By Randy
Ringing in 2021 may be the shining light on the horizon that we all need.
When it comes to setting goals for oneself, it is important to make them realistic and attainable, this is why we have 5 ways to keep in mind to help set your new year up for success.
1. Outline Your Plan
It is important to ensure that you create a plan that has milestones in it. Within each goal, try to make mini goals that help you to measure your progress. For example, if you have a goal of losing 20 pounds, make a mini goal of losing 2 pounds a week, this makes it easier to track for yourself and you can celebrate your milestones until your goal. If your goal is to learn to bake and you want to be the best baker there is this side of town, commit to learning a new recipe each week and make one day your baking day. Perhaps, turn it into a cook book and each month send out the recipes to your friends and family. This way it helps you keep to your goal of learning to bake and you can share what you’ve learned.
2. Remain Positive
When it comes to keeping a goal, there may be times that we do not achieve the results we are hoping for and that may be discouraging. However, remember why you began with a goal and allow that to motivate yourself to continued success. When you set out for a goal and make your plan, there may be times that you have to veer off course, and that is okay because as long as you are still moving towards your goal, that is what matters. Going back to our earlier example of losing 20 pounds, if one week you do not achieve losing two pounds and you gain one pound, remember that this is only one week of your journey. There may be previous weeks in which you lost three pounds or perhaps the following weeks you have the opportunity to lose three pounds. Life happens and it is important to remember that you started out with an idea, made a plan, and no matter what you have the opportunity to get back on track.
3. Reward Yourself
Who does not love recognition when you have made an achievement? If you create an incentive for yourself to help you reach your goal, it might help be the motivation that you need. For example, if you wanted to learn to bake, for each month that you successfully stick to a recipe a week, perhaps you purchase yourself a new non-stick cookie sheet or a new set of mixing bowls. Keeping with that theme, if at the end of the duration of your goal, if you have successfully set out to learn to bake, perhaps you reward yourself with a new kitchen aid mixer. The same could go for the other example of losing 20 pounds, for every 5 pounds lost, instead of treating yourself to a grand meal, which goes against your goal, you treat yourself to some new pieces of workout clothes.
4. Keep a Calendar
It is always important to track your progress with anything that you do, keeping a calendar to track what you have done that week to get you to your goal is a good reminder on what you have done. You can also set your mini goals on your calendar as a reminder as well. If you know Monday is your baking day, perhaps you set out every Friday to be the day that you select what you will bake on Monday. This will allow you to see what you need to purchase for a successful bake on Monday. This can also be applied to losing 2 pounds a week, if you need to exercise 3 days for one hour each day, this can be marked on the calendar to hold you to hitting your weekly goal. You can get creative and put a marking on the calendar that will signify that you achieved your daily activity.
5. Have Fun!
If it feels like a chore, you may be less inclined stay motivated towards achieving your goal. Keep it fun, change the routine, be creative. To keep with the theme of baking, if you are wanting to be creative with it, perhaps you can learn about different baked goods from around the world and each week pick a different region to create something scrumptious. With the goal of losing 20 pounds, perhaps you can change it up by exercising via different means: hiking, running, biking, going on nightly walks, but change the scenery from time to time, choose a park, the beach, or even a mountain. You never know, your goal may be shared by someone else and they will see you as the inspiration that they needed to get their goals met.
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