January’s Note From Me- How to Set Realistic Goals

“Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground.”

-Theodore Roosevelt

Now that the holidays are officially over.. sigh.. you may be contemplating resolutions or a fresh start to the new year. Are you making any resolutions this year or do you shun the notion all together?

Resolutions can be a fantastic way to reach your goals in the new year, but making them realistic is the most important aspect for sticking to them. I am not here to tell you to start a “juice cleanse 2020!” or a new fabulous “crash diet” that will most likely lead to failure. But I do believe that setting goals for yourself are important ways to evolve in life, and better yourself for years to come. I’m excited to share my tips for making real, attainable goals as we head in to this exciting new year!

Start Small

When creating your list, start with small goals. Instead of making resolutions one major to-do list to revamp yourself, try one goal a day, a week, then one goal for the month. Starting small will increase your drive to want more, instead of burning yourself out with an overwhelming list. Once you feel that you have achieved the small goals, don’t be afraid to move on to bigger things. For example: My daily goals will include getting ahead on my blog, getting my workout in before 7:00 am, or knowing when to put my laptop down to spend quality time with my husband. My weekly goals will include something like finding new ways to reach a bigger audience, or putting aside extra time to research a topic I’m passionate about. Having these small goals that stair step in to larger ones, keep from burning out and feeling overwhelmed which then lead to change.

Look back on the past year and be honest with yourself

Ask yourself a few simple questions. What did I achieve? Where did I fail? What did I overcome? What challenged me? Once you have a clear understanding, start to form your list of goals around that. If your goal last year was to lose weight, but you failed, what made you fail? Be honest and real with yourself because you’re the only one that holds the answers to your life.

Prioritize The Important Stuff

If you feel like you try to prioritize too many things, or don’t prioritize at all, start by writing out a list. What’s important in your life? What’s not so important? What did I prioritize this last year and where did it get me? If that means putting your phone down to eat dinner with your family, do it, and stick to it. Or if the expensive wellness activities are putting a stress on your bank account, weed out the ones that you can live without. Wellness could mean a variety of things that don’t have to cost money. Try taking a warm bath with a book to wind down, or going for a jog in your neighborhood, playing a game with your family, or turning off the TV to listen to your favorite music. Whatever it is, find what is the most important to you and make it your priority for the new year.

Don’t Set Yourself Up for Failure.

It’s easy to get a little over ambitious when it comes to resolutions. Know exactly why you decided to start this new resolution or goal, and be careful to of making too large of a list. If you try year after year the same resolution but know that you always end up failing before January is even up, re-evaluate with yourself. Are you just setting yourself up for failure knowing you’ll end up punishing yourself? Make your goal something YOU are passionate about, no matter how small it may be. It’s easy to get caught up with everyone on the internet who portray that they are accomplishing so many things, but that may not always be the case. Know your limits, what you’re passionate about, and what you feel you can successfully accomplish.

Be Specific.

Narrow down your goals to be more specific. If your goals are too broad (i.e. get a job, get a workout in, work on my blog), then it’s easy to get distracted or lose track on where you’re headed. The more specific they are, the more focus you will have in succeeding with those goals. Try something along the lines of set aside 3:00-5:00 pm to write a creative blog post, get my workout in before 7:00 am, etc. Specific goals will command your attention and keep the motivation alive.