Choose Your Own Adventure
A friend recently posted on Facebook asking how people felt about New Years Resolutions. She loved the idea of setting goals throughout the year but often felt that people didn’t follow through with their new years goals. It created the question: Are New Years Goals Really Worth Setting?
How can we really know what we want at the beginning of each year?
I realized that my take on New Years Goals has always been a little different. I love the symbolism of a year ending and a new year beginning. It might surprise you, but I do not particularly care for New Years Resolutions. I believe that our purpose is to find what makes us happy and to do more of it. I think that resolutions set lofty expectations that we often feel pressured by instead of inspired by. I also think a lot of people set unrealistic goals at the start of a year and then brush them to the side and don’t pay attention to them again, which causes a lot of regret. What fun is that?
To me, the turn of the year is a perfect time to look at the Eagle’s Eye view of what we want. Then, throughout the year, we can set appropriate (read: realistic) goals to gain Momentum to fulfill that big picture. So, let’s take a look at this shall we?
I have a pretty simple 2-step system that I use to plan out my coming year. I think you’ll love it and I hope it will revolutionize the way you set goals moving forward. As we start a new year, what better time to begin?
I recommend setting aside about an hour in the next week or so to fill out your answers to these questions as you move through a few simple steps. It’s not enough to just read them and not do anything with them. This is a huge way I see people sabotage themselves! We ask ourselves questions in our head but never truly give ourselves committed time to allow the answers to surface. What results is us just continuing to ask questions with no real answers, momentum or actions. You will surprise yourself when you intentionally sit down and write or type out your responses. This is a great opportunity to connect with a friend or with family as well to set your big picture together and gain some support.
REFLECTIONS
To start, we have to know what we wish to keep with us and what we wish to leave behind. Your first step is to look back on 2016 and ask the following questions:
- What did you experience this year that you want MORE of in 2017? For example, you may want to experience even more depth in your friendships, you may want to experience more fun travel or even more success in your career.
- Which experiences would you like to shift as you move into the new year? For example, you may want to shift the amount of time off you take, you may want to learn to set better boundaries or to create stronger friendships.
- What were your favorite memories from 2016 and what was at the root of them? For example, maybe you have great memories from an amazing trip to Jamaica. Was it really Jamaica that was fabulous? Or, at the root of that memory, was it the excitement of travel and adventure and seeing a new place? So, moving forward, do you want to create more trips to Jamaica OR more trips to fun, adventurous, exotic places?
CREATING MOMENTUM:
Moving forward, consider the big picture of what you would like for your year to look like. In my experience, life is far less about the tiny details and much more about the larger picture. Perhaps that’s why I like those mountaintops so much 🙂 Here are a few questions to help you bring your big picture into focus. Remember: your answers are about what you want and not concerned yet about how you will get them.
- What emotions do you wish to cultivate more of in 2017? Describe how you wish to feel.
- What new experiences do you wish to have? Describe your mindset as you experience them.
- What type of people do you wish to attract? Describe them.
- How would you like to feel in your physical space? For example, your home, condo, apartment, etc.
- Are there areas of your life that you wish to build momentum in? For example, business, finances, fitness, etc.
- How would you like to feel internally this year? For example, confident, successful, graceful, strong, etc.
- In what ways do you wish to give back? Describe who you would like to have a bigger impact with.
- What relationships do you wish to focus on? Describe how do you want to see them progress or shift.
- What perspectives do you know are keeping you stuck that you would like to shift? Describe how you would like to feel instead.
- On December 31st, 2017, how you will know if you’ve been successful in achieving this vision?
Now that you have a big picture based on what you want to attract into your life and how you want to feel, you can start to create experiences to match.
For example, if you answered #6 with wanting to feel stronger this year, then perhaps picking up Crossfit or learning to rock climb might be an experience you might choose. Isn’t that way more fun than setting a goal to lose 15 pounds?
Or, if you answered #8 with wanting to be more connected in your marriage, then perhaps finding an online course to go through together, planning a fun vacation or enrolling in counseling might be experiences that you choose. Again, way more fun that just saying, “I want to be more connected to my husband.”
This way, you’re in control of your experiences and your 2017 planning is simply providing the parameters for the end result.
This is a “choose your own adventure” version of goal setting and creating Momentum!
Instead of setting goals that sound great but don’t really inspire you all that much, try these two steps and a much more fun way to co-create your reality throughout 2017. Want to share some of your reflections or wishes for momentum? Post them on my Facebook Page! Or, send me an email! I always love hearing from you.
As we start 2017, I am wishing you an abundant year that fills your heart. May you experience laughter, adventure and Momentum all year through. Should you need help with any of that, you know where to find me!
Cheers to Momentum and Adventures!
Coach Katie
