Goals!!!

Rather than make a new year’s resolution, I use the start of each new year as an opportunity to read through my goals and evaluate my progress. I think it is important to start with a 10 year goal and work your way back to the present and set short term goals that help you achieve it. You must know where you are going if you want to set a course and be able to mark your progress. Take a moment to congratulate yourself for meeting your goals and be honest with yourself about why you didn’t reach others. Setting attainable goals is a way to keep you motivated in the darker days and gives you an opportunity to celebrate when you reach those milestones. I also try to set goals that engage my head, my heart, my soul, and my body. Engaging each aspect of who I am helps me to stay balanced and not neglect the areas that are more of a struggle.

After setting your goals, it is important to share them with someone who loves you enough to be honest with you and will hold you accountable. While I have achieved many things with only me to hold myself accountable, I’ve learned the value of sharing those joys and challenges with a trusted friend. My mother often told me that I would be judged by who my friends are and as a kid I never really understood what that meant. As a mother I see things with a different set of eyes and remind my kids of that often. These days, I am proud to be judged by my friends who are an amazing group of people that I both admire and respect.

So rather than setting a New Year’s resolution that will likely be forgotten before the end of January, take the opportunity to set goals for your future and find a friend to share in that journey with you!