Every New Year's Eve I crack open a new journal and write out my goals for the year. This year I cannot wait to say goodbye to 2020! I am putting the crazy behind me and holding on to the promise of God:
"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19
What is 2021 going to bring you? A new relationship, career opportunity, location, sphere of influence, new body, or a brand new mentality? Whatever it is, there is no better way to move into the new year than by setting some new goals.
Goals are like magnets that pull you into the future. In Smart Talk, Lou Tice describes a goal as a forethought. He says, "Goal setting is a deliberate attempt to define the quality standards that will change your future." He identifies goal setting as "changing where you belong in your mind." He goes on to say, "when you set goals, you declare that some things are more significant than others."
Here are three ways to Goal Up:
1. No Dumb Goals, Make them S.M.A.R.T:
Specific: Determine who, what, where, when, and why
Measurable: Determine how you will measure your progress?
Attainable: How will you achieve this goal. Example: take a class.
Realistic: Is the goal reachable given the time and resources?
Time-Bound: Identify a target date.
S.M.A.R.T goals provide clarity and focus. As human beings we need targets. If we don't know where we're going, we fizzle out or self-destruct. According to U.S News & World Report, 80% of New Year's resolutions will fail by February. Get S.M.A.R.T.
2. Write Out Your Goals.
So, no static bullet points, instead, bring your goals to life. According to Neuroscience experts, "Vividly describing your goals in written form is strongly associated with goal success."
Close your eyes and picture your "ideal" life. Your imagination can transfigure your life into something beautiful. Let your mind bowl over the barriers, crush the internal critic, and resurrect your buried dreams.
Your imagination creates the possibility and persistent visualization can make your goals a reality. Through visualization, we catch a glimpse of our "preferred future." This process stirs our motivation and prepares us to pursue our goals.
Describe your goals with as much color and texture as you can. Write them in such a way that they elicit emotion. If your goals don't excite you, they're not going to keep you motivated … back to the drawing board.
3. Keep Your Goals in Front of You.
Find pictures or visual symbols that represent what you want and place them everywhere. Stick them on your walls, mirrors, and refrigerator. See your future as though it's already happened, because what you can see you can seize!
Include Scriptures, words, and quotes that speak to your future. Attach them to your goals and read them twice a day. I've included a Goals Template to help get you started … because there is no telling what can happen when you believe.
"Goals. There's no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There's no telling what you can do when you believe in them. There's no telling what will happen when you act upon them." Jim Rohn
Goal Up! Here's to a wonderful 2021!
Crystal Van Kempen-McClanahan, is one- half of the podcast Soul Gym Sisters, and co-author of Mind Moxie: How to Help You Master What's Mastering You. She spent years as an educator, a softball/volleyball coach, and school leader. She has a doctorate in Educational Leadership and received the John Maxwell Leadership Award in Education. Crystal is passionate about helping people increase their "influential capacity" by leading their life, loving their life, and lavishing it on others. Check out her YouTube channel and online course "5 Steps to Go From Flabby to Fit Without Stepping Foot in the Gym."
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