It's a brand new year, and although we don't agree that January is the only time to set new goals, we do know that many of you use the new year as a fresh start. So as you're all probably in full on motivation mode, we thought we'd give you some helpful tips to make sure you fulfill your goals this year! via GIPHY
1. Make sure you're setting goals the right way
Spend five or ten minutes to sit with yourself and grab a notebook and pen. Think about your life and what you envision for yourself. Think about your relationships, health, finances, career, education, and self improvement. Then write down anything that comes into your head that you desire - maybe you want to go travelling, maybe you want to live in a mansion, maybe you want a pet. Write down all your wildest dreams! Make sure you have goals for each aspect of your life so it is balanced.
Then go through your list and put a number next to each one corresponding to how many years you intend to achieve that goal in. Pick out any of your goals that you want to achieve in the next year, and say hello to your 2018 goals!
2. Make sure your goals are SMART
The SMART acronym is used alot in business, but we can also apply it to our personal lives. Make sure your goals are SMART:
S - specific
M - measurable
A - achievable
R - realistic
T - time based
So for example, if you want to take up running, set a goal along the lines of:
I will go running for 30 minutes each sunday morning and by the 31st December i will be able to run 5k in (x) minutes.
Whether the goal is achievable or realistic is up to you and what you feel comfortable with. 3. Use persuasive language when setting your goals
When writing out your goals make sure to use persuasive language. Write 'I will' instead of 'I want to' - see how the intent is already there in 'I will'. Other great phrases are 'I will enjoy doing XYZ' or 'I will easily do XYZ'. It's all about putting forward your intent to do something and making it a positive thing that you will look forward to doing.
4. Look at your goals for motivation and reflection
Make sure you write down your goals somewhere you will see them everyday. If that means putting them on your wall, go for it! If you'd rather have them in your diary, then do that! The main thing is to read through them daily and make sure you're on track. This will also keep you motivated and focused on what you want to achieve.
5. Make an action plan
It's easy to declare that 2018 will be the year you meditate every morning or you go running 3 times a week, but if you have no action plan in place, then you're setting yourself up to fail. Failure will only make you doubt yourself further so please do not go there!
Look at your end goal and think about what steps you need to take in order to fulfill it. Then work backwards, from December to January, writing down mini goals for each month till you get to the beginning of the year. Voila, you now have an action plan! If you want to delve down further, you could then split each months' goals into weekly goals or even daily goals, but who has time for that?!
6. Take time to reflect and re-write
At the end of each month, look at your action plan and reflect on whether or not you completed your monthly mini goal. Are you on track to reach your goal? If you didn't, then look at where you could improve next month or where you can catch up. Maybe you weren't realistic enough in setting your goals. This is fine so don't beat yourself up! It is hard to judge what is achievable for ourselves and it is always better to set goals that are harder to reach, otherwise we just slack off. If you did complete your mini goal then look at re-writing your goals. Maybe you have underestimated yourself and need to push yourself harder!
Whether you completed your mini goal or not, the key is to remember that it is a learning curve and life can get in the way but don't give up! Just reflect, re-assess and re-write.
We hope you enjoyed our tips and let us know if you put any of them into practice! Here's to making 2018 the best, most badass, fun-filled year yet!
