Hey! It’s that regrouping, rethinking, goal-setting, sight-lifting time of year!  And you might teeter at times on the seesaw of should I or shouldn’t I make the effort of writing out my goals for the year?  Because really, in June will I even remember what they were?

My experience is, yes, write them!  And here are a few simple steps to take to make brainstorming, writing and accomplishing your new goals a reality.  If you tend to over-think things, set a timer for yourself (10-15 minutes per step) and wrap this up within an hour! Keep it simple.  But first a few thoughts to consider:

{Remember that the simple things you do everyday are the building blocks of your legacy.  So when thinking about goals, focus on the small things that you want to do well.  Mother Teresa said, “Be faithful in small things for it is in them that your strength lies.”}

{Imbalance can derail your best plans, so focus on goals that will help you to achieve greater balance in your life.  You must give attention to what a healthy body and spirit require, such as regular sleep, nutritious food, giving service, having fun, family relationships, personal growth, time for reflection and relaxing in nature, etc. Great strides in one area that lead to the neglect of others or to the detriment of the whole, may leave you feeling discouraged in spite of your achievements.}

{Think of personal growth in terms of baby steps.}

{Remember that you are a child of God, born to experience joy in your inherent creative powers. Making simple decisions about your life is a creative process that can be a source of great satisfaction and joy.}

Now, find a time that you can be alone and create an inspiring setting to work on these steps. (As you can see, our inspiring setting this year was Capital Reef National Park!) For you it may be on the beach or in your car parked in a beautiful spot, or if you have little ones, you may just decide to hole up in a room of your house, play Vivaldi and write while your spouse keeps an eye on the kiddos! Create a way.

1. Consider where you are now and where you want to go.  What have you learned this past year?  What has changed? What would you like to improve?  What needs your attention more regularly?  This is a crucial step!  If you were taking a trip, you’d need to know your current location and your desired destination before you decided on how you were going to get there right? This step helps you to find yourself on your proverbial “life map” so that you can know which direction you want to go now.  The answers to these questions become the foundation of your new goals.  Jot them down.

2. Once you have a few basic goals on paper, break them down into small, actionable bites.  For example, this year I have a goal to study a book I’ve owned for awhile on the use of medicinal herbs.  Looking through the index I found that there are 11 chapters, so I decided that I’d tackle a chapter-a-month.  Keep it as simple as possible.

3. Write your goals or intentions out strategically.  Goals written in your journal in January that are never referred to again can become ammunition for self-abuse when you accidentally stumble onto them again in September.  (Yep, that’s the voice of experience talking.)  Plaster your new calendar or planner with them!  Write notes of encouragement to yourself on each page.  Write your bite-sized action steps on the appropriate days, weeks and months.

4. Be brave and share your goals with your support people.  The more trusted family members and friends you have that know about your intentions, the more social support you will receive.  I’m not saying, call everyone and ask them for their help.  Just share, at natural times what you are working on, and then notice all the ways that people will offer encouragement and serve as a source of gentle accountability for you.

That’s it!  Taking time to think and meditate about your life helps you to live with greater intention and purpose.  And setting even small goals can change your life in profound ways. One of which is gaining the confidence that comes from being a decisive agent.  It’s your life. Take it and run!

Love,

Jacque