How good do you feel about what you’ve accomplished over the past twelve months? How about the past 5 years? A lot of people find themselves caught in the cycle of living day-by-day only to wake up a year or more later with not a lot to show for it. If that’s you, start with a personal motto or mission statement. Mine is to “Uplift Every Person I Meet.” I look for something positive to say to everyone with whom I come into contact. I want to be a positive force in the world.
Think of just one goal for each of five areas of your life. Choose something that you know you can accomplish in the next twelve months, and that would significantly improve your life. Here are 5 suggested goals you can set for 2019 that will change your life:
- Financial– What is one goal you can set that if completed, can substantially improve your finances 12 months from now? It could be saving a certain amount, or reducing debt by a certain amount…but something that would ‘make a difference’. To get this one done, ‘automate it!’
- Physical Health– This goal could be around eating healthy, cardio training, weight lifting, or even something as simple as taking a 20 minute walk every day. Set a time to do it every day and make it ‘your’ healthy habit.
- Relationships– What friend or family member do you need to improve your relationship? What action would you need to take immediately and over the next year to move that relationship from a rating of ‘5’ (or below) to a 9-10?
- Mental health– In this day of ‘constant contact’…cell, Facebook, Instagram, etc., we all need mental breaks…it could be reading time, meditation, a walk around the block to decompress mentally. Most of us don’t think about the need for ‘resting our brain’, but as, perhaps, our most important organ, it needs a break today as well.
- Career– Think about where you’d like to be 5 years from now in your career. What is it you need to do to move you towards that goal? More education? More (or different) experience? Can you get there with your current company? If yes, do you need to communicate your aspirations to upper management?
For each area, write one goal that is specific enough to be measurable (someone else would know you accomplished it by the change that occurred) and is bound by time…meaning there’s a date-certain for its accomplishment. Automate as much as possible…and measure your progress often; then make adjustments as needed. Five goals in five different areas of your life…that’s all it takes. A little bit of effort over a long period of time can pay big dividends and change your life!