It’s hard to believe that it’s been sixteen days since we’ve crossed over 2019. I can’t believe we’re halfway done with January already. It seems that we were just anticipating 2019 and yet here we are now. Those 15 days just flew by, it might be hard to catch up!
Well…2018, just like any other year, had it’s up and downs, for myself and for many people I personally know. The last quarter of last year had my health in limbo. I was sick for the most part of the last quarter and it really threw me off. It’s nothing serious. I don’t believe so. But it was very challenging for me to get up out of bed and feel inspired and motivated. I tried to put on my best self during the holidays but I honestly couldn’t have done it without the grace of God.
But enough of the sad story. Because I’m here, I’m alive and I’m ready to take on 2019 and I’m still setting goals as of the time of this writing.
If you haven’t set your goals for this year yet, don’t fret. It’s not too late. You can still do it. Don’t let this year go by without setting any. Have you heard of the saying, “If you don’t plan, you plan to fail.” That’s true. I remember the years when I didn’t write down any. They were just all in my mind.
The problem with not setting and writing down your goals is that you will easily get distracted and before you know it, you will have wandered way too far and too long before you realized that you haven’t accomplished anything. Yes, it’s fun to have spontaneity and free-spirited but if you want to be successful, writing down your goals is a MUST.
That being said, how do you set realistic and achievable goals in 2019? And NO, I’m not talking about resolutions. I’m talking about goals. A goal is synonym to an ambition, a purpose, a desired effect. Dictionary.com defines it as the aim or object towards which an endeavour is directed.
Ask yourself a big question: What is it that you want to happen in your life 2019?
Surely, there are some things that you want to change – whether it’s in your career, health, family or relationships. But if you’re doing the same thing over and over again, year after year, without any results. Then it’s time to make some adjustments.
So here’s how you can set realistic and achievable goals in 2019:
- Get a Cultivate What Matters journal/planner.
As I’ve mentioned above, writing down your goals is a MUST. Having it just in mind doesn’t work at all. There’s something about writing and journaling that programs our minds towards success.And why did I specifically say get a Cultivate What Matters planner? See, a lot of people don’t know where to start in setting goals and achieving it. There’s a lot of psychology behind it, our mindset, and our actions towards achieving it. Most of the planners out there are just merely dated sheets of paper. Yes, to an extent, it will keep your mind organized by dates but goal setting has more to it than meets the eye and that’s what I love about Cultivate What Matters planner.It goes deep. It goes beyond just providing a space for you to write down your goals and then just stack them in the shelf.This particular planner allows you to search who you really are. Yes, there is a specific section for that. I particularly love this because I get to discover some things about me, my fears, strengths, insecurities, successes, and failures so that I know how to navigate through life and use those as guide to set goals and action steps.The Cultivate What Matters planner allows you to evaluate major areas of your life in a rating of 1-10 system: Health, Relationships (Spouse/Significant Other), Finances, Work, Spiritual and Personal Growth, Work, Recreation, Friendships and Family. 1 being you’re not satisfied and wants to see a big change and 10 being you’re happy. This helps tremendously because it shows you what areas you need to work on and then focus your goal setting on those areas instead.It also encourages you to write a big picture of your life, reflect on the good things that happened in 2018 as well as the challenges, set your goals on a monthly basis instead of a whole year, and evaluate your progress every month.Let me tell you…this planner is all you need to set your mindset straight for success! But it’s not for the faint of heart. I have to be honest that writing down some of the things that it’s asked me to write down about myself and my life worked me up a bit at first. It was a LOT of writing. But don’t let that scare you. Writing is therapy. And because it’s YOUR planner and your journey, you don’t have to worry about being perfect in your grammar! That should not be your concern. Just focus on everything it’s asking you to write down because it will help you in the long run. There’s too many good things about it to mention everything down here. It’s definitely not your typical boring planner. It’s very colorful and well-laid out. Plus, the goal setting stickers make it even more fun!Want a chance to win a bundle of Cultivate What Matters planner, Goal Setting Book and a zipper pouch as shown below? Tomorrow, head on to my Instagram page to join a giveaway!
- PRAY!I don’t know what your spiritual background is but I am a Christian and always have this scripture verse in my heart: Proverbs 3:6“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”Towards the end of last year, even though prayer and meditation is my regular morning routine, I dedicated some time to just asking God for directions for this year. When your goal setting is in line with God’s will and desire for you, there’s no way that you won’t be able to achieve your goals.
- Set your goals on a quarterly, bi-annual, and long-term goals.In my opinion and personal experience, the reason why most goals never get accomplished is that too often, we set goals that are far out there. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a HUGE dreamer and a risk-taker. But I also learned that dreams without goals and action plans are just that…dreams. Too big of a goal can be overwhelming and are frequently neglected because the action steps are undetermined.It is wise to set short-term goals and long-term goals. The Cultivate What Matters planner above allows you to set both monthly (short-term) and big picture (long-term) goals. An example of a short-term goal in health and fitness: Lose 10 lbs. by such and such date. An example of a long-term goal: Become a CEO of the company I’m currently working for right now.When you have your goals set into such, it’s so much easier to determine your action steps and act on it. You are eliminating the overwhelm and lessening the frustration.
- ACT on your goals.While setting and writing down your goals is a MUST and helps tremendously in keeping your paths straight for success, it is important to act on it as well. It does you no good if you wrote down your goals but didn’t act on it. Again, the Cultivate What Matters planner has spaces for you to write down your action steps so it’s a lot easier to think, determine, and write down your action steps as well for each goal.
- Be laser focused.And if you’re concerned about getting stuck on these goals and not being able to change them – don’t! You’re always entitled to changing your goals. However, don’t be fickle minded too. You can change a goal or two, an action step or two. But don’t be changing your goals every month. If you do, then you’re spreading yourself out and you’re going to end up without achieving anything at the end of the year.Keep your focus. Keep your eye on the prize – your goal. Imagine the feeling of achieving those things that you’ve always wanted to do, or be, or have!
I know that 2019 is going to be a great year for my husband and I, and I certainly desire it for you as well! Hopefully, I was able to inspire you and encourage you to act on your goals!
I’m going to leave you with another inspiration below. It’s an insert that came with the Cultivate What Matters planner.
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