"Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start and make a brand new ending." ~Carl Bard  

Hey Loves, Isn't the above such a fitting quote for the start of a New Year!!  The end of a year or the start of a brand new one is typically the time when people make "New Years Resolutions".  Have you made yours yet? How many New Years Resolutions have I made over the years that never made it to or past April?  How many times have I fallen off the wagon, jumped back on only to fall off again without achieving anything.  Did you know that only 8% of people actually achieve their New Years Resolutions that they set for themselves? This year I won't be setting "New Years Resolutions".   This year I want to try to just simply live my Best Year Ever by changing my approach to the way I do and think about things.  My phrase for this year actually  is "Think Differently".   Very fitting don't you think?  There are so many things in my life this year that i have to think differently about which is both scary and exciting!! So this year, I started with this question,  "How can I make this year better than last year?" How can I live my BEST YEAR YET? While I don't know what this year has in store for me, I am going to face it head on with a fresh face and  fresh energy.  I will implement changes big and small that I hope will help me have the best 2017 possible.   [bctt tweet="If you want to live Your Best Year yet you will have to have a vision and a goal." username="natoyaammon"]       Here are a few steps that I believe will help you prepare and plan for your BEST YEAR YET in 2017.  

REFLECT ON 2016 

"You don't know where you're going until you know where you've been" ~ English Proverb  

Take time to reflect on the past year.   Ask yourself,   Am I where I want to be in...life, finance, personal life, spiritually.   Make a list of all of the things that went well in 2016.  If you have been good at keeping track of your accomplishments during the 2016 year in a journal or diary take time to read through your entries and see what kind of things you accomplished.   If you did not keep a journal take some time to think back while maybe looking at a calendar and try to remember some of the victories and successes from the past year.   James Wedmore has a great way you can list your successes.  Set up 3 columns and label them as follows:  1)  Your successes 2) Why was it successful?  and  3) What did I learn from it? Revisiting last years successes will help you feel accomplished especially if you did not accomplish ALL the things on your list.  It's important to write down what you learnt from your successes so you know WHY they were successful and if something you did can be repeated or transferred to other areas of our life for more success. I would also do an Unsuccessful List as well. It will be beneficial to see what you didn't accomplish, why and what you learnt.  Learning from your failure is just as important to your growth.  Probably even more important because this gives you an indication of what you should and shouldn't do in the future.  Did you fail because of something that you did or did not do? Is this goal something that you want to keep pursuing in this new year or should be drop it off the list because it has become unimportant? Give each lists a try and you might surprise yourself.    

CREATE A VISION

  It all starts with a vision, what do you want to DO, BE or HAVE in 2017?  What do you want to work towards this year?  You must know what the end goal is, what you want to accomplish before you can start anything.  This is the starting point to accomplishing everything on your list. Create some major goals for the year.  Pick something BIG that you want to accomplish in one or several areas of your life and work towards accomplishing that.  Some people call them BHAG goals – big, hairy, audacious goals. Decide how many BHAG goals you want to have. I would advise against a great big long list but the decision is up to you. Keep it short and sweet so it is achievable.    

WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS 

  This should be obvious but I will include this anyway.  You don't have a goal unless you write it down.  Writing down your goals is key to helping you remember what you want to accomplish.   Written goals are great but you must review them often so you keep focused and on track. Frequent revision is what turns an idea into reality.   Every time I review my goals, which I will admit I didn't do as often as I should have, I ask myself  "What is the next step or thing I need to do  to move toward this goal?"  It might be beneficial for you to ask yourself the same question. You can review your goals daily, weekly, or monthly. It’s up to you but daily is preferable. The key is to let your goals inspire you to put actionable items on your daily to do list. Someways for you to remember your goals are:

• Make and keep a list on your computer
• Set reminders in your phone calendar and set alerts so it notifies you a reminder
• Make a list in a notebook
• Place post-its around your home
• Use an apps or program like Evernote or  Asana
• Make a vision board

Make sure your goal setting is SMART. SMART goals are:

• Specific – What is your goal? Is it specific enough or is it too broad? 
• Measurable – How can you measure your progress? How will you know if you’re on track?
• Attainable – How can your goal be achieved? What needs to happen for you to achieve your goal? 
• Realistic – Can you achieve your goal? Is the goal worth it?
• Time – What’s your time frame for reaching your goal?

