New Month … New Year … New Goals
By now, you’ve been barraged by emails and news stories about how to kick off your new year with new plans, goals and healthy habits.
While there’s nothing magical about starting this thought process in January vs. July, the new year does at least mark a new mental beginning, and therefore perhaps an opportunity of which to take advantage.
If you’ve already found the time to sit down and reflect on how you want your year to look - bravo! Because one thing is for sure, writing things down on paper just makes them real. And of course, it provides a hard copy of what's in our head and therefore personally meaningful.
If you’re still mulling things over, or maybe haven’t had the time to think things through, the following framework may provide useful in terms of thinking through the dimensions of your world.
First, some rules of the road:
The questions within each topic area are only meant to be thought starters for you. By no means feel like you need an answer to each of them.
Resist feeling like you have to have several things in each category. And if you do, go back and prioritize the top three things in each area that you want to accomplish or focus on. Maybe divide your list between the “must dos” and the “nice to dos.”
Maybe you want to do this on your computer, or just grab a pad of paper, make a six square grid, and have lots of fun colorful markers to help you fill in the space.
Find a nice quiet cozy corner and brew a hot cup of tea or coffee to get the creative juices flowing.
So, New Year, here we come!
Goals, Aspirations, Desired Outcomes
1. Health & Personal
What specific things do I want to do to be more healthy?
In thinking about what makes me happy, what are new routines/events/habits that I can add to my schedule?
What can I do for ME this year?
2. Family
What new routines or events can I establish to create more opportunities to gather as a family?
How can I be positively present when I am with my family members?
What special memories can I create for my family?
What can I do to make sure each of my family members knows how much I appreciate them?
As you think about each member of your family, is there one thing you can do differently to better connect with that person?
3. Friends/Community
What can I do to make sure my friends know how much I appreciate them?
Can I create something that will establish a ritual of bringing together friends on a regular basis?
Who do I want to reconnect with?
How can I become more involved in my community? Neighborhood? Church? School? Workplace?
4. Walk of Life … Professon (This is where you spend your time … in your profession, as a student, as a retiree, as a parent raising children)
What can I do and learn to help me continue to grow in my profession?
How can I contribute more fully at what I do, in a way that will make me feel good and accomplished?
Who should I network with?
Who can I mentor?
What can I do to ensure I have a meaningful purpose to work towards every day?
What am I really passionate about, and how can I bring those passions into what I do every day?
5. Faith/Spiritual
What can I do to be more intentional with my actions?
What can I do for myself to make me feel more connected to my family, community, nature, etc?
Would creating a ritual of journaling or establishing a gratitude practice serve me well?
How can I exhibit more compassion in my life?
Are there ways that I can give back that will help others as well as myself?
6. Home
What home projects should be on the calendar this year?
What can I do to make my home more homey and comfortable?
Where can I declutter/clean out and get more organized?
How do I make my fridge and pantry better organized for supporting my health?
What should I plant in my garden?
And before you totally overwhelm yourself with what you lay out before you for the year, think about your why. Why is all of this important? What will accomplishing all that you’ve laid out bring you?
Always remember, whether it is January, June, or September, thinking through goals as a way to move you forward NEVER will be a waste of time!