Happy New Year Friend! I cannot believe that we are six days into January already. Ok, so let’s check in, how are those new goals looking? Are you still on top of them? Have you dropped the ball? Or have you not set any goals at all? The pressure that comes with setting goals for the new year can be a lot. We all want to live bigger, better, more fulfilled lives and sometimes we think that means we need to do a million no things. Well, you don’t. The key to leveling up this year and avoiding burn out is setting realistic goals. In an effort to help each other win all year, here are 6 tips for settings realistic goals in 2020 and beyond:

Write your goals down.

This is one of the greatest tips for setting realistic goals. I know it sounds obvious but it isn’t with technology at our finger tips. Habakkuk 2:2 says write the vision and make it plain and it truly doesn’t get more clear than that. So, find a pen and get to writing sis.

Physically writing your goals down takes them from being a figment of your imagination to being real. If you’re just thinking of your goal its easy to say, “oh I changed my mind”; but once you write them out it’s a form of commitment. It helps if you write them in a place that you will see them often. Consider writing them in the front of your planner or favorite notebook.

You can take that a step further and make a vision board to help you visualize what life looks like on the other side of those goals. I made a digital vision board of my goals and it is saved as the lock screen of my phone and wallpaper on my computer. I created a mini tutorial on how to do this and it’s saved here in my IG highlights. Be sure to check it out.

Make sure they are SMART goals.

The acronym for SMART goals can mean a number of things but here is what I understand them to mean.

Specific: A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions, starting with your why. When you know your “why” its easier to stay on track:

• Why is this your goal? Know your purpose.
• Who is involved?
• What do you want to accomplish
• Where will it take place? (gym, home, work, etc…)
• When is your deadline?
• Which roadblocks or prerequisites might you encounter? Example: if your goal is to start a blog then you may want to research and pick a hosting platform first.

Measurable – Create strict guidelines for measuring progress toward reaching your goal. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, and get to celebrate as you make small wins along the way.

Attainable – You can attain any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.

Realistic– Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.

Time Based – Your goal should always have a deadline, without one there’s no sense of urgency. You want to launch a blog? Cool but when do you want to launch it by? Just saying, “this year” won’t work. However, if tell yourself, “by Feb 1st”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.

Understand that it’s okay to work one goal at a time.

Being excited about changing your life is great but it’s also a quick way to overwhelm yourself. Trying to implement too many changes at one is a recipe for failure. Set one major goal at a time, especially for the goals that require a complete lifestyle overhaul. As you get your new routine under control add a new goal to your list. For example, start cleaning up you eating habits in January then add workouts to your routine in Feb.

Schedule time in your day to work toward them.

It’s simple, if you don’t make time for your goals, you’ll never accomplish them. Even beyond that, the more time you allocate to your goals daily, the faster you’ll achieve them.

I use time blocking for important tasks but it works for goals too by setting a specific time every day or week to work on your goals. Say you want to work out on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Set a designated time for each of those days that belong to you and exercise, nothing else.

Next you schedule those items in your planner, google calendar or whatever you use to keep your self organized. Seeing your plans in writing makes it a little harder to ignore and as a result, you don’t break the appointments with yourself. It’s a great way to build trust in yourself and to start creating the life that you’ve dreamed about.

Set goals for you, not anyone else.

Take some time to get clear on what you want to accomplish this year. Not what the hype is all about and not what your family wants for you; really focus in on what YOU want.

James and I have been starting our year with the Daniel Fast since about 2012. It’s a great way to cut out the noise, reconnect with God and get clear about what He has for you. I actually started my blog/influencer journey after our fast back in 2018. Once you are free from noise and distractions it’s easy to make sure the goals you are chasing are actually for you, not anyone else. So, what do you want for your self this year?

Choose your power word.

Think about any goals you didn’t accomplish last year, what was the cause of you missing the mark? Was it lack of consistency? Discipline? Unclear intentions? Has there been a reoccurring theme in recent events in your life? Do any of your goals share a common theme? Is there anything you want more of in your life like peace or love?

There is no wrong way to choose a word. I actually have both a primary and secondary word this year. Mine are Discipline and Evolve. I have some skin I need to shed to truly become all of what I’m meant to be and it’s going to take discipline to get me through it. Have you chosen your word or theme for the year?

Thats it, thats all. Those are my tips for setting realistic goals. I hope this helps you flush out your goals as we get into the swing of the year. To help you hone in on the power of your words please comment a goal or two below. Consider me your virtual accountability partner, as I will be checking in with you 30 or even 90 days from now to see your progress!

PS. Don’t forget to tag me on IG if you make a digital vision board…

XOXO