Are you one of those people who start every year feeling that “This is my year”? And then it ends and you’re in the exact same place you were a year ago?
It doesn’t have to be that hard every time. Today, you can take control and make this year your best year ever. Not by changing things that happen to you or the circumstances, but by changing what everything means to you.
To change your life, you don’t have to spend another year wishing things were different or being disappointed in yourself for not taking any action to achieve your goals.
Let’s get started on how to make this year your best year ever.
- Set SMART Goals
Before you set any goals, start by evaluating and reflecting where you are at the moment. The things you have done and your experiences this year can help you plan for a better year.
Take time to reflect on where you are now. Most of the times we forget to do this. Another year passes by, and we don’t look back because we’re too excited to start the New Year.
Reflecting and evaluating the last year will determine how you plan for the next year.
Look at your life and ask yourself where you want to be in the future. What do you want to change? And what do you want to achieve?
Set your goals by deciding how you want your life to be and where you want to be.
However, when setting your goals, make sure they’re measurable and have a deadline. For example, if you want to be healthier, you can set a specific goal such as, “I want to lose 30 pounds by July 1st.” That’s a good goal because it’s realistic, measurable and has a deadline.
To set realistic goals, make sure they scare you a little but also that they are achievable.
- Create an Action Plan
Creating an action plan will help you turn your goals into reality. And it will increase efficiency and accountability in your life and business.
An action plan describes how you’ll achieve your goals through detailed action steps that describe how and when you’ll take these steps to achieve your goals.
To create your action plan, your action steps or change should include:
* What actions you’ll take.
* When the action steps will take place.
* What resources you need to make the action steps happen.
* Communication (who should know about the action steps?).
To create an effective action plan, take your goals and break them down into small habits and routines that you’ll achieve daily.
Slowly grind away and make incremental progress. For example, if you want to lose 30 pounds this year, develop a habit and a routine of exercising at least one hour daily. List down the workouts you’ll do each day to achieve your ideal weight.
By breaking down your goals into a daily action plan, it won’t be so overwhelming.
- Take Action
Remember, big action plans are just excuses for procrastination. You only need to focus on doing what will make you achieve your goals and get to where you want to be.
Instead of creating a 40-page action plan, take one action step daily. Making meaningful progress towards your goal will make you happier, and you’ll be more confident.
However, don’t stress too much about achieving every goal; your focus should be to make progress in your life. So, set SMART goals, take action, make progress and celebrate what you achieve.
Remember, what’s scheduled gets done. So, invest up to 45 minutes every day for five days to go through these three steps. Put your goals everywhere; this will help you remember to take action daily. Doing so will make this year the best year ever!
