“ The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.” – Melody Beattie
I think it’s safe to say most of us are MORE than ready to say goodbye to 2020 and are very much so looking forward to a fresh start to a New Year.
While I contemplated spelling out the many things I’ve learned this year, during this odd, odd, year, I decided not to. For one, I think many people have already done that-and quite frankly have been doing it as a way to stay sane for the last 6 months. So, instead, let’s focus more on the turning of a new leaf.
What do you hope to see through in 2021?
No, don’t just keep reading…
Seriously, just pause and think about it for a minute.
What do you hope to see through in 2021?
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I’ve been anticipating the New Year for quite a few weeks now and have been pondering some goals and thoughts-both challenging and attainable. I’d be lying if I said I was an expert at setting SMART goals and consciously taking steps to achieve them. I’m definitely more of a write it down and think about it frequent enough that it’s likely to happen without much more than that type of gal. But (drumroll please), not this year!! This year, thanks to the 8,000 trips to target, I invested in a journal specifically made to help achieve goals in a mindset of gratitude. Notice I used the word “invested” rather than “purchased”…not only to feel better about the money spent, but also because self-care, of all sorts, truly is an investment:).
If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to think about the best way in which you obtain goals. Do you need to write them down once in a journal and that’s enough? Are you someone who needs to see it on a sticky note on your mirror to read every morning and night? Regardless of what you need to stay focused on 2021, having goals is something I believe everyone should strive for. Afterall, wouldn’t we just be wandering aimlessly if we didn’t have any goals?
Each time I set goals for the new year I tend to use this three step process:
1. Reflect on the previous years goals. Did you attain all of them, some of them? Were they too challenging, just right, not enough? If you didn’t set goals for 2020, I would think about some of the accomplishments you hold close to your heart and evaluate what they looked like up close and personal. What do 2021’s goals need to have in order to give you life?
2. Reflect inward about what makes you happy, what pushes your limits, what you enjoy, what you’re good at, what you consider weaknesses, and all that you were in 2020. Use the answers to the questions to find a few pieces of your life that might be a great place for goal setting. For example, I know that running pushes my limits while it also simultaneously brings me glimpses of joy and accomplishment. Those of you who have been following along for a while know that last year was supposed to be the big 13.1-but it wasn’t. So, this year, one of my very tangible goals is to “Confidently and correctly train my mental and physical self to successfully run 13.1 miles in June of 2021 regardless of the event status”. So, now that I’ve shared one of my most challenging goals with you for the year, I hope it helped you come up with a few of your own.
3. The third and final step I usually follow in my own process is outlining how I will “get there”. This step is more dependent on each individual goal-but it is essentially identify your “bumpers” (reference to bowling as a little kiddo here lol) that will help keep you on the path. They might not always send you down the middle, hell you might be scraping a bumper more than half of the distance, but what are the things you need to keep you from sinking into the gutter? I’ll reference the goal I previously mentioned as an example. I’m order to accomplish my goal I know that I must 1) identity a training plan that I can stick to, 2) write out my plan in my planner to help my accountability, 3) stay on track with my nutritional health-when I eat well I feel well which in turn fuels how well my runs go some days. I know that if I would not identity a training plan and enter it in my planner, I would struggle intensely with accomplishing my goal.
If you’re anything like me, sometimes the month of December is the most difficult for staying “on track”, whatever that means for you. With Christmas in the mix I think Bobby and I ate through 25 boxes of the holiday pillsbury cookies in addition to the handful of homemade treat batches each weekend. AND, this weird week between Christmas and New Years has always been a *excuse my language* “f*** it” week. With so many ambitious goals ahead for the new year, it doesn’t feel right to start them on December 27th right? … so for me it has, un-healthily, become a week of no workouts, lots of treats, and basically carb loading my way into 2021. That being said, I always feel extra ready to get on track for the new year even though taking a week to carb load and watch Netflix certainly makes those first weeks harder than they would be if I just stuck with it to the end. Anyone else? No..just me? Okay, well maybe I’ll work on that next year lol.
Before it’s too late and Christmas is long gone, Bobby and I also have a new video on our YouTube channel, check it out! We quickly buzz you through our new apartment and provide a little holiday spirit throughout! We’re still in the early phases of figuring out how to make videos, but it’s a blooper filled clip that might give you a few giggles! Here’s the link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=my7TZNY1CW0&feature=youtu.be
Hopefully this helped guide you in your own year end process, and if nothing else is motivation to kick some ass in 2021! Although it still might not be the year we all are longing for, it’s a fresh start with blank pages. Good Luck!!! See you in the New Year!!
Cheers!
Jos
Josie's Journey 