As a new year begins so infinite opportunities arise as we reflect on the past year and plan for the year ahead. Beginning a new year is such a fun, hopeful time as it brings the sense of a fresh start and motivates us to review the previous year, change the things we didn’t like and improve upon the things we did like. With that comes a chance to set and define your goals and intentions for the year ahead. Many people make notes, either mentally or on paper of the goals they want to accomplish. However, it is said that approximately only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s goals each year. Most of the time, people stumble over the first steps of change and gradually retreat to their old, unhealthy habits.
Each and every day that you wake up, your actions determine the life you will live today and in the future. You are the architect of your life; you get to decide the life that you want to live. Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your future and motivating yourself to turn your vision of your future into a reality. The process of goal setting is to help provide direction for your future. By allowing yourself to think about what you want to achieve, you can concentrate on your goals and identify the distractions that easily lead you astray.
When it comes to goal setting there are many options and steps you can take. Every person uses a different method to help them set their goals, depending on the way their brain works. However, one of the most common methods is to set SMART goals. This method is great to for people who are new to goal setting and want to set goals that are organised, give them a sense of direction and a way to help reach their goals.
Whilst this is helpful for goal setting, we often use it for the small, short-term goals rather than immersing ourselves in the bigger picture. This can lead to these goals becoming vague wishes that soon disappear. When I think about creating my ‘bigger picture’ I often create a vision board. Some of you may have heard of vision boards or statements but for those of you who haven’t it is simply a visual collage of images and words that represent your future goals and dreams. When you display your vision board in a place where you can see it every day, it is a constant reminder of your ‘bigger picture’. It is a powerful way to attract the resources, opportunities and people that will help you achieve your goals and make your visions and dreams come true.
Using a vision board to help create your bigger picture is more beneficial than writing out your goals, as images speak a thousand words. Images convey a vast amount of complex information to our brains in a single instant when compared to words. Vision boards allow us to activate our subconscious mind to identify the resources in our environment that will assist us to make progress towards our dreams. They ensure that your goals are one of the first things you think of everyday. They help inspire us and expand our sense of what is possible. Creating a vision board can also be a powerful, meditative process that brings clarity to your goals and what you really want your life to look and feel like.
So, my challenge to you when setting your goals for 2022 is to firstly write out a few SMART goals for what you want to achieve this year and secondly to make yourself a vision board with everything you want your future to be filled with. Doing this will allow you to immerse yourself into your greater vision so that you can reach for the bigger picture and see the infinite sea of possibilities that lie within you.
When the WHY is clear, the HOW is easy.
This is your moment and your time to make a change, a brand new 365 days to start executing a game plan that is going to lead you to victory. So, set your internal GPS to your desired destination. Don’t expect anything to happen overnight, be patient and continually execute, execute, execute and before you know it, you will arrive at your destination.
If something along your road is toxic, stop it, if its unproductive, drop it and push through the adversity. Remember that your steps, actions, and goals right now are leading you to the path you have created.
As Steve Garvey said “you have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential’.
So set your goals, intentions and vision and make 2022 your best year yet!
Love Lauren x
