2024. It’s a new year, and for me, that means reassessing where I am headed, reflecting on where I’ve been, making goals for the new year, envisioning my joy-filled future life, and creating various vision boards around my house to keep me on track and aligned all year long.
Here I am in my bedroom, my sanctuary. I placed this particular set of goal planning exercises on the back of my bedroom door so that I see if every morning before I leave. I can check in weekly to remind myself of the goals I have set and those actionable mini-steps I have set to move the needle a bit closer every day to achieving those goals. Buuuuuuut, before I walk you through what is on that crazy person door, let me throw out some reminders, impart some advice, and share what I have learned so far about dreaming big for yourself…
1) There is a difference between dreaming and goal planning. Dreaming is the big picture of, “Ewwww that would be really fun to have!”, but I have found that A LOT of people stop there. Then, those big dreams turn into, “I can’t have that. Those things aren’t for people like me,” and then that leads to a bit of resentment and envy because it isn’t the life you have right now. So, I propose that if you have ever found yourself stuck in those thoughts after the, “Man, wouldn’t that be nice…” dreaming thought, head somewhere quiet. Once you are at peace, ask yourself if having that dream would create joy for you. Is that truly in line with your highest values in life? If the answer is yes, then, literally envision yourself already having the dream. What does that look like, feel like, how is your life different and what is the same, and let it all just set in.
Now, here is where the goal planning kicks in, because when you do this envisioning exercise, you will most likely have the thought that this is not that far out of reach. “I could achieve this. There is always a way!” What you want most in life, you can always find a path to if you prioritize it enough in your life. Now, I should add a disclaimer here- start in stages, give yourself some leeway in that goal, and you can’t just lie in bed dreaming of this thing hoping that your prayers, manifestations, and sheer will power can produce it for you. Goal planning is different from dreaming. It is making an actionable plan, with small achievable steps to get yourself there. It’s walking towards that dream every day because it matters to you.
2) Leave reminders EVERYWHERE! Ever heard of out of mind, out of sight. How many times have you left something in “the important drawer” in your home, only to come back months later and realize you forgot you even owned that? Don’t let your dreams clutter the junk drawer. Make sticky notes for your mirrors, leave daily reminders on your phone or in your calendar, print off pictures for inspiration to hang on a door or wall, create a vision board, leave notes by the work computer, and set yourself up some goal planning sheets.
3) Accept failure and set-backs with an open heart. You know what, I only got through half of my vision board for 2023, and in the past, that would have rocked my world. “Why make goals if I can’t even be disciplined enough to make it happen?” “Well, I am already like 600 calories over my goal for today, so I might as well just eat the whole pint of Ben & Jerrys because I’ve already blown it.” Yikes! Instead of the self-depreciating (and unhelpful) inner-dialogue, this year, I shrugged it off, reassessed if those items I didn’t complete were goals I still wanted in my life, and then cheered myself on for the detours I took that resulted in far more success in other areas January 2023 me didn’t even know I needed.
4) Don’t set too many goals for yourself. It’s ok not to rule the world in a day. Just be realistic and flexible. If you give yourself too many things to take on all at once in multiple areas of your life, it will all spin out of control quickly and then, say hello to ice cream again.
5) Success looks different for everyone. Y’all, these are just guidelines and lessons that worked for me. We are all different and our big, beautiful brains process so much differently from each other. Learn all that you can, try new things, be curious, and adjust. But above all, just be honest with yourself at every step and for the love, give yourself a whole lot of grace!
Alright, on with the nitty gritty. I start with the big picture first. For me, that meant eight areas of my life that I really wanted to focus on this year…and I am just now realizing that I base my years on two separate calendars. This goal planning was based on Summer Break, Teacher Bailey.
Here is a little goal planning sheet I created on Canva quickly this last summer. I will leave a download below if you want to try something similar. I wrote out each of my 8 success goals on their own page. I wrote what it would feel like to accomplish that goal in the ‘I did that!’ area. Then, I wrote 20 actional steps to take throughout the year to help move me towards that goal. There is an area for a deadline to accomplish certain steps too, because as all of us teachers know, breaking it down into measurable and specific timelines increases the odds that the goal will be met :)
The crazy only goes deeper. Next, I identify the steps I want to work on immediately and those go on sticky notes on my bathroom mirror. I place them all to one side and they get to graduate to the other once complete. When I need to envision visuals tied to my goals, I use Pinterest Boards. (This was particularly helpful when thinking about the kind of house I would love to own for my family.) But nothing, nothing competes with good old-fashioned crayons and Sharpies to create a Vision Board on a roll of kraft paper for me. Somehow writing it out and making it beautiful with my own symbols and inspirational quotes helps to solidify it for me.
As I am always evolving, I would love for you to share your tips and tricks for walking your path and claiming those dreams of yours. Let’s start a conversation and cheer each other on! And don’t forget to click on the image below to download your Goal Planning page today!
