Thursday, December 22, 2016

Set your 2017 Goals and find Success!

A new year is just around the corner!  It is quite an exciting time of the year.  Many people, perhaps you awe well are bustling around getting ready for the holidays and looking forward to some time off work and spending it with family.  Last week’s article talked about how to reflect on this year and what we can take away from it.  In this post let’s look ahead towards 2017 and get a game plan set so we can start the year strong and continue it all year long!  Let’s dive in!
If you haven’t reflected on this past year, ensure that you take some time to do that.  This will help you develop goals for the upcoming year.  After you reflected grab a notebook or something to write on and a pencil.  Then jot down some things that you didn’t achieve this past year that you would’ve liked to.  Also, write down some items that you did but would like to grow and improve.  For example, I put on a community concert with my school choirs every year.  Usually they just sing in it, but for next year I’m going to create a community choir and possibly a men’s group to sing with them.  It’ll be a fun and beneficial experience for my students and the community.  In that example, I took something I already do and beefed it up for next year.
You should have more than one or two, but I wouldn’t go crazy and have over 20.  Once you have those written down, take a look at the list and see which ones can be achieved in a shorter length of time and ones that’ll take time.  Then re-write them in these categories: 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and by the End of 2017.
Excellent!  You should now have a list of what you’d like to do and accomplish next year (goals) and how long you think it’ll take to achieve them.  The next step is to write down all the months, January through December.  Now comes the slightly trickier part, putting your goals into the months.  Some goals might have to be in certain months.  For example, my community concert is in February.  So that’ll be in January and Feb to make that happen.  If possible, try to spread them out through the year so you aren’t crazily overwhelmed.  So if you have a goal that’ll take a 1 month, find a month and write it in there.  If it’ll take 6 months, write it in all 6 months.  This way you are always working towards something and hopefully completing something every month or two.  You may need to erase and rewrite your goals to space it throughout the year.  Also think of times that you know are crazy for you.  If you travel a lot in December, then put less in that month.  Don’t just leave it blank, but don’t put as much as some other months.  If needed, rewrite the list to get it clean.
Lastly, take yet another sheet of paper and write each goal down. Each goal should be specific.  Don’t leave it open ended.  Make it a SMART Goal. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-based) After you write it down, write the length of time you think it’ll take to complete it.  THEN underneath it, write how you are going to achieve the goal.  You can write it in any way that works for you, but here is what I do and would suggest.
Example 1)
  Catch a Redfish on the Fly – 1 Month
            July, visit friends in Lousiana
            Plan trips to bayou’s and good fisheries
            Catch a red on the fly
Example 2)
  Do 100 pushups without stopping – 6 months
            Month 1 – do 30 pushups (spaced through the day if necessary but pushing myself to do it all at once by the last week)
            Month 2-3 – 60 pushups (spaced if needed but then without stopping)
            Month 3-4 – 80 pushups (spaced if needed but then without stopping)
            Month 5-6 – 100 pushups (spaced if needed but then without stopping)
Once you have your SMART Goals written and a plan of how to achieve them keep that along with your Monthly Calendar together.  Then for each month, write down your goals and put them in a place you will see it every day.  You can and should write down your daily goals (until it becomes a solid habit) and keep them in a place you will see every day like your bathroom mirror, refrigerator, etc..
Lastly, share your goals.  Share them with your family and close friends.  Heck, I want to hear them!  Send me an email at jonesintogetfit@gmail.com or message or share them with me on Facebook.  I’d love to hear and see what you will be achieving.


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