 It's time to write it down and make it happen!    

PREPARE & PLAN

"Failure to Plan is Planning to fail"

  Preparation is key.  How do you need to prepare so that you can be successful this year?  Do you need to wake up earlier so you have more time in the day to work on your goals? Do you need to place your alarm clock waaaaay across the room so you actually get out of that warm, comfy, cozy bed and start your day?  Do you need to get rid off of the junk food in your pantry to make healthier choices?  Do you need to sleep in your workout cloths or put them right at the foot of your bed to make it easier for you to get up and go to the gym?  Or maybe you need to sit down and block out specific day(s) and time in your calendar to write your blog posts with no exceptions?  Figure out what you need to do to prepare, and plan what your going to do to help you accomplish the BHAG goals on you list.  Would breaking your goals down into 90 day chunks make it easier to plan how you will focus on specific tasks that you could take action on?    I have been reading about 90 day goals over the past 2016 year so I think I'm going to try this method and see how it works for me.  How it works:  Alot 90 days to 1-4 goals max to work on, then break down that goals into smaller weekly and daily tasks that could be completed over the next 90 days to achieve your goal.    I think I will take max 2 goals to work on at a time.  I know that sounds ridiculous but I get overwhelmed when I'm working on too many things at once. Therefore preparation and planning will be the key to mapping out how you are going to execute your plans to achieving this years BHAG goals thus making it your best year ever!    

TAKE ACTION

"The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do"

    You will have dozens of "REASONS" which is code for "EXCUSES" for not taking action on your goals. Famous Ones are:  "I am tired, I have no time, I don't have all the things I need to do what I need to do, I came home late, I have to cook dinner and do laundry, I have no energy, I have too much on my plate, I'm sick, I had to work or simply, I don't feel like it...the list could go on and on and on.  Believe me I've used them all.   It is essentially easy to set goals  but tackling them is a whole other story. No goal can even come close to being achieved unless you take ACTION!   All the vision, knowledge, preparation and planning  in the world is nothing if you don't take action.  You have to actually get up and do the things that need to be done in order to successfully achieve your goals. The key here is to PUSH yourself  to take action everyday.  Even just doing one thing a day will get you further to your goal by the end of the year than doing absolutely nothing at all.  Give up the excuses and take steps everyday to be productive to make the most of your day.  Even when you don't feel like being productive you must take action anyway.  Your success depends on it.    

CONSISTENCY  & REPETITION IS EVERYTHING

There will be times when our BHAG goals seem overwhelming and like too much to handle.  It's times like these that we must consistently work on our goals daily.   Scheduling and setting up blocks of time is a good idea so you'll know exactly what and when you'll be working on your BHAG goals.  Establishing a schedule of same time each day or the same day and time each week will help you create a habit of working on tasks regularly. Practicing consistency with repetition of  pre-planned actions today, tomorrow and the next day will be the major contributing factors to successfully completing your goals.   There you have it.  My list of important steps that need to be taken in order to achieve  your BHAG goals this year.   Push yourself to reflect on 2016, create a vision, write down your goals, prepare, plan , take action and repeatedly be consistent.   I know you can do it.  Strive for done not perfect along with alittle rest in between because balance is important too.  I just know that if you follow through you can make this your BEST YEAR YET!   [bctt tweet="Pushing yourself consistently is the only way to achieve your goals." username="natoyaammon"]   What are the BHAG goals that you have for yourself this year that when you accomplish them you will feel like this is your BEST YEAR YET?  Leave your comments down below I would love to chat with ya!

 

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