New Year Reflections and Resolutions: A Guide to Achieving Your Goals

New Year’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. A time for gratitude, reflection, goal setting and resolutions. While I try to focus on the present the rest of the year, this is the day when I dedicate serious attention to the past and the future.

I believe it is important to set goals. Without goals, we wouldn’t know where we were going, right? However, did you know that approximately 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February? Another common statistic is that only 8% of people actually uphold their resolutions. I created a guide that has worked for me, and hopefully it helps you in your path toward achieving your goals this upcoming year. Find a quiet room, grab a notebook and ponder these questions:

Reflect on the past year. 

• Start with gratitude. What happened last year that you are grateful for?
• What did you accomplish? Even if it seems small, celebrate your wins.
• Give yourself some serious kudos for the challenges you have overcome. Those obstacles helped you grow into the person you are today.
• If you could change one or two things about this past year, what would you change? Is there a way to incorporate this into the upcoming year?

Think about the future and what you’d like to accomplish in the upcoming year.

• Try focusing on a theme, word or phrase that you’d like to improve on. For example, in 2017 my theme was to be more efficient. In 2018, I’m saying no to what doesn’t serve me and my purpose, which will help me focus on the things that matter most.
• Rather than setting a lofty, hard-to-achieve annual goal, break it down to attainable goals that can be accomplished in 90 days. I personally like Chalene Johnson’s strategy for this, along with her PUSH Journal.
• Treat every day as a reset. If you mess up today, you can start fresh tomorrow. Just make sure you hold the intention to do better.
• Think about goals you would like to achieve in five or 10 years. Will this year’s goal help you in your path toward achieving goals that are further in the future?

Please comment below if you have any other methods that have helped you achieve your goals. What works for you may work for others.