New Year, No Goals
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
To some, the glitz and glam of a new year can be pretty exciting, but for others, it’s the complete opposite. On January 2nd, I sat in my room for three hours trying to brainstorm goals, make a vision board, and even create a manifestation map. After my third attempt, I realized it wasn’t working. My motivation to create goals was not there. I started to beat myself up “why can’t I think of goals? What happened to new year, new me?” Then suddenly it clicked! How am I going to make goals if I didn’t give myself time to process last year?
So, my first piece of advice for 2021 is to reflect on 2020. Think about your highs, your lows, and how you navigated the pandemic. What hobbies did you pick up? What do you wish you made more time for? When did you feel alone? Were you feeling fulfilled day-to-day? Then, once you’ve given yourself time to think about these things, dig deeper and find goals within those answers. I believe journaling these thoughts is a helpful way to develop your goals further and/or put into perspective what is important to you this year.
2021 READING LIST
My second piece of advice is to make goals for YOU! I know this sounds simple, but I’ve been making goals that I think will impress others rather than myself for the past three years. For example, in previous years, I said I wanted to work out and gain muscles. I have no desire to be built, but I made this goal because I thought it was the right thing to do. Then, when I had no motivation to achieve this goal, I felt like a failure. That’s not fair to you and your emotional well-being. When in fact, it’s not that you’re a failure, but that you didn’t care for the goal in the first place. Try to do some introspection and see what goals are indeed for you vs. others.
My last piece of advice is to NOT benchmark your goals. This year I will not be benchmarking my goals to see if it affects my motivation to complete them. What does it feel like to have a plan with no timeline? Will it be less pressure? Will I drag goals out? How will I measure the success of a goal? These are all questions I’m asking myself as I prepare for the year.
Comment below some of the readings and podcasts that you’ll be tuned in to this year!
