I’ve never really been one to make New Years Resolutions as I’m a big believer in refraining from making promises I’m not 100% sure I can keep, even if it’s only to myself. It’s probably not the most optimistic of outlooks but up until now, I believed it was working for me.
After a pretty eventful year including (but not limited to) raising a toddler and a baby, moving to the other side of Australia, reviving my passion for writing fiction and launching this blog, I’ve come to the realisation that there is quite a lot I can accomplish in a year if I put my mind to it. Imagine how much more I could accomplish if I had a plan in place with a set of goals I “hope” to accomplish. What would it feel like to reach those goals and expectations and see visible results from the assignments I set for myself?
My Resolution
So with the New Year ready to poke it’s head around the corner, I’ve decided 1. to start making New Years Resolutions and 2. to share them with you fine people so that in a years time I can come back and tell you how I’ve reached or (chosen to abandon) those goals. I’d like to believe with all certainty that I will have accomplished every goal and then some, but let’s be realistic, with the tasks and trials that come with family life (there’s 7 of us) resulting in chaos, bedlum and mumlife fatigue, I’ll be happy to succeed in 50%.
I see many of you shaking your heads saying “If you aim for 50% you’ll achieve 50%, aim higher”, but if your anything like me, a realist and a bit of a perfectionist, then you’ll understand that if I expect 100% and only achieve 50% then I’ll still feel like a failure and disappointment in myself may force me to give up setting goals in the future, so my motto is “Aim for 100% but expect 50%” that way if I achieve more than 50% I’ll feel successful and proud of myself, forcing me to raise the bar higher for future resolutions.
Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals
My Goals
I decided that I needed two categories for my goals this year, one for my family and one for my personal growth. I figured 5 goals for each was a realistic amount, not wanting to take the fun out of it by putting myself under too much pressure.
So here they are beginning with my goals for what I’d like to achieve in my family life.
Family:
- Develop a weekly routine that is structured yet allows flexibility for spontaneity and fun.
- Work on strengthening family dynamics (blended families can be a challenge).
- Schedule a “Family day” or “Family night” each week.
- Teach kids to set their own goals for the year.
- Structure a better family budget that helps us plan for bills, time off, birthdays, unexpected expenses and saving toward our own home.
Personal:
- Increase blog posts to a minimum of twice per week.
- Open an online shop to increase household funds so that saving for a home will be more achievable.
- Change direction of Mum Life Stories blog to make it more inclusive.
- Finish writing at least one novel.
- Find a balance between work and family life.
As you can see a lot of these goals go hand-in-hand with one another, so success in one can increase my chances of success in another and sure, likewise when it comes to failure, but my aim is to succeed so I will push toward that goal. I have 12 months, which to an organised person would seem like an eternity but to a self-confessed procrastinator like myself it can feel like an overwhelmingly tight schedule.
To give myself a better chance at success I have decided to put one of these goals into action over the coming week. You can read about how I will be implementing Number 3. on my Personal goal list and changing the direction of Mum Life Stories blog in the article ‘New Year, New Direction.
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I look forward to sharing my goal achievements with you all over the coming year and hope I have inspired at least a few of you to set your own goals for what you hope to achieve in your lives and professional endeavors.
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