Truthfully, I’ve been majorly procrastinating with writing this. One of my goals for 2020 was to start a blog. I did that. I purchased a domain. I came up with a name that I am passionate about, I published several posts, and then it died. In fact, every single one of my goals died last year. I could blame it on pandemic life, I could blame it on the arrival of our finale Nash, I could blame it on the kids being home from March to September. I could blame it on a million things, but really, it’s because I didn’t take action. I did not carve out the block of time daily required to MAKE that goal a reality.
So here I am, mid-February and I am JUST putting the final touches on my first quarter plan to make sure my goals are realized this year. I’m okay with that. When I really grew up and realized that goals take preparation and planning, I almost immediately became that person who doesn’t wake up on January 1st and get to work taking action towards their goals. Instead, I’ve always opted to take a good chunk of January to concoct a viable and realistic plan, one that excites me. So now I’m priming myself to get to work.
So I guess I’m right on time for this blog post. Let my late start be a reminder that it’s OKAY if you haven’t really started yet either. Don’t let that be your reason to call all of your goals off. Or, if you are feeling guilty because you never really thought of any goals or intentions for this year, that is okay too! Sometimes we just don’t know where to start.
If I could give you ONE tip that is SO helpful in terms of moving the needle, it’s to reflect, and audit your life from a fulfillment lens. I picked up a goal setting book a few years ago that really focused on this; on particular areas of your life: finances, family/friends, professional life, personal life, hobbies, etc. It was SO good! It got me thinking that that life audit doesn’t need to take annual seat. Do it more often so you can readjust when things get a little off track.
Think of the above various areas. What is your highest vision for each of those areas? Where are you currently? How do you close the gap between where you are, and where you want to be? What timeline are you going to set for yourself to start? What resources do you require? How will you feel once you accomplish that particular goal? Who will hold you accountable? Seriously, take the time. Write out that plan. Break it down into actionable pieces identifying what you need to do each week to maintain momentum. This practice gives you a really good base for taking action. My last piece of advice, check-in with yourself often to evaluate how you are doing. The life audit can be the difference between living your life in default and being more intentional about your actions.