How to achieve your goals this year! Steps 1-4
Happy 2022!
Whew I’m so glad it’s a new year. 2021 was full of so many trials for me. Although the end of the year turned around, I could do without the first nine months. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so thankful for the experiences I’ve had however, there were some days where I didn’t know how I would make it through. I’m not quite sure how to explain it but there is something stirring up in my spirit telling me this is your year! I truly believe if you actually put in the work, this is the year where everything changes.
If you’re anything like me, there have been years where I set goals and didn’t do anything about them. For one reason or another, I pushed it back to “next year.’ Next year comes along and I start off real strong, but by March those goals are pushed back again. That cycle of consistently pushing your goals back STOPS NOW. If 2021 taught me anything, it’s that life is so short. It’s time for us to start living life to the fullest by being the person and having the life we’ve always dreamed of. How exactly do we rise up this year? These 4 steps below will get you started!
Write Your Goals Down
I know it sounds obvious however, writing your goals down is key to actually achieving them. It’s one thing to have a goal in your mind; it’s another to put it on paper, whether that’s a physical piece of paper or an electronic one. Written goals help us to begin to visualize what we want out of life. You could take it a step further and create a vision board as well. Make sure your goals are specific and most importantly, have a deadline. A goal without a deadline will never happen. But a goal with a date will allow you to have a sense of urgency. Without urgency, your goals will be on that piece of paper until the day you die. We want to make sure our goals happen in our lifetime and sooner than later. That way we can begin to fully live them out and enjoy the results as soon as possible. When creating a deadline, please make sure that it’s reasonable. We all know that it’s impossible to lose 50 pounds(lbs) and get a six pack in a week. Make sure your deadline stretches you a little bit but is not some far off timeline that is just not realistic.
Break Down Your Desired Results
Okay, so you have a deadline. Now it’s time to break down your goal into bite sized pieces. Using the example above with wanting to lose 50 lbs, you can first break this goal down by quarter. If you want to lose 50 lbs by the end of third quarter (September), you will need to lose about 16.5 lbs a quarter. Breaking it down even further into months, to lose 16.5 lbs in a quarter you will need to loose 5.5 lbs each month. We went from a goal of losing 50 lbs by September to only 5.5 lbs a month. If we continue breaking this down, that equates to 1.4 llbs a week. I don’t how to lose 50 lbs but I can definitely lose 1.4 lbs a week. By breaking your goals down into bite size pieces, it is more manageable and easier to achieve. Whatever you goal is, use this same approach of breaking it down so you know what is required of you each quarter, month, week, and even daily! What once may have appeared to be a massive goal, can now be seen as something that is easily doable!
Make a Plan of Action
Its great to have your goals written and broken down however none of that matters if you’re not going to put in the work required to achieve them. I think this is where some people fall short. Some fail to plan so that person may not know what to do next. Continuing the weight loss example, a plan of action would look like determining the number of calories and types of foods that should be eaten each day. In other words, meal prepping for the week or even a few days. That way you don’t have to worry about your meals or get so caught up in life that you don’t have time to eat so you pick up some fast food instead. Trust me, I’ve been there and it’s only setting yourself up for failure. Another plan of action would be determining the days you will work out, for how long you will workout, and the type of workout. If you simply chose a day you’ll have to figure out when and what. Don’t leave question marks when pursuing your goals. Know what you’re going to do, when you’re going to do it, how you’re going to do it, and any other resources you will need. It’s important to know the daily steps required to make progress towards your goals. Make a plan so that when the time comes, you only need to use your mental energy on focusing at the task at hand.
Get Organized and Use a Planner.
We are all busy and have so much on our plates on any given day. At times we can get so caught up with work, family, church etc. that we look up ,it’s 10p.m, and we didn’t work on our goals for that day. This is why it’s so vital to use a calendar, planner, or some sort of system to prioritize our tasks for the day. I personally use a daily planner that lists out all the hours of the day. Each week on Sunday, I block out times for work, exercise, events, and even time to work on my goals. Using the weight loss example once more, to achieve that goal of losing 50lbs, you would need to schedule in the times you will work out, grocery shop, and meal prep. When putting your planner together schedule things at times that make the most sense to you. If you’re someone who has to press snooze 12 times in the morning and rolls out of bed to get to work last minute, morning workouts may not be best for you. Find times in your schedule that align to your lifestyle and seamlessly flows in with what you already have going on. If you’re someone who prefers to workout after work, rather than coming home from work and risk not leaving your house because you’re all settled in, go straight to the gym. That way you can knock it out and once you’re home you can rest. When scheduling please put in things like plans with friends and rest. You cannot pour from an empty cup so make sure there’s some time in there for yourself. “Proper preparation prevents poor performance,” so get organized!
Hopefully these 4 steps will help you get up and working towards your goals this year. If you’re someone who would like some planner tips or further guidance to get organized and missed my Elevate with Ernia Radio Show this week, that episode is available for purchase! Just send me an email via the contact tab. If you’d prefer 1:1 coaching, please visit the Life Coaching tab. I’d love to help!
Come back next week for an additional 4 steps on how to achieve your goals this year. Sign up for my newsletter to get updates on new posts and events here! (just scroll down to the bottom of the page).
Be Blessed,