New Year’s goals and resolutions always get a bad rap when it comes to celebrating a new year. I think it’s because it’s difficult to turn our plans into habits. It’s always great to reach for the stars and get creative about what we want to achieve in a calendar year. But when you bite off more than you can chew, your resolutions can feel intimidating and disappointing. As long as you follow these seven steps, you will be able to meaningfully incorporate your goals as you celebrate the new year, while you “dwell in possibility” like Emily Dickinson lovingly states.
Mentally reflect on your past year and the things you wish to improve upon
Take a moment to sit down in a space where you feel most productive. Then think about any hardships, difficulties, or situations where you felt you weren’t the best version of yourself. Listen to your gut and from there, you will be inspired to create goals that will involve personal, attainable growth
Write down your goals
You can use anything for this, whether it be a cute notepad, a napkin, or a scrap of paper. Collect materials of your choice and write down all your goals so that you can see, visualize, and constantly be reminded of them.
Break down your goals into smaller goals
This step is incredibly important for two reasons. For one, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by lots of words on a page, and two, when your goals are digestible, they are more attainable. It’s called baby steps for a reason!
Prioritize and pick two of the goals that are most important to you
Step two is more about dumping all your thoughts and ideas onto the page, whereas this step is about prioritizing. What’s that one goal that you know would truly change everything for you? What’s the goal that will make your life more loving and rewarding in the long run? Pick two goals that answer these questions and run with them.
Think about the ways you can incorporate steps to achieving those goals into your weekly routine
The most important way to achieve a goal is to continue on with this “baby step” concept. Think about the goal you want to achieve. You can’t achieve it overnight. In order to make something a meaningful part of your life, you have to add smaller steps into your weekly or daily routine.
Slowly build upon how you incorporate those steps into your new routine
Once you get in the habit of incorporating these steps into your new routine, you’ll be ready to add more habits and goals into your day-to-day life. It’s all about continuing to self-improve and practice new habits and steps in order to solidify your personal goals.
Rinse and repeat with steps three through six! Once you make your New Year's goals into your routine, the “work” isn't over!
Achieving a goal is an amazing feeling, but you don’t want all of your hard work to go to waste. Make sure you continue feeling good about your new goal by feeding it, loving it, and nourishing it. That way it will continue to prosper with you. At this point, you can look at your goal master list as you continue to make all of your goals and dreams come true.
Do you have any methods to help you set your New Year’s goals? Let us know in the comments below! And if you’re interested in writing articles like this for College Fashionista, be sure to apply to be a Community Member today
Opening image by @jillruder
