We are already hot on the heels of the new year, in a few weeks it begins, always this time is a good time not only to take stock of what was the year that ends but to plan the next. Some call them "new year's resolutions". Some plan in great detail. Others simply put their wishes on paper. But in general we all always think something about what will be our "new beginning".
What I propose is to make a plan for the new year, but something different from what you are used to. Whether or not you regularly make a wish list for the new year, this exercise will help you not only dream but also fulfill your plans. A little tip, buy yourself a notebook and dedicate it to your new year. Here you can add your plan for the year today, but month by month you will be able to incorporate new ideas and sections that will help you to be a more orderly person and aware of their actions. It will also help you learn, capitalize on learning, and then apply what you learned to make a difference.
Step number 1 - Choose three goals that you really want to accomplish next year
Sometimes you find yourself wanting those things you always want, like on autopilot. You want to lose weight, change the car, be more tolerant with others, be more organized, change jobs, have your own business, go on vacation, travel the world. But the invitation is for you to think about those 3 things that are so important to you that they can make the difference of your year. It may be that long ago you are a little frustrated with your professional career and you decide that this year is truly important for you to find a new direction and get out of the impasse. Or it may be that you feel that your life is increasingly affected by stress, that you live running and what you really want is to achieve a better balance in your day to day. Whatever it is,Choose only 3 goals with which you feel you have a high level of commitment and that you need them, long for them, and they will do you a lot of good in life. Which will be? Write them down in your notebook.
Step number 2 - What do those goals represent to you?
Whatever you have described as your triad of goals for the coming year, now I invite you to go further and think about what these goals represent to you? What is its meaning in your life? What do you want to achieve with them? For example: If your goal is finally to open your own business and stop working for others, you may feel that what it represents to you is greater flexibility of time or greater independence. If your goal is to lose weight, change eating habits, and start physical activity, perhaps what this means for you is greater balance, vitality and a sense of connection with your body. Allow yourself a few moments to reflect on this point since it is extremely important and sometimes the answer is not so obvious.Search within yourself for what each of your goals represents or means and make sure you feel it makes sense to you.
These answers will show you the values or principles that will represent these goals that you want to achieve. And when you know what these values or principles are, you can learn to live in accordance with them.
Step number 3 - What actions can you take on a daily basis to be consistent with those values that you have detected?
This point is so important that I would say that it is the cornerstone of this method. Imagine the following: your goal is to launch yourself as an independent professional and what this represents for you is the freedom to choose when to work, to have a wide schedule flexibility (unlike your previous office where you met a schedule and it was very difficult to modify routine).
Then you start to develop your business model and take the first steps. But, to organize yourself better and because at first you still do not have entrepreneurial habits, you are very strict with the hours in which you work. You wake up early, you create a new routine, but you forget about your personal needs: having fun, connecting with other people, resting. You do not do activities outside of work.
How long will it take you to feel that your goal is not at all what you wanted? Not much. But it does not have to do with the goal, but with what you do to reach the goal. Clearly, you are being inconsistent with your values.
How could you be consistent with your value of freedom to choose a job and a wide flexibility of hours? Very simple: you know that you will work many hours at the beginning, but you have a very good schedule and you allow yourself, at least once a day, to modify your schedule to make room for a personal or pleasant activity.
Also, at least three times a week, you start working later and in the morning you do a sport that you are passionate about (and that before was impossible for you to practice because at that time you were in the office). Then, you build a solid work structure so that when an unforeseen event or an invitation to something different arises, you can take it, then offset your activities postponed by that event.
You see the difference? I assure you that you will not work less than in the previous case, but you will be considering as important and giving a predominant place to your need to be flexible with schedules. This will be the engine of your new goal. Without that engine, oiled and running every month, you will not meet your goal.
Step number 4 - What actions or tasks can you carry out each month to be one step closer to your desired goals?
As you will see, here begin to appear a series of steps to get started. Thinking about what actions you should take to achieve what you want, has to do not only with wanting to achieve something but with putting yourself to achieve it. What you must remember here is that you do not need to do anything drastic and that changes do not usually happen overnight. But the important thing about any change is that it is constant and consistent. So it is worth that at least you think of a small action that you can do every month to be one step closer to your goals.
For example: if what you want is to lose weight and have more body-mind balance, perhaps the first step is to sign up in a gym to go once a week (not to start an intensive training that will last you 1 month and then not You will go more), or start walking an hour 2 or 3 times a week in a park or square near your house.
If, for example, you want to change jobs, perhaps a small action is to list what type of job or tasks you would like to perform, or what characteristics the company where you would like to work have.
If your goal is to be more orderly, maybe you start by taking a first step by buying yourself an agenda, and the next month forcing yourself to write everything down there.
You see it? Simple, small steps, but that consistently and systematically lead you towards your goal.
With this, you can design a very basic plan but it will help you step by step to carry out your goal. So go back to your notebook, and write 12 actions for each of your goals, one action for each month so that you feel like you are moving towards achieving your goal of the year.
Step number 5 - What will be your control points?
What you have done in the previous step would be meaningless if you fail to review it from time to time and verify if you are getting closer or farther from your goal. So it is best to mark checkpoints.
What is this? It is a date that you will mark on your calendar to review your notebook, monitor the progress of your goal, the actions you have already taken, and their results. If you find that everything is going well, congratulations, you are doing it little by little. But if you find that you are not getting closer to your goal, you will be in time to get back on track.
For example: if your goal is to have a more balanced life, so you have signed up in classes for everything you have ever wanted to do (art, dance, physical activity) and you discover that far from having more balance the only thing you have they are more obligations, because then you are not getting closer to your goal. Maybe you should remove some commitments, refer them to someone else (when they are family or work issues) and think about taking a time each day to meditate on what your true priorities are and what you can delete, delegate or simply get out of your radar to better balance your life.
Remember that there are never bad results. The bad thing is not knowing what your results have been so that you can learn from them and apply what you have learned.
Step number 6 - How will you celebrate your achievements?
Something new for a new year, because I dare you to think that you are not in the habit of celebrating each of your achievements, is that so? In any case, it is an excellent habit and helps you stay motivated for your next steps.
How does it work? Simple, for each of the actions you have marked for each goal, write next to it how you will reward yourself for achieving it.
If your goal is to lose weight and the actions of the first month are: start exercising or walking 2 or 3 times a week, read some of a new book on healthy eating and sign up for a dance class that allows you to have fun, As you move, you already have 3 potential achievements to celebrate. How will you celebrate them?
Remember to do it consistently with your values. If you are looking for balance in your life, vitality and a healthy life, don't celebrate with more food. If your achievements are related to a job change, you can celebrate with a mini vacation to start your next job with more energy.
They don't have to be big celebrations (although you put the limit yourself). They can be little things that you enjoy and that could benefit you. Don't skip this step, it is an extra dose of motivation that will help you achieve your goals every month.
