year? Lowest?
- How would I rate my reaction to change this year?
- What was the most significant moment of growth for me?
- Did I let procrastination affect progress towards my goal? If so, to what extent did it influence my progress?
- How has my personality changed over the year?
- Have I been either “over-cautious” or “under-cautious” with my life?
- What new skills have I learned over the past year?
- Who came into my life this year, and who left?
- How have I been with budgeting my time towards my priorities?
- How can I re-budget my time and change my habits to be more efficient during the coming year?
- How have I been doing in my career? If I had been on the receiving end of my services, would I be satisfied with my performance?
Remind yourself of your vision
This step is where you will take a good, hard look at what you want and envision for your life.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- What are your big aspirations and goals?
- Where do you envision yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
- Where are you living? What’re you doing in your career?
- What impact do you want to leave?
- Why are you motivated to make these dreams a reality?
Answering questions like these will bring awareness to the bigger picture that you’re trying to create for your life.
Seeing the bigger picture will give you a better understanding of the key milestones needed to make those dreams a reality. It will help you choose goals that support your overall vision.
Related post: How to Use a Vision Board to Accomplish Goals
Review your daily habits
Habits are small actions, but they have a significant impact on how we conduct ourselves daily.
First, create a list of your current habits. Review the list and mark the ones that aren’t benefiting or helping you move towards the life you want.
Then create a second list of new habits you want to incorporate into your life this year.
Save both lists and revisit them often. Consistently bringing attention to your habits will make you more conscious about how you move through life.
Set specific goals for different areas of your life
Write down specific goals you want to set for the different areas of your life. What are your priorities for each area this year? What goals are you committing to that will improve each area of your life?
Remember to be specific. Review your overall vision again and clarify what you can do this year to support this vision.
Here are five areas of your life to concentrate on:
- Career
- Health & Fitness
- Financial
- Relationship
- Positive Impact (environment or other causes you care about)
Set actionable next steps/map out a plan
Now that you’ve set specific goals, it’s time to start mapping out how you plan to achieve them in the new year.
What are the key milestones that will lead to successfully achieving your goal? Your plan should include deadlines to keep you accountable.
I recommend setting check-ins to see how you’re tracking throughout the year. During these check-ins, evaluate your progress, see if any shifts need to be made in the overall plan, etc.
Final thoughts
Remember to keep going and focus on what you can control. I know it can be difficult planning for a future that’s unpredictable, but…
- Try not to get caught up in the “could’ve/should’ve done” (the past)
- Or, get lost thinking about what may come (the future)
- Bring everything back to what you can do now (the present)
Related Post: 23 Uplifting New Year Motivational Quotes
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