As I was looking through the weekly sales paper, I came across an advertisement that read, “Is your RESOLUTION to get organized?” From there, they showed pictures of various shelving, containers, and organizers, in their attempt to entice customers to buy what they were selling.

Year after year, millions of people declare their New Year’s Resolutions. We make plans and goals to accomplish multiple things in the new year, and sometimes we don’t account for everything that is actually needed to achieve the desired results. Almost always, none of it gets done and we burn out.

We all know New Year’s Resolutions usually don’t make it past the first couple months of the year. Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with the abandon rates or statistics. What I will do is share with you the 3 things I have successfully used to replace the traditional New Year’s Resolutions.

1. Focus on One Word for the Year

I am a huge fan of the Bible App! Whether you are a believer or not, the 4-day devotional plan titled, “One Word That Will Change Your Life,” does just that. In just 4 days, it walks you through a helpful guide to select 1 word that you need to focus on for the entire year.

I have read this plan every year for the past 5 years. It initially introduced a new concept to me of picking 1 word for the year to focus on. That’s it—just 1 word. It isn’t 2 or 3 words or a phrase.

As you read through the very short plan, you will get that 1 word in your spirit and know without a doubt if it is in fact, your word for the coming year. That 1 word really does work!

One year, my word was PRESS. During that year, I cannot tell you how many times I was faced with something that I did not want to deal with nor see through. As I would try to ignore it, my one word would pop up in my remembrance, and I found myself pressing my way through it!

In 2019, my word was IMPLEMENT. I first purchased my website domain name in January 2017, but I also had a new baby, with barely any extra time on my hands. I felt like 2019 was the time to finally get FLOURISHQueen.com up and running, so implement was a large part of the driving force to bring it to fruition.

Since we have no idea what we will face in the coming year, it is a great idea to seek God for your 1 word and to allow the Holy Spirit to drop that 1 word into your spirit. No need to worry, “One Word That Will Change Your Life,” will walk you through it, step by step.

2. Create a Vision Board

Many people create a vision board to reflect their goals for the year. Since visualization is such a powerful and effective tool to move us closer to accomplishing our goals, creating a vision board is a quick and easy way to get started.

While I have implemented a few things on my vision board, most of the items on it will likely not be accomplished within one year. I mostly use my vision board to visualize my long-term successes in life.

How you choose to use your vision board, whether for long-term or short-term goals, is strictly up to you. If you haven’t already done so, check out my post How to Create a Vision Board in Less than 15 Minutes to help you get started, with creating your vision board today.

3. Yearly Goal Setting

If you want a method that is more structured and detailed when creating your goals for the year, you should write out your goals in specific categories. As a fellow FLOURISH Queen, you might want to start by making personal, professional, financial and spiritual goals for the year.

For example, your goals could look something like this:

Personal—I will lose 20 pounds this year, or I will read 1 new book every month.

Professional—I will join Toastmasters and give 4 speeches by the end of the year, or I will complete 4 continual learning and/or training sessions pertaining to my career field by December 31, 2020.

Financial—I will save $2,500 in my savings by December 31, 2020, or I will pay 10% tithe on all of my income this year.

Spiritual—I will read at least 1 chapter of the Bible everyday, or I will pray every morning at 6am.

You can also get even more detailed by setting SMART goals.

S: Specific

M: Measurable

A: Achievable

R: Realistic

T: Time Bound

Here is an example of a SMART Goal: I will lose 30 pounds by December 31, 2020.

S: This goal is specific, because it says exactly how many pounds you plan to lose, instead of just setting a generic goal to lose weight.

M: This goal is measurable, because you can weigh yourself at the start and again on the specified end date, to see if you have met your desired goal.

A: This goal is achievable, because losing 30 pounds over the period of 12 months, is healthy and feasible. It is also recommended rather than trying to lose too much weight in a short period of time.

R: This goal is realistic, because it is practical to lose 30 pounds within 12 months, which breaks down to losing 2.5 pounds per month.

T: This goal is time bound, because you are setting the actual date you want to achieve the goal by.

Let’s say that you really want to work on your physical body/health for the coming year. You may realize it is going to take more than that 1 statement to get you there. In this instance, you should specify multiple actions that will lead to you accomplishing your desired goal.

Goal: I will lose 30 pounds by December 31, 2020.

I will drink 8 ounces of water 8 times per day.

I will eat 6 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

I will give up meat for 1 meal per day.

I will exercise for 30 minutes a day, 3 days per week.

I will only eat 1 serving of sweets, 1 day per week.

With this method, you can easily track your progress on a daily or weekly basis to ensure that you are on track to achieve your desired goal.

Whichever goal setting option you choose, you should revisit it daily. I highly recommend writing down your goals and posting them somewhere that you will see frequently throughout the day. You can also start your day by reading your goals out loud. As the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” Don’t let your goals be forgotten.

There is no right or wrong way to attack your yearly goals. Most of us know which areas we need to improve or make adjustments in. Even if you choose to work on just one thing for the year, make sure you do something! Decide to make a change for the better and do not end this year without having made any progress or achieved any goals.

It doesn’t matter what stage of life you are in, how old or young you feel. Goal setting is a healthy way to ensure your continued growth in life.

FLOURISH Queens!!