Conquer The New Year
It’s that time of year again. Everyone is gearing up for the end of the year doing some self-reflection as another life chapter closes out. All the introspection, goal setting and resolutions are rooted in one core question.
In fact, it is the most asked question: What Do I Want?
Do you want to travel more in the new year?
Quit your job and run your business full time?
Finally, remove toxic people out of your life?
Strengthen your relationships (personal or professional)?
Above all, to be able to live the life you want, you have to give yourself permission. This means giving yourself permission to quit viewing your dreams as ‘unrealistic’ or ‘selfish’. It also means letting go of the expectations that others have for you and defining your path as you see fit.
To say life is hard would be the understatement of the Century. There are certainly plenty of obstacles to tackle both professionally and personally. However, the most prominent obstacle is usually standing right in front of us as we look into the mirror.
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.
Alice Walker
Alice Walker is quoted with saying, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any”. That statement could not be more true.
We often do have more power than we think. You cannot control everything, but you can give yourself permission to focus your energy on those things that better serve you.
Related Articles About Living Your Best Life:
- How To Say No More Often & Mean It
- The Best Way To Manage Money As A Couple
- 6 Ways To (Actually) Remove Stress From Your Life
How To ROCK Your Goals
To achieve our goals we must do two things:
- Decide what it is that you want.
- Take consistent action towards your aspirations.
Sometimes it can be overwhelming to think of all the things we would like to achieve. However, the following is an exercise meant to help you focus in on exactly what it is that you want.
Give yourself permission to honestly write out the progress you wish to see in each of these common categories. (Feel free to add in any other categories that are important to you).
- Health
- Career
- Friendships
- Relationship
Once you have identify the goals for each category next ask yourself the following questions.
What type of person do I need to be to achieve this goal?
What type of actions do would I have to take daily, weekly or monthly to achieve this goal?
Which shiny distractions would I have to eliminate?
Thinking through these questions can help you more easily identify which steps you need to take to reach your personal goal(s).
GoAl Setting Example:
For instance, let’s break down the health goal of ‘Running the Turkey Trot 5K race under 30 minutes’. This is a practical goal example, because it follows the SMART goal methodology. The person setting this goal has a measurable metric in mind (i.e. 30 minutes) and relevant time frame (i.e. Turkey Trot is in November).
A person who wants to achieve the goal of ‘Running the Turkey Trot 5k under 30 minutes’ might do one or more of the following:
- Practices running a mile every week
- Gets proper running gear (shoes, socks, moisture-wicking clothing etc.)
- Downloads a running app such as (Couch to 5k, RunKeeper, etc.)
- Sends progress miles to an accountability partner
- Joins a running club
Give Yourself Permission
Given that we only have one life, now is the time to break free from the status quo. You do not have to keep getting stuck in the same repetitive cycle.
To give yourself permission to go after your desires is to create one of the most freeing acts of self love.
It means not settling for less or feeling guilty, but creating the life you have always imagined. It is never too late to live out our dreams, but the most important step we can take is to make the decision.