The realization that the last blog post I had written was a New Year’s themed article last year occurred to me while taking my morning shower, and honestly, it stung almost as much as the soap I had just gotten in my eye. I was absolutely flabbergasted that an entire year had flown by, taking with it all of the article ideas I had hatched.
Still favoring my stinging eye an hour later, I looked at the sticky notes I had posted on my desk last year when setting my “New Year’s Goals”, and although I did in fact make headway on one of them, the remaining 10 items remained untouched. Admittedly, 5 were a “revised” version I created mid year, but the reality is that life got in the way. And setting 10 major goals are probably not realistic. Funnier still, when I Googled “Most common New Year’s Resolutions”, 6 out of the 10 were on my list… original huh?
This year, I am going to try something different.
List your accomplishments.
We grow every year, and often the things that we accomplish, while not on our list, are still huge successes for each of us personally, and we need to celebrate them. From this statement, I would also like to focus on the “personal” aspect. Make a list of your top 5, top 10, or all of the accomplishments you can think of. If can be as simple as not killing your tomato plants this year, or finally finishing the renovation of your office that you started 5 years ago.
Make it personal.
I am going to change the tone of my goals this year. My list from last year is full of things I felt I SHOULD have on the list. Even if they are on that top 10 list of things like eating healthier, paying off debt, losing weight, etc. they are great goals, as long as they are something you truly want.
Make it happy.
The big question, what are things I truly want? Instead of thinking of goals, write down the top 5 things that give you joy. In addition to discipline, I honestly think that enjoying the task at hand in order to follow through with your goals. Here’s mine:
1. Reading
2. Music
3. Feeling healthy
4. Feeling creative
5. Learn something new
Make it a measurable goal.
Here comes the data nerd. Make your list of happy things into something you can measure and gauge progress. Furthermore, make sub-goals that are far easier to reach and will keep you on track. This can really help to make sure you keep sticking with it.
- Read 45 Books – With 52 weeks in a year, this gives me room to skip a few weeks here and there, but can easily be accomplished with weekend reading binges.
- Share 1 new song/Artist each week. –I love finding new music, and the sharing of new artists with friends is something I really enjoy doing. This goal also helps with #4.
- Lose 20 Lbs. – So, although this is one from the top 10, it is something I really do want to do, however, it’s not really about the weight. Over the past year, I finally took the time to really make some strides with my mental health. I gained 20lbs over the summer by looking to comfort foods to ease the stress, and although I’m not pleased with that gain, I am so incredibly proud of myself for the changes I have made, and I am honestly a much happier person. That journey is far from over, but I am in a good place to turn my focus back to my physical health, and looking to get back to where I was seems like a fitting goal.
- Prepare healthy meals in advance. – It’s not realistic to think I am going to eat healthy all of the time, but I can certainly do a better job at making healthy eating easier for myself by having healthy standbys in the freezer and prepping fruits and veggies before the week starts.
- Exercise. – Go to the gym at least 3 times a week, and never go more than 3 days without exercising.
- Write at least 1 post a week. – Admittedly, this is an aggressive goal. That being said, they could be something as simple as sharing the song I have stuck in my head, or sharing a link to an article I found. Not every post needs to be groundbreaking, and by searching for new and interesting things, I can also satisfy the “Learning something new goal”.
- Learn to speak Bosnian. – I know, you were probably thinking it would be Spanish. That being said, I am not planning to be fluent. To me, success would be to have a (short) conversation with my boyfriend’s Dad who doesn’t speak a lick of English and not mortally embarrass myself.
Finally, be realistic. Even limiting myself to 5 goals gives me a ton to work on in the next year. Ultimately, these are just goals. you try for a goal and don’t meet it, it doesn’t mean that you have failed. I could read 80 books next year, lose 10 lbs, only average a post every other week, and still embarrass myself by saying something wrong in Bosnian, and it is still success.
First post of the year… Done! See, it’s easier than you think.
Hi! I'm Alyce. 
