Where Will the New Year Take You?

As another year fizzles out, an opportunity for renewal and a clean (or cleaner) slate emerges. An abundance of negativity surrounds “resolutions” and yet many of us continue to pursue self-improvement at this time of year more than any other.

I’m always down for a round of improvement and savor the cozy little spot on my easy chair where I’ll carve out my plans for a year of goals. The kind of year where everything comes together perfectly.

If that sounds familiar, stick with me.

We naturally possess a seed of hope deep inside that cracks open a bit when a glimmer of chance arises. A chance at anything positive can do the trick.

A couple of ways we can set ourselves up for “success” in the coming year come down to narrowing the scope of our goals to those we control. I tend to focus on a rigid plan to eat and exercise without room for life’s interruptions and good old reality.

As you can imagine, that usually goes sideways soon enough and eventually drops off my radar entirely. Yet, year after year I try again.

Approaching this year, I have stewed over my goal setting ideas long enough to admit – I am poking around at my faults and shortcomings a little too much. While trying to self-improve we must evaluate where we are first. It seems, we can easily get bogged down and end up begrudgingly setting goals that start from a place of unsteady ground.

This year I am starting with a list of celebrations.

While research supports regular goal setting that incorporates specific, measurable, challenging, and attainable goals, why not take it a step further. Instead of beating ourselves up over how far we are from our ideal self, picture the journey as a set of steps. In each area of our lives, we can come from a healthy perspective rather than a deficit approach.

My plan is to ask a set of questions to prepare for goal setting.

What are my top 10 accomplishments of the year?

What are my top 10 priorities?

What is the why behind each priority?

Preparing for your future can begin with a step forward on a continuum of steady progress. You are already a success in every area of your life. Moving up to the next steps requires effort and motivation that come from a belief in yourself, and that seed of hope.

We need to hope for more while anchoring ourselves in gratitude for who we are and where we are in our journey.

I encourage you to set aside time to review your last cycle around the sun and find your vision for the coming year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!