The Only Way to Make the Most of Your Year

Once Christmas is over, you can feel the New Years ball about to drop and the slate of the current year about to wipe clean. The year has flown by and thoughts flood your mind about the past year. Things you wish you could change, memories you wish you could relive again, or goals you wish you would have reached.

You think about what you could have done better, how you could have done things differently, how you didn’t reach the goals you set from last year. 

With the new year, you may have renewed sense of hope and want to make the best of your year. It is a chance to start over with a fresh outlook on a brand new year, where anything is possible. You want to reach goals, achieve things you always deemed impossible but you have no idea how to make it a reality.

You’ve set goals and made New Years Resolution lists, to no avail. Just a bunch of unfinished goals that were forgotten after a few weeks. So many of us want to make more money, grow in our relationships, become healthier, be more adventurous and just love the lives we live. So how do you actually make the best of your year in 2020?

1. Make goals (Duh!)

There is nothing wrong with making lists or a set of goals, in fact, I encourage it. Some goals I’ve had on my “New Years Resolutions” list for over a decade and that my friends, is sad.

If you have tried to accomplish something a million times and it never worked, that means you HAVE to change your tactic because the old one just isn’t working anymore. So many people try to achieve these crazy, unrealistic goals.

Nobody is saying they are impossible, but there is a process to it.

It says in Habakkuk 2:2, “Write down this vision and make it plain on tablets, so that he who reads it can run with it.”

What does this mean? You have a dream or a goal. Write it down, clearly and plainly, because when you read it and understand what you have to do (and why you’re doing it), you can run with it and achieve it.

So set a general goal and then break it down. Start with your general goal and make small achievable goals. Don’t be afraid to get nitty gritty and specific, because it will help you reach those goals. Here is the formula for success, if you’ll just take the time to invest in your goals.

It is important to identify what particular goal you want to accomplish, who you want in your corner to help you achieve it, when you want to attain it by, where you want to execute the specifics of the goal, why you want to fulfill this goal in the first place, and most importantly, how you will carry this goal to completion.

Here are some general examples of the formula in action. It is so important to be extremely specific when you have a specific goal in mind. This is just a broad example.

FORMULA FOR SUCCESS EXAMPLES

GOAL: Save Money (time-sensitive)
WHAT: To pay off a specific debt, save for a house, save for a baby arrival, etc.
WHO: My husband and I
WHEN: (time frame to complete goal) End of 2020
WHERE: My workplace, his workplace
WHY: So that we can continue moving forward with life without any financial burdens
HOW: (get specific)
-make extra cash online or in-store using Ibotta and Rakuten to set aside
-set aside 20% of income aside monthly for saving purposes (debt payoff, savings account, etc)
-get ahead of bill 3 months in advance
-start a part time job where I make X amount
-invest in starting my own business
-pay off all debt (using Dave Ramsey’s debt snowball method)
+etc.

GOAL: Lose Weight (not time-sensitive)
WHAT: Get BMI in healthy normal range
WHO: Me
WHEN: However long it takes
WHERE: Planet fitness, my neighborhood, my home, Whole Foods, etc.
WHY: To be healthier and feel better, fit in my clothes better, to be a better mom, etc.
HOW: (get specific)
-Cut out unhealthy things in my diet slowly (Soda, sugar, processed foods, fast foods, etc)
-Introduce new veggies and meals daily
-Look into gyms nearby and get a membership
-Get a personal trainer or a workout buddy that I’m committed to
-Find a new healthy hobby
+etc.

Be as specific as possible*

Some goals are time sensitive while others are not. If a goal is time-sensitive, it may push you to work harder to achieve that goal in a certain time frame. If a goal is not time-sensitive, it may help you to change something more drastically over a longer period of time. It is up to you whether you set a goal date or not.

These are just general examples. It is important to set general goals with extremely detailed ways to execute those goals. The more detailed and thorough your

2. Invest

No, I’m not talking about finances. I’m talking about resources. And your most valuable resource just happens to be people. 

Invest in others: It would be selfish to keep all the growth to yourself. Whether you are simply hanging with close friends and sharing your heart, mentoring or encouraging the people around you in the workplace or making someone simply feel valuable, it is so important to share what you’re learning, your struggles and your encouragement with others.

Be invested in: It’s also equally important to invite mentors into your life and allow them into the areas which you need to grow the most. In order for your life to head in a specific yet beneficial direction, you are your most valuable resource and you need to let yourself be invested in. 

Find role models, mentors, and people who have done or have become what you aspire to be. Personally, I have a lot of women (some my own age and some much older) that I learn from, ask questions to, receive correction and advice from, and look to as an example in certain areas of my life.

Along the lines of people being resources, there are also useful products that are a great investment for your personal growth. Podcasts, books, courses or even YouTube videos can be such a valuable tool to reach your goals and accelerate your personal development.

3. Let yourself heal

Life is full of up’s and down’s, we all know that. But a huge part of making the best of your year is healing from the past ones.

We get let down, we mess up, people hurt us, things don’t go the way we planned, things fail. But, here is the key. If you can remember this, life will become much less overwhelming.

Life is 10% what happens, and 90% how you react and respond to it.

If we go into every situation with the mindset of responding in a healthy and positive way, what can hold you back? People just don’t understand the power behind this.

Many of us have been hurt or disappoint by our own selves or others in the past, but it’s time to choose a new response to set the course for your future.

You can choose to forgive (whether they even ask for forgiveness or not), to love, to be kind, to be optimistic, to constantly see the bright side of things.

Life is short, why waste it on hating others or even yourself? Overcome the past, overcome your fears, overcome all the hurdles. Your life is determined by how you respond to it. If you can work on that, slowly but surely, you will see your life transform.

4. Take risks

Many of us have a problem with fear. A fear of how others may perceive us or even ourselves. The list of fears are endless. But, it becomes an issue when fear hinders us from making decisions that are healthy or beneficial to our lives.

One thing I’ve learned in life boldness. It’s important to know what you believe in, your core values and what you stand for. To go outside your comfort zone because that is one of the places you will grow the most.

You never know unless you try. Obviously, there are positive and negative risks, but you have to think about how it will affect you in the long run.

You would laugh if you only knew how long it took me to create this blog based solely on the fear of it failing. But now I go to bed knowing, I tried, I invested in myself, I was bold and took a risk. Whether it soars or sinks, I personally achieved something huge in my book.

Will you make the best of your year in 2020?

I was always one of those people who had a New Years Resolution list of over 300 goals that I never achieved. I had to take the time to think about what goals were truly important and achievable in the year long time span. After I learned that I needed to just be more specific and take the time to tend to each goal, I accomplished more than I thought was possible in an even shorter amount of time.

It’s up to you to make the best of your year. You are only one standing in your way of success. Give yourself some grace to make mistakes, be bold and take risks, and invest in yourself and others. Anything is possible!

Some may say 2021 is just another year, I say 2021 is your year!

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