Most people make resolutions of some sort. I like to think of it as a time to make goals...goals or steps we can take to inch our lives closer to how we need to live.
Here is a method to lay out your goals, start on that path, and navigate your life to where you want it to go. How exciting! I go through this ritual every year. Although I still haven't achieved my personal best, are any of us ever a finished product?
To start, I divide my goals into several categories: this allows for balance! Then I dwell on what I need to accomplish within each section. Remember, this is for you and the betterment of YOUR life, there is no right or wrong and your goals simply serve as a navigation tool to get you closer to that picture in your mind of how you would like your life to look.
The most important thing about goals is they should be SMART: Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely! For each goal, you should write down HOW you are going to implement this into your life...what day, how long, etc.
I think the biggest hurdle is the realistic part...some years I find that there is so much that needs changed, I need a bulldozer to flatten my life and rebuild EVERYTHING. This is not realistic or attainable! So I start by asking myself; what is the one thing I really need to do within this area, and go from there.
Family/Home Goals:
This is where I list the things that need done inside the house for the new year, like "tile the
kitchen". It is also a place for concept goals for the family: Vacation in Disney or have game
night once per month, or eat dinner together at least weekly (our nightly dinner table
gatherings are just no longer possible).
Spiritual Goals
Join a prayer group, read a bible passage before work each day, attend church more
regularly, something that brings you closer to God and mankind.
Physical Goals
Under this title you can join a gym, exercise at lease three times per week, take a daily walk,
drink less, eat less, etc. I did great at this two years ago, I joined the gym, but haven't
been there once! Maybe go to the gym X times per week would have been a SMARTer
goal for me!
Knowledge Goals
Your mental state needs to be as satisfied as your physical and spiritual state! Read a book
a month, work the crossword puzzle each day, take a class, hone a talent or skill in some
way. Knowledge is power!
Social Goals
This is one of my favorites! My favorite goal I ever committed to fell under this category and
it proved to be good for me and the people I loved. One of my social goals in the past was to
send a piece of mail (with real stamps and everything) to a friend or family member at
least monthly. Sometimes I found a funny card, or ceremoniously, I would sit by the fire
and write a long thoughtful letter to someone who rarely heard how my heart felt about
them. Other months I would send a favorite book or pictures to share. Your social goals may
be completely different, as mine will as well, but a monthly lunch with a friend or hosting an
annual pool party qualify as ways to enhance our social needs.
Financial and Career Goals
Save X amount of $ monthly, pay off your car loan, ask for a raise, change jobs, start your
own business...often success in this area determines how well we excel in other areas
of our life. I do try to avoid tying my other goals to finances, but none of us can live without
money. Let's get ours in order!
Words of Wisdom:
- Do you realize that 95% of our actions are carried out automatically; without thought? Imagine the change we could command in our lives if we commit to making conscious decisions. This morning I woke up, fixed coffee, sat down at the computer and smoked a cigarette. Same thing I do EVERY morning, and I never even had a thought in my mind. I have the power to start my day by showering first, choosing NOT to smoke and stop wasting my time with a computer card game for the first thirty minutes of my day...if only I'd make the conscious choice to do so.
- Try living outside of your limits. Most of us live a safe, familiar life. It's what we know and we are comfortable there. Living inside your limits (daily routine) will give you the same results you have always gotten. Step outside the circle you have built at least occasionally. Eat at that restaurant you drive past, have wondered about, but never tried. Someone in Ashland, KY please stop at the Aladdin Frame Shop on Lexington and 12th Street, go see a movie (Last movie I saw at a theatre was Polar Express and that is just sad) try something new!
- Set goals that you truly desire to achieve. If you have failed to reach a goal, it is because you didn't truly have a burning desire to achieve it in the first place. Weak desire creates weak results!
- Try. This is my favorite word in the English language. (Well, after onomatopoeia and Constantinople) Everything you want to achieve in life can be had through this word. The more you try, the more likely you are to succeed. That success depends on your number of attempts.
- Believe! If you can dream it you can do it! There is no room for doubt in the faithful.
So there you go, my annual thought process as we enter a new year. May we all look forward to the best year of our lives so far!
