For the last 11 years, I have taken my New Year’s Goals seriously. Not resolutions. Goals. For some reason “New Year’s Resolutions” make me feel like I have been doing it all wrong, whereas “New Year’s Goals” makes me feel empowered to accomplish something. I sit down every January 1st and type up my goals in 3 areas- Business, Personal, and Financial. It is one sheet of pretty paper that I keep with me to remind me of what my plan was. Sometimes it really works. In 2004 I actually wrote, “Meet My Husband” as a goal. I met my future husband at a Christmas party with 2 weeks left of the year.  Now this certainly doesn’t always work. I have some variation of “Work Out 3x a Week” almost every year and for some reason that has yet to occur! I have to keep trying to accomplish that one. At the end of the year, I write some notes on the sheet of paper to sum up what I did and did not accomplish. It ends up being a nice little reminder of where I was during that year and helps shape the next round of goals.

Here are some helpful tips for writing New Year’s Goals:

1. Make them specific and measurable. Write “lose 14 pounds” instead of “lose weight”. Write “purge file cabinet” rather than “get organized”. The more specific and measurable they are- the easier it is to know when you are done and can cross it off your list.
2. Don’t overdo it. Goals are not a To Do List. Goals are not a bucket list of everything you ever wanted to do. Pick a few things you want to focus on or accomplish in one year- not a lifetime.
3. Goals don’t have to be all work and no play. Maybe you always wanted to take a dance class or learn to sing. Make time for fun! It is good for you.
4. Don’t be hard on yourself. If you didn’t accomplish some of your goals by the end of the year, don’t beat yourself up. Perhaps they weren’t really that important or necessary. Maybe they needed to be smaller and more specific. Be proud of the fact that you took time to figure some things out and and give yourself permission to try it again next year.

Happy New Year! Happy Goal Setting!