Happy 2023 & Happy New You!

Certain moments in life contain momentum and power. The key is to harness those moments, to set new goals, and to make changes in your life. Things with starts and finishes or beginnings and ends carry momentum, such as a new semester, a break up, a new job, a setback, a second chance, or a life-changing experience. A new year carries tremendous momentum and it is a great time to make changes and set new goals. But how often do we set goals and not accomplish them? To help you achieve your goals, here are four keys.

Key 1. Focus. Sometimes people set far too many goals or set goals that are lofty but unclear. For example, instead of setting nine goals this year, narrow your focus to just 1 or 2. What really is most important to you right now? What goal, if accomplished, would bring you great joy this year? Perhaps you want to improve a key relationship. Maybe you want to improve your health. Or it just may be that you want to get all A’s in school this semester. Focus on those few things that would make all the difference.

Key 2. Break it down. Goals need to be broken down into action steps. If your goal is to improve your physical health, then you would want to identify the pieces to achieving that, such as good nutrition, movement, sleep, and water intake.  

Key 3. Keep score. Develop a scoreboard of some kind where you can track your progress. For example, if your goal is to read a 500 page book, you’d want to break it down into how many pages you want to read each day and then track where you are on a daily or weekly basis.

Key 4. Create accountability. It is so much easier to accomplish a goal when you have to account to someone else for how you’re doing. So, involve a friend, family member, or a coach with your goals and create a cadence of accountability with them. Each week, follow up with them and share your successes and failures. If your goal is to complete a marathon for the first time, for example, perhaps you’d want to find a running partner that has the same goal and you can hold each other accountable for your progress.  

No matter what kind of success or failure you’ve had with goals in the past, today is a new day. There is so much hope in change. There is so much hope in new goals. No matter what has happened in the past, your future is an unwritten book.

As Stephen R. Covey said, “To achieve goals you’ve never achieved before, you need to start doing things you’ve never done before.” You have the power to do new things, to achieve, to get better. You have the power to change!

Love, The Bridle Up Hope Team