Setting Goals for the New Year

If New Year's resolutions haven't worked for you, I have an alternative that's worked wildly for me, for the past 20 years.

Imagine spending just a few minutes determining what you want your year to feel like. You sit in a comfortable space, close your eyes and allow yourself to drift off into an ideal year. You emerge from this time full of joy, peace, and excitement. Maybe you even giggle under your breath in anticipation. Now wouldn't that be a great way to start your year. That is precisely what I did, and you can too.

New Year's resolutions are about fixing something that's wrong. Instead focus on how you want to feel and set goals to bring you that feeling. This is what changed everything for me.

I stopped doing New Year's resolutions because, like most people I either forgot about them, gave up on them, or didn't accomplish them within a few months and became discouraged. Usually because resolutions focus on what we don't want, what needs to be fixed, what's negative in our life.

I read a book, "The Succes Principles," that changed my life and the way I approach the things I want. Since then, I set goals instead. I started out with a lot of goals, and it was too much. I quickly got overwhelmed. Now I set five goals in specific areas of my life. Then I take it the next step and break each goal down, into four actionable steps I can take to get me closer to my goals. When I became chronically ill, I simply changed the areas in my life I focus on for my goals (more on this later).

Last year I decided to add even more fun into the goal process and created a goals bingo card game. This way I place an actionable step into each square on the bingo card. When I complete that action, I mark it off (usually with a transparent sticker). When I make a BINGO either horizontally, diagonally, or vertically I reward myself with something fun. It could be a trip to a hot spring, a sweet treat, a massage, etc.

I am so happy to report that at the end of my first year doing these new goals process, I accomplished all of my goals. The fun I had along the way made it even better.

The book I read lists 7 areas of your life to create goals around. I reduced that to 5. The original seven are:

1. financial

2. career

3. free time

4. health

5. relationships

6. personal

7. community

My five adjusted for my illness are:

1. financial

2. health

3. spiritual

4. relationships

5. personal

You can set goals around these areas or another area that is important to you. Have fun with it!

Sign up for my newsletter and I'll send you the goals bingo card I use, for free. I invite you to also order my new journal, "This Is Me: More than a journal for those with chronic illness." I created this journal with you in mind. In it you'll find goal setting pages, the goals bingo game, inspirational quotes, journal pages, coloring pages to help you reduce stress, and more. Email me once you've placed your order and you'll be the first to get access to my video series on how I use the journal to live my best life with chronic illness.

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