The start of a new year is the perfect time to think about all that you hope to accomplish throughout the year. I like to call this having a clear vision. One of the best ways to follow through with your vision is to participate in goal setting. So, in today’s episode, I’m going to share steps towards achieving your new year goal setting.
With so many possibilities, new year goal setting can be overwhelming. However, my simple three steps allow you to reflect on your previous year, how you want to feel, and the final action of setting goals. I break down each step with examples and provide easy ways to achieve not only the process but also the result of achieving your New Year goals. Happy New Year, everybody!
Now, what does that mean? It means really taking time to think about what you hope to accomplish this year. Maybe there's a career move you're hoping to make, or you want to find flexible work in education, or just generally prioritize your well being. Or maybe you want a more joyful daily life.
Whatever you're dreaming of is possible. But it starts with getting clear on what you want. And sometimes because of these endless possibilities, the idea of goal setting for the new year can feel overwhelming. But it's most important to just start.
It's not like these are set in stone goals that can't change. But they are something that can provide you with guidance as you go through into the new year and work towards your goals. So whether you want to just lead your classroom differently, or land or promotion or leave the classroom all together, yearly goal planning is key.
And it starts with these three steps. The first one is to reflect on the previous year. In my last podcast episode, I shared my reflections on the past year, I encourage you to do the same.
Before you make new plans for the new year, really think about what happened this year. Think back on the highlights and the lowlights of your life. What went well, what was challenging, what did you learn? And all of this can give you information about what's working and not working in your life before you set these goals.
Make sure when you reflect that you also think about where you found the most joy. This is something to lean into recognize and celebrate, it gives you clues. And by thinking about where you found joy, you can start to uncover what about the experience was joyful, and make a plan for creating more joy in your life going forward.
Step two is thinking about how you want to feel in the new year. Do you want to feel relaxed, confident, joyful or impactful? Of course, we can't control how we feel during every moment of the year, but we can work to align our actions and thoughts to the feelings we hope to achieve.
For example, if you want to feel confident in the new year, actions you could take to help you feel this way could include being around people who make you feel confident or reminding yourself of your many skills. To align your thoughts with feeling confident you could write out affirmations to read to yourself or notice when your mind starts to think less confident thoughts, then reframe those thoughts.
And planning for a new year doesn't have to focus only on goal setting. It can and should take into consideration the impact those goals will have on your life, your emotions, and your overall well being.
And then you're ready for step three, which is actually setting those goals. The key to effective goal setting is to make sure the goals are actionable, measurable, and realistic. Set due dates, then use backwards planning to map out how you will accomplish these goals.
If you think you're gonna accomplish a goal in three months, think about what you'll do in the first month, the second month and the third month. You can even break this down into more micro chunks such as weeks or days. Consider what you need to learn or do to make steady progress.
And then in addition to considering what you want to accomplish, think about what's holding you back. Are there any worries or limiting beliefs that come up when you think about your goals? Anything you need to figure out? Consider what might get in the way, and then make a plan for what to do when those obstacles come up.
For example, maybe you want to start an education consulting business and what's holding you back might be you don't really know the steps you need to take to build that business. You could solve this by watching videos about marketing, working with a business coach or taking a course about starting an education business. We have an awesome one called the Grow Your Education Business Accelerate.
And whatever you decide, as you make progress towards your goals, you don't have to go at it alone. One of the best accountability strategies is really being around a community of people who support your goals. Consider who you can lean on to support and inspire you.
And we at Educator Forever are always cheering you on and can't wait to see what you accomplish in the New Year. Happy New Year everybody.
