New Years: A Positive Twist on Goal Setting

The holidays are behind us, the light is returning, and the cold slog (perhaps wet if you’re in the Northwest like me) is ahead. I think most folks groan when they think of New Year’s Resolutions. I know I do. But we all want some positive change, don’t we? So, here’s a positive spin on creating new goals. 

1) Take a little time to write down all of your accomplishments from 2014. To jog your memory, look through your calendar, ask your spouse or your friends. Click here for a graphic of all areas of your life – you can use it to explore different kinds of wins from the year. In each of the categories, write all the great things you did, all the great things that happened to you, milestones achieved, etc. It’s a wonderful way to tuck in one year and begin another.

Once you’ve got that list, you’ve got a great foundation for creating new goals. It’s easy to want change or to want to be better or have things be different, but starting from a place of appreciation of what you’ve done keeps you in a positive mind frame, rather than focusing on what hasn’t worked. 

2) As you take stock of the great things from 2014, ask yourself:

• What do you want more of in your life?
• How do you want 2015 to build on your successes in 2014?
• What do you want to have accomplished by New Years Day 2016?

3) Take the juiciest one and set a target to reach it by.  (Go ahead, take a risk, you can do it.) Then chunk it down into edible, bite-sized pieces. What would be fun to do today? In January? In February? 

4) Celebrate every time you achieve a small chunk. Remember to review the larger goal to see if you need to shift the target a little. As you travel towards your goal, you may get new information and feel differently. Make sure you stay flexible with your goal so it remains something you actually want (because you are changing as well.)

Send me an email if you get stuck, and you’d like a free strategy session.
I wish you a very Happy New Year!

Jennifer