Starting out strong: face meets brick wall

The title of this post pretty much describes how 2021 started out in my world. Running (okay, power walking) on a full tank and starting out strong. And then face planting. Nothing says “new year” like a boatload of resolutions, goals and aspirations, right? Herein lies the struggle: tackling #allthethings and maintaining momentum. I remember my excitement while planning out my goals for the year—divided into quarters, broken down into months and weeks—with each month comprising categories, such as personal growth, work/vocation, health & fitness, etc. But here’s where face meets brick wall: expecting (and doing) too much (too soon!). Once again, that requires taking my own advice. As listed in goal-setting tips + trips, a good rule of thumb can be found by practicing SMART planning. However, it also means setting no more than 1-3 important goals each morning—and then tackling the task(s) likely to have the biggest positive impact on your life—or “eating the frog.”

How does your year look thus far?

Image courtesy of gubgib at freedigitalphotos.net.

Take a cup of kindness yet: a resolve that’s timely

A part of kindness consists in
loving people more than they deserve.
~ Joseph Joubert

You cannot do kindness too soon, for you never
know how soon it will be too late.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s that time when many of us take stock of the past 365 days, and we may even begin to sketch out New Year’s resolutions, goals or bucket lists. For me, the past year has encompassed myriad life events: change, challenges and loss. It’s also involved answered prayers, growth and new opportunities. And once again I await with expectation a blank slate in which to draft a new chapter. A word of advice, however, and a note to self: In order to set ourselves up for success from the start, we must allow for plot twists. You know: because life. Yet perhaps the first thing we must resolve is to extend kindness without delay. It’s a practice that’s always right on time.

How will your new year be different than the last?

Image courtesy of graphixchon at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Advancing our goals

I can’t wait to turn the page of my monthly calendar to Feb. 1. Just like I was excited to exhale 2014 and inhale 2015, I’m ready to chalk this month up as a dress rehearsal for the year—a chance to test the waters and adjust my approach or focus for the next brand new month ahead of me. Maybe you got a slow start in January or you need to come up with more realistic resolutions. Whether it’s a new year, new month, new week or even the promise of a new day, it’s always the write time to make a change that will advance your goals and a choice that will turn your frown upside down. If everything has stayed the same for you during the past 30 days [read: looks exactly like last year], then it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make just one deviation from the norm and see what happens.

How has the first 1/12 of the year gone for you?

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Re-evaluate, release and repeat

With more than a week logged into the New Year, now is the perfect time to re-evaluate the resolutions, goals, lifestyle changes and [fill-in-the-blank] dreams many of us employed on the first of the month. My challenge—to focus on balancing it out—has turned into a juggling act of sorts. In a good way: It seems the more my passions and goals line up, the more I’m able to squeeze into any given day. For instance, the practice of yoga is an emotional and physical balm for me, but when I added a spiritual outlet into my schedule, my world became a little more rounded. Some days, however, it’s all I can do to shuffle vehicles after a recent car accident left my family with limited transportation, while on others I feel like Wonder Woman. And it also requires the conscious release (by me!) of preconceived expectations to “do it all” when time runs out in the day.

How is the New Year shaping up for you?

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Make it happen in 2015

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

We’ve had a few days now to get our feet wet in the new year. Some of us have jumped into new resolutions, and/or revisited old ones, as we face a pristine slate ripe with possibility. I recently heard a statistic that only 10 percent of people who resolve to make a change in any given new year actually succeed. Personally, I’ve come up with some lofty goals in 2015 to realize a more balanced life and, if last year was one filled with insight and personal development, this year is destined to overflow with manifestation (I can feel it!). So how do we ensure we’re one of the scant few whose resolutions come to fruition? I think it first begins with a theme or focus, like balanced living, healthier eating, fitness, etc., and then a realistic plan of what *needs* to happen to make it happen. But it’s also important to allow for wiggle room when *life* happens. And be forgiving.

What are your resolutions this year?

Preparing for a fabulous new year

[Image credit: chanpipat]

You may currently have all your resolutions, goals and “to dos” put in place for the New Year.  However, those lists may just as well be words on paper — rather than an action plan toward fulfilling dreams or simply navigating life’s choppy waters — if you don’t prepare yourself mentally.  It’s your mind that will either talk you out of it, or keep you on track.  Here are five tips to help you plan for a happy, successful and (hopefully) life-changing 2013:

1. Begin each day with expectation that something wonderful is going to happen.
2. Plan and prioritize.  If it moves you closer to your highest purpose in life, do it first.
3. Let go of your results.  Remember, control the things you can.
4. Turn off background TV or other distractions that pull your mind off track.  Focus on the job at hand.
5. End each day with gratitude.  Write down at least one wonderful thing that happened.

How are you preparing for a fabulous New Year?

Getting where you want to go

[Image credit: anankkml]

Yesterday I was telling I friend I was completely out of blog ideas.  Typically, I maintain a small arsenal of posts waiting to be tweaked and uploaded, but now my mind’s a blank and I’m scrambling to fulfill my self-imposed goal of writing a blog-a-day.  First he said I don’t have to follow through with it (I know, but I’ve only got a few months left); then he suggested the topic of people waiting until the New Year to make resolutions.  Although I prefer to think of them as goals or dreams, January 1st is the perfect time for me to reflect on the previous 12 months before planning for the next 365 days.  Obviously, if my wellbeing is in jeopardy, I would enact a solution sooner rather than later.  But for things less pressing, I’ll wait until I’m faced with a clean slate to add them to my list.  I guess whatever works to get you where you want to go.

Are you a resolution maker or one-day-at-a-timer?

The five Rs to getting back on track

[Image credit: Chaiwat]

I can hardly believe one-third of the year is already behind us.  Which means there’s only nine months remaining to plow through our list of goals — or resolutions — until it’s time to start all over with a clean slate.  In the event you’ve forgotten your good intentions over the past 90 days, the following five Rs may help you get back on track:

• Revisit your list of resolutions.  What was #3, again?  A few days ago, I pulled out my list of 24 goals and found I’ve only completed or dabbled in eight of them so far.
• Revise any of the objectives you’ve outgrown.  No sense in putting effort toward something you no longer care about.
• Recharge your excitement.  What made you want to tackle these goals in the first place?
• Recommit to pulling out your list on a regular basis — or posting it where you see it often.   It doesn’t hurt to have a visual reminder that you do have a purpose.

This should be a working list, one where you have permission to customize it as your life circumstances change or the mood strikes you.  And don’t forget the best tip of all:

• Reward yourself for each accomplished resolution.  This can be as easy as a new pair of heels as soon as you learn how to dance, or as complicated as planning a trip to New York City to pitch your completed novel to an agent.

How are your goals taking shape in 2012?