New Year New Goals!
Need help setting goals?
Happy Warriors,
Humans have been celebrating the new year by making promises to ‘do better’ for more than four millennia. And yet, collectively, we could all benefit from a favorite coaching question: “So how’s that working out for you thus far?”
2020 has been hard; and this approach is about being gentle with ourselves, acknowledging that control is an illusion, and yet maintaining hope and a commitment to keep doing our work and following our dreams. The word resolution presumes failure and then pressures us to try again, hoping for a better outcome. Being reminded that things haven’t gone according to plan isn’t helpful. So here’s a new approach - rooted in gratitude for our current reality and the many instances of “success” that we often overlook.
1. Choose a Word:
Like a funnel, start with a broad and all-encompassing theme for the year and then work down to an actionable plan for living into your vision daily: New Year New Goals. Review your journal and observe your conversations and thoughts to see if a theme word shows up, or consciously choose a word that feels right for your year (like Opportunity, Peace, Change, Stability, Relationship, etc.). Your word can be a banner over everything you do in the coming year, so choose something with breadth and depth to create opportunities for reflection and exploration as your year unfolds.
2. Create Guiding Principles:
A guiding principle is simply a statement of how you intend to live, and they form the blueprint for your year. Each one should answer “yes” to the question: If I follow this, will I move closer to my picture of my theme word? Discover four wonderful guiding principles in The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Keep the number of principles small enough that you can remember them as you make daily choices. Example: Take three breaths before agreeing to anything. You won’t always follow it, and that’s ok, but the intention is there as a reminder to keep trying. Guiding principles can be completely original or inspired by someone else. Keep them in a prominent place. Evaluate and edit as needed, throughout the year, to keep moving in the desired direction.
3. Make a Plan to Practice:
This phase might be the most like “resolutions” of the past, so it’s important to be conscious about creating practices where success, not failure, is the starting place and the path forward. With the theme word and guiding principles creating a foundation, begin creating practices to sustain your intentions for the coming year. Remember: practices are not exercises in perfection but evolving behaviors that help establish and become who you desire to be. Practices may include things that you already do regularly, but it’s important to ‘formalize’ them. Write them in a journal or display them at home or work. Practices can be anything from going to the gym to finding a meditation teacher and everything in between. Craft practices that touch all the major life areas: Physical Health, Relationships, Spirituality, Work, etc. Working with a coach can be a great way to develop the practices that will nurture your resolution-less new year new goals.
Featured Article written by Casey Perkins-Lawrence
CASEY PERKINS-LAWRENCE {he/him/his}
Casey Connects • Coaching | Creative Consulting | Yoga
caseyconnects.xyz | 229.894.3860
Wishing you a safe and Happy Holiday Season.
Choose Love,
Jami
