Setting Goals for 2021
I know new year resolutions aren’t liked by everyone, but I personally love them and get super motivated with the start of a new year. I love getting a new planner and setting goals and milestones I’d like to hit for the coming year. It was a bit difficult planning them out this year since we started in such a weird time of uncertainty and restriction, but it was still something I wanted to do. I'll also point out that new goals don’t have to be at the start of a year. I try to look at every month and every week as chance to set new goals and make improvements.
A few things I find helpful when setting goals are:
-Write it down. There’s something about writing out your goals that makes it more of an intention to follow through on. I like to write my goals down on the first page of my planner and then re-read them every single morning so they stay on my mind and I can ensure I’m actively working towards making them a reality. I find it can be helpful to categorize them as well, so I typically write out my “big picture” goals of what I want to achieve, and then break it into categories such as career, health/fitness, relationship, financial, or personal goals. It’s also important to hold yourself accountable; keep revisiting your goals to ensure you’re actually put in the work to make them happen.
-Make a vision board. Similar to writing down your goals, creating a vision board to look at everyday helps to manifest your goals and provides inspiration. I like to create an aesthetic vision board in my office using photos from pinterest or magazines. I usually write out my goals first and then use that list to guide what I’m putting on my board. I try to find some type of photo that inspires me for each goal. So for example, if I want to travel more I’d put photos of different locations I want to see, etc.
-Dream Big, but build a realistic path to get you there. I’m a big believer that anything is possible, however you have to put in the work to get there. I’ve recently read a lot into the power of manifestation, but the thing is, you can say you’re going to be a millionaire, but if you never take a single step into becoming one it’s not just going to happen. It’s important to set your goals, and then work backwards to figure what steps you need to take to get there.
-Believe in yourself and surround yourself with people who support you. So many people are capable of amazing things, yet they let the fear of what others think stop them from pursuing it. The thing you have to realize though, is that people will judge you regardless of what you do, and almost every single successful person also had to deal with it. With that being said, I think it’s vital that your close circle is supportive of you. Our mind is an extremely powerful thing, and if you hear that it’s “not a smart choice”, “you’re not cut out for it” etc. over and over again by those close to you, you might begin to allow those thoughts to become your own. Choose real friends who support you and cheer you on.
My 2021 goals:
-Become more consistent with my workout program and health again. 2020 and quarantine definitely took a toll on my fitness level and motivation. While I tried to stick to an at home workout program and commit to daily walks, there were definitely days where my anxiety went through the roof and my motivation to do anything was nonexistent. I’m trying to be kind to myself and instead focus on making 2021 my best regardless of the circumstances.
-Invest more into personal and professional development. I’ve started to realize that there’s so much wasted time throughout the day that could be used to better myself in some way. I’d like to make it a point to do at least one thing a day that helps provide value to my life. It could be listening to a motivational podcast while I get ready in the morning, watching a useful youtube video during cardio, spending an hour of downtime learning more about my job on a professional development course, etc.
-Create a more consistent routine. This goes back to the first bullet about my lack of motivation some days, but I noticed that I reallyyy struggled to stick to a good productive work from home schedule at first. I’ve noticed that’s it’s especially hard for me to work when my husband is home because it puts me into a relaxed weekend mode, so quarantine was a struggle in terms of productivity (great for our relationship though after being long distance for 8 months). I’ve found I work better in an office setting, on a set schedule, so I’ve implemented that I get ready for work and go to our home office for the day during “work hours” to stay on top of things.
-Exceed my military income and start investing. If you’re not familiar with my story, I had a very successful career in the military and was selected to become an officer. However, I was very torn about staying in because I felt like my heart wasn’t fully in it and I wanted to see what would happen if I went after my dream job, as it wasn’t really possible to do both. I was very anxious about getting out due to the lack of security but eventually decided to go for it so I didn’t risk always wondering what if. I haven’t quite matched my previous income yet, but a major goal for myself this year is to work hard and not only match, but exceed my previous income. I’d also like to learn about investments so I can start setting myself up for the future (I previously just had a retirement fund and savings).
-Be a great wife. I recently got married in December, so it’s always a goal of mine to make my relationship a top priority and ensure that every single day I show my husband some form of love, appreciation, small gestures, etc.
Travel More. This one is obviously very dependent on covid. However it’s always a major goal of mine to travel and experience as much of the World as possible. 2018/2019 was probably the best for traveling for Dusten and I; our goal was to visit other U.S. cities during 4-day weekends, and then try to plan a bigger (international) trip 1-2x a year depending on our budget. I’d love to get back to that routine as it allowed us to experience a lot together.
