Happy New Year- Time to Set Goals

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2018! I hope and pray it is just as amazing or even better than 2017. Thank you for joining us throughout our journey last year. Of course, the start of a new year is also the start of new goals. I wanted to dedicate this post to share some of the tools I use when trying to achieve my goals. Now... let me get this straight, I am in no way a goal achieving expert... I assure you of that, but when I’m serious about crushing a goal, I go about it the following way.

First, decide on your goal. Let’s suppose your goal is to buy a house this year. After deciding on your goal, I want you to close your eyes and truly visualize that goal. Imagine yourself in your new house, with your new furniture and new kitchen. Perhaps you look outside the window and see your street and your neighbors. I want you to pay attention to how this makes you feel... do you feel proud, happy, excited? Now I want you to remember that feeling and keep it close to you when you are doubting yourself. This is your WHY.

I’ll share with you one of my most vivid goal visualizations, when I was preparing for the Bar exam. I routinely would close my eyes and imagine pulling up to the score site and reading PASS PASS PASS. My visual skills went past just seeing those three magic words. I would envision myself with my husband, nervously browsing through the Florida Supreme Court site, then clicking and trying to locate my number. In my visual, I remember always asking my husband to read the results to me as my heart raced. I would play that visual over and over until it became real for me. Play your goal over and over in your head and, God willing, it will become your reality.

The next aspect of goal crushing is the hardest one... it’s the work we have to do to get there. It’s easy to want to lose weight or save money to buy a house. The hard part is actually committing yourself to do it. Dreaming alone, unfortunately, is not going to get you to your goal... remember you must be a doer. Say hello to my DDD (Triple D) mentality: Dedication, Discipline, and Determination.

Commit to your goal. You can’t expect to lose weight by eating healthy and exercising for just one day... results are seen after weeks of dedication and discipline. Part of staying determined is making minor sacrifices... if your goal is to save money, perhaps you decide to cut down on buying new clothes or you decide to bring your own lunch as opposed to spending $10-$15 daily on lunch. Whatever your goal may be, the key is to stay committed and determined.

That being said, there will be days you will experience self-doubt. When that occurs, learn to forgive yourself. When those tough days arise, practice your visualization skill and make that your why. Do not sabotage yourself—you’ve worked way too hard.

Lastly, every goal takes time to achieve. Be realistic when setting time to achieve your goal. Remember that in the end it does not matter how long it takes, it matters that you get there.

Here’s to crushing our 2018 goals! Best of luck on achieving your goals!

Love always,

Jenni