Happy 2015 and New Year Goals

MAKING GOALS

Happy 2015!! What will this year bring? Does anyone else have a little anxiety when it comes to a new year and making goals?  Every January I find myself thinking about the previous year and if I was actually able to reach all the goals I made. I look at the list that I have hidden in a side drawer by the bed and realize I had forgotten several of them.  Not a good start, right?!  Well, this year it's time to make a change and it begins with me! Here are a few things I have learned along the way about making goals and keeping them, but first some encouraging words of advice.

“Objectives and goals should not only be worthwhile but also realistic. They should be an incentive to work effectively. Thus the setting of realistic objectives and achieving them becomes an important part of the great process of eternal progression” (Elder Franklin D. Richards, then an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Conference Report, Oct. 1969, 123). 

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said “set short-term goals that you can reach. Set goals that are well balanced—not too many nor too few, and not too high nor too low.

When we set goals that are unattainable or way to ambitious it not only can discourage us but we are trying to become something we are not.  We will never make it to the end of the year.  I am sure I am not the only one that gets to April and thinks, well I guess there is always next year because I am clearly not gonna make these goals this year.

Last year I decided to do something completely different from my "norm".  I decided to make goals that I could actually attain and kept them close by to help remind me of the goals I made. I was so happy to look at the goals I had made realizing I had actually achieved most of them.  I was so happy and proud of myself.  I found excitement when this new year rolled around rather than disappointment.

Here's a few ideas I have found to be helpful and maybe one will stand out and you'll have a better 2015 and you will attain your goals!

Pick 1 or 2 goals you could put down for each of the following...

1. Financial
2. Spiritual
3. Educational
4. Health
5. Intellectual
6. Personal

I have found this to be very helpful because it hits several areas of your life and it won't overwhelm one area.  Instead of putting 5 goals under one area you only choose 1 or 2 at most that you know you could focus on.

Mosiah 4:17 "It is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength." You never want to over whelm yourself with too many goals.  If you do then you will never remember what they are and you will feel defeated.  

Some people are doing great in certain areas and can put a few more goals down in a more specific area.  In this case choose to attain 5-7 goals total for the year.  When you make less goals it's easier to remember them as well as makes them more of a focus for the year rather than just wishful thinking.

Now for the hardest part of goal making...Actually doing it!  When you make a goal you have to keep in mind the sacrifice it will take to achieve that goal.  Think of the sacrifice and if you are unable to give up or change what is needed to complete the goal then you may want to reword it or change it to be more achievable.  

Example:  Goal - I am going to lose 10 lbs a month.  The sacrifice to reach this goal is eating right, portion control, working out and drinking lots of water.  If that just doesn't seem like something you could do then change your goal.  Try making a goal like - I am going to drink more water and walk 30 min 4 days a week.  This goal brings less stress to you and makes it seem more achievable while still giving an opportunity to lose weight.  You can always modify your goals to fit along the way. Once you achieve the first part maybe you could add portion control, more exercise, and so on.  So many people think getting a gym membership is all you need but in actuality you have to use that gym membership in order to get results.

Remember with every goal comes a sacrifice.  Are you willing to make the sacrifice to achieve the goal at hand?  Try to stay away from "Every day I will" .... because you will find yourself doing great for a week or a month and then falling short.  Do what you know you can do.  Try phrasing it this way "I will" .... 3 days a week, 4 days a week, every Sunday, and so on.  That way if you miss a day you won't be discouraged because you have 6 other days to try!

Don't give up! Sometimes we fall short and that is ok.  A goal is something that we make because we are trying to better ourselves.  We just have to remember that we can do it! Don't feel discouraged if you miss just say to yourself "Dang, I missed but tomorrow I will do better."  It also helps to let someone else know your goals so you feel more of an ownership to the goals you have set.  They can also give encouragement in times of hardship.

The final part of making yearly goals is having your goals in sight.  You want to have them written down somewhere you look often.  Try laminating them and putting them in the shower or posting them by a mirror in your bathroom.  Think of places you look or go often.  Maybe having them in a planner or use them as a book marker in your journal or book you are reading.  The point is to have them written or printed so you can see them often.  I personally have them printed and on the corner of my mirror because I know I will see them everyday.   

Here's to a great 2015! I know that you will be able to achieve every goal you make as long as you really take time in planning and thinking about each one.  Remember pick a goal, recognize the sacrifice, and do it! 

Questions to think about:

Why are goals important?  Why are we encouraged to make them?  What goals could you do as a family?  Can we really achieve the goals we make? 

Family Home Evening ideas:

Give each person a few notecards to write down their goals.  Take a hole punch and put a hole in the top corner and use a binder ring to hold them all together.  Have each person use one notecard to write their name on it and put that at the front as to distinguish who's is who's. Make sure to put it in a place they will see or look often.  

copied from Pinterest via julieballew.com