Deep down, we all want to look and feel our best, to carry ourselves with a bit of internal pride, knowing that we are making progress towards a more energised and healthier us. Although, as hustling professionals, we also want to have goals in all the other areas of our lives: financial, travel, family, professional, personal development, spiritual, romantic. This keeps us balanced, keeps our minds engaged, and is actually all round healthier than only having goals in one life area.
So one of the reasons I love the end of the year (acknowledging of course a few extra days to unwind and have some fun) is the extra down time I get to reflect on my goals. But of course, we should not only think about them, but write them down, because as the old saying goes, ‘a goal not in writing is just a wish.’
In fact, the writing of the goals has been said to permeate the subconsious mind, but also makes the goals visible for us to review day by day. Personally, I like to 1) keep a ‘goals wall’ in my bedroom (a vision wall, if you will, with images and statements), where I can sit and dream a while, and 2) a list of my goals on a clipboard in the car, alongside a visionboard on the back of it, to review before I start the car to drive somewhere.
The more frequently we review our goals for the future, written in the current tense, with clarity, emotion and with a sense of excitement, the more likely we are to attain them. Our brains are goal seeking by nature, and so the subconscious mind starts to plot and scheme different ways to achieve the goals in proportion to the mental programming we do.
And so, to bring your life goals forward in your mind and make them clear to you, pull out a pen at your earliest convenience and write down the answers to the following questions.
- What will you achieve next year, personally, professionally and in your health and fitness?
- What does this look like?
- What will it feel like?
- How will you accomplish each goal? What are the steps? Will you need to make new connections, attain more resources, or start new habits? Aim to write at least 20 strategies per goal – just let your mind run as you brainstorm possible solutions. Don’t overthink the possibilities, just get them down as fast as you can. Most people can easily think of 10 strategies straight away, then it gets progressively harder!
- Will you need to invest your money and time in ways you haven’t done so before? Write it down! What will you commit to?
Plus – here are a few other questions worth considering.
Do your goals for next year remain realistic to YOU?
What have you learnt about yourself this year, in the process of working towards this year’s goals? Did you achieve them? Why / why not? What did you do well? What approaches do you need to improve?
Reflect, Plan, Persist and have FUN!
Oh and feel free to let me know how it’s all coming along for you! If there’s anything I love to talk about, it’s goals! I’ll be cheering for your success.
As the slogan at Destiny Health goes – ‘Goals Make Destiny!’
Yours in health, fitness and success,
Evan ????