Goodbye and Welcome: New Years
The Holidays are officially in full swing! As we look forward to the the new year there is so much to look forward to! Now is the time to reflect on our year and to focus on what we want out of the next one. It's a time to begin again. How do you prepare for the ending of one year and the beginning of another?
By Olivia Samples
Saying goodbye
Give the last year five more minutes of your thought before the new year. Let’s honor all that has happened to you this year. The joys and the struggles. Try reflecting on these questions:
What were the 5 most life changing things that happened to you this year?
What did you overcome?
What did you succeed in?
What projects/people/problems are you bringing into 2018?
Are you on track for whatever it is that you strive for?
There are so many more questions that you can ask yourself, but those are a good start. If you want to continue reflecting here is a great list of questions. Taking a moment to think about year is a great start to helping you decide what you want to get out of the next one.
Saying Hello
Now it’s time to think about the future! It’s so full of possibility. You can do anything next year! Putting your goals on paper can really help you to think about all the good that the year can bring. What do you want out of your life? What steps can you take to get there? Get comfortable with a cup of tea, a candle, music, or whatever makes you feel cozy and keep reading!
It’s easier to break our goals into categories so we can dig deep into each area. And don’t be afraid to dream BIG! Try thinking about your life in these areas:
Personal growth
Travel
Career
Relationships (family, friends, kids, partner)
Finances
Health and fitness
Spirituality
Education
Smart goals
What does SMART stand for? Here is an example to help!
-To learn how to ride a bike, I will practice with my training wheels off (with the help of my mom) for 30 minutes a day, every day on our street for two weeks.
Specific – Your goal should include the 5 w’s (who, what, why, where, when)
Who: Me and my Mom
What: I will practice riding my bike
Why: So that I can achieve my BIG goal of riding a bike without training wheels
Where: On our street
When: For 30 minutes everyday, for two weeks
Measurable – Measure your success in a way that makes sense to you
I can measure this goal by riding my bike everyday for 30 minutes for two weeks and with my mom holding me accountable.
Achievable – Think about what tools do you need and if it is something you can prioritize
I already asked my mom if she would be willing to help me with this goal. I have my bike and the training wheels. I have a helmet for my bike. I can definitely make time for this because I want to ride my bike without training wheels.
Relevant – The goal should be relevant to BIG goals and dreams
Riding my bike without training wheels is the big goal; practicing is a good step to achieve that goal.
Timely – How long will it take to achieve this? Can you break it into more manageable pieces?
My BIG goal would be: I want to ride my bike without training wheels in one month. So by making a goal about practicing I already broke that goal into more manageable parts
-Write 5 goals for the new year that are achievable. We all make those gym goals, and how many of us end up with unused memberships? Be gentle with yourself when making goals. Maybe you can’t commit to going to the gym everyday for three months, but you can commit to walking on your lunch break for a week. Celebrate your successes no matter how great or small. You can even build celebrations into your goals.
-Plan how you can achieve your goals, tell a friend and ask them to keep you on track or to join in! Put the goals in your planner or calendar, set reminders for things you promised yourself you would do. Make time for yourself, it can only help.
-Revisit the goals you’ve made in a few months, put it on your calendar. If you don’t achieve your goals think about what barriers you faced. How can you avoid them in the future? Is this a goal that you truly want or have things changed? Give yourself space to grow out of these goals, you make the rules!
Vision Boards
Now that you have created some goals to help guide your new year, we can create a visual representation of what that might look like.
If you aren’t a creative person, even you can give this a try. If you don’t want to make a whole vision board just put goals on paper. You can even do it with your favorite pen or on craft paper.
A vision board is a way to bring your goals to life. It can look however you want because there are no rules! You can use whatever tools you feel comfortable with or maybe try something new. Do this with friends or alone, just take some time to design you goals. You can make it look however you’d like. One popular way is to cut words and images out of magazines and glue them together to form a picture.
Some tools:
Mat board will allow you to paint and glue and glitter all you want without buckling
A corkboard is a great medium to pin or glue things on and allows for easy changes
Any kind of paper: computer paper, construction paper, watercolor paper, even paint chips.
Old magazines
Any paint will for the background or detailed images
Mod Podge or Elmers glue mixed with water or glue sticks will be great for gluing on cut words and images
Some ideas for your vision board:
Inspirational quotes
Words that stick out to you
Pictures of your family, yourself or home
Pictures of places you want to go or that you wish your space looked like
People who inspire you
Tickets, invitations, cards that lift you up
Leaving blank space for more later or making it full of ideas
Swatches of color that you love
Pictures of cars or material things you want
Section it like a pie, a grid or with no sections at all
Lastly, put your vision board somewhere you will see it. My vision board is on my desk at home with a piece of glass over it so I can always look at it. Maybe you want to hang it or set it as your screen saver. Keep reminding yourself of your goals and you can achieve them!
Cheers to 2018!