How to set the right new year’s resolutions (or goals) and achieve them
It’s that time of the year again, folks. The lights and holiday displays are up, the Christmas music is on repeat inside every commercial space, and cheer is in the air.
I LOVE December and the holiday season. The problem is, after it ends you get… January. Boring, cold, post-vacation January.
Blerg.
But did you know that January can actually be AWESOME? That’s because it’s a fresh start, a period of renewal, the exciting time when you actually get to make good on those New Years’ Resolutions you carved out in December.
Now is the time to set the stage.
4 ways to ensure you set successful resolutions, goals, and intentions
Whether you are making a New Year’s resolution, setting some intentions for 2023, or creating tangible, specific goals, December is your opportunity to set yourself up for success.
What do I mean by that?
So many people make resolutions or set goals but do not go on to fully achieve them. If that’s happened to you in the past, or if you are concerned about meeting your goals for this year, here are the four most important things you can do to ensure your success:
1: Share Your Goals
Sharing your resolutions, intentions or goals with other people provides accountability. So whether you share them with a partner, friend, or with the world via social media (then there’s really no going back!), research shows that you will be more likely to achieve your goals.
Depending on how long you’ve been following me, you might recall that in June I held myself accountable to you by sharing my mid-year progress on my December 2021 goals:
Specifically I said I would:
Exercise at least 5 times a week for 30-45 minutes
Reduce back pain and pelvic pain to low or non-existent levels
Maintain normal blood pressure (120/80 or lower) and a low resting heart rate (60s)
Return to my pre-pregnancy weight
Get at least 6-7 hours of sleep per night.
Back in June, I was 4/5 (with sleep still eluding me due to the occasional baby regression.) Today, I am giving myself a 4.8 - because nobody is perfect! There’s always going to be the occasional bad night of sleep, the back spasm due to lugging a 24 pound baby up and down 4 flights of stairs (thank God for physical therapy and acupuncture!) or the week where I miss a workout due to the latest daycare illness.
It was scary to put these goals out there, but that added accountability definitely helped me stay focused.
So now I’m going to lead the vulnerability train by sharing one of my personal goals for 2023!
I’d like to grow my business 3x.
Boom, it’s out there! No turning back now!
2: Set SMART Goals
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Research shows that when you set SMART goals, you increase your chances of achieving them. Let’s take my goal as an example:
I said I wanted to “grow my business by 3x.” What exactly does that mean though? How will I know when I have achieved this goal? When is the deadline? And is this realistic?
To me, growing my business by 3x means that my gross revenue will increase by 3x as of December 31, 2022. I know how much my gross revenue in 2022 was, so this is a specific, measurable and time-bound goal. As far as being achievable, I increased my revenue by 2x in 2022, so why not manifest some exponential curvature in 2023? It will certainly be a challenge, but I believe in myself!
3: Connect To Your Why
I addressed the S, M, A, and T of SMART goals above, but what about R, Relevant? The idea behind Relevance is to understand how the goal aligns with your bigger picture. In other words, why is this goal important to you?
I’ve had a complicated relationship with money for a long time. This past year, I invested in some money mindset coaching to finally heal and repair that relationship. And what I found was incredible.
Wealth no longer means greed, sacrifice or stress to me anymore. It now means alignment, serving more people, making their lives better, being able to spend time with my loved ones, experiencing adventures and joys in life, and taking excellent care of my health.
By growing my business, I will be able to grow my impact, improve more lives, and live my own life in alignment with my values even more of the time.
I will also be able to take a real maternity leave.
No, I am not pregnant (yet.) But IVF #2 is already in the making and so I’m putting that intention out there too. Yikes that vulnerability hangover is strong!
4: Invest In Your Goal
If you really want to ensure that you will reach a goal, you’ve got to invest. Ever heard the saying “you get out of life what you put in?” So whether it’s your precious time, effort or money, investing in yourself and your goals will create major accountability.
Think about how you will reach your SMART goal? What are the tools you need to get there?
I mentioned above that I invested in some money mindset coaching this past year. And the transformations in my bank account have been REAL.
I also invested in a business coach to help me create my very first online course! More details will be coming your way next week, but creating a scalable, group version of my signature program (the LEAP Accelerator) is one of the things I am most excited about in my business right now.
By investing in my goal, I’ve put myself in the best possible position for success.
What are your goal(s) this year? Try out tip #1 and Share Your Goal With Me right now!