Taking time to reflect on your values, vision and goals for the new year can help you prioritize the year ahead. With the new year charging in at full speed it can be a bit intimidating to reflect on the year prior. But doing so can aid us in allowing us the foresight to prioritize how we spend our most valuable resource, our time.
VALUES
Our values are the things that bring meaning to living. While they vary greatly from person to person, they are deeply specific to each of us, and inevitably overlap with other people. Common values can include family, work, wealth, spirituality, success, leisure, and autonomy. Concepts of love, kindness, responsibility, and creativity fuel how we show up in the world.
Identifying for yourself what is important to you, will help you to prioritize it in the year ahead. It will also help you focus on which aspects of that value are specifically important to you. Gathering this information sets a foundation for how you can incorporate meaningful things into your year ahead. Perhaps you value family and prefer prioritizing activities which cultivate the parts of family that have meaning, such as meals or games. Perhaps leisure is important, so looking for ways to dedicate time to rest in ways that rejuvenate you may be helpful.
When you know what you want it’s easier to recognize what you don’t. Staying focused on how we experience meaning provides opportunities to replicate those experiences with intention. Showing up as our best selves is a common human value we can all participate in.
VISION
Motivational speakers capture our internal desire to be better, fortify it with courage, and then it’s up to us! We really are our own best expert. You have the capacity to know better than anyone else what soothes you and makes you feel confident. You are able to know what your greatest passions have always been, the things you gravitate towards with ease, or perhaps passion.
When you consider where you’d like to be next year, what comes to mind? What about by midway through? Consider what will be helpful, encouraging, supportive and motivating while you’re working towards that vision. Consider quotes, mantras, and inspirational words; or pictures, gifs, scenery and images that capture how you want to feel, look and be.
Envision yourself in a year, take a moment to look within, and then take those internalized desires and demonstrate them. Let them pour out and show up so that you can see them clearly laid out in front of you. Vision boards can help to remind and motivate you. When your visions appear and are realized, there can also be wonderful opportunities for gratitude. Focusing on where we want to see ourselves can positively reinforce our desire to show up as such.
Using a guide to help set our goals is one thing we can do to set ourselves up for success. SMART goals are designed for just that!
GOALS
– Specific.
Getting specific can help us find tune our desires. Knowing exactly what you desire to accomplish can also help you know when it’s been achieved. Even the process of focusing on what specifically you’d like to work on can help fine-tune your concept of what you are seeking.
– Measurable.
Quantifying our progress can be done in many ways. From checkboxes to logs, being able to track progress over time will give us information about our habits. Consistently using the same metric is important. And equally so finding a measuring system that fits. Remember habits take time to build and perfection is not the goal!
– Attainable.
High standards are wonderful things! They keep us reaching for bigger and better. And achievable successes fuel growth. Having attainable goals is important so that we can experience success and allow that to propel us forward. If we feel like we’re trying and not succeeding it can collapse morale.
– Realistic.
It is pleasing when our internal expectation and external reality are in congruence. And just the same we should set ourselves up for success by electing to participate in endeavors which are based on the real world. This includes accounting for the pathway from idea to fruition grounded in realistic considerations for factors that impact your decision. This may include practical considerations and finite resources.
– Timely.
Being able to see progress over time can help keep you accountable and motivate you to keep going. Beginning with a reasonable amount of time, such as just long enough to be successful, is a great place to start. Reaching too far out and away from now can cause goals to sink into the background of competing interests. Breaking larger tasks into smaller ones, and setting aside specific time with deadlines can reinforce timeliness. Keeping goals manageable with timeliness also permits reorienting to updated trajectories as your course continues.
Don’t be afraid to hit your goal! It will give you a chance to do it again and that will validate your efforts. Surround yourself with cheerleaders. Those we choose to show up amongst, build relationships with and demonstrate authenticity are great resources for reflecting back validation, love and encouragement. We are in this journey together and we are certainly here to help. If you live in or neighboring rural communities of Valley Center, Ramona, Campo, Alpine or Julian contact (760) 788-9725 or contact us on Instagram/Facebook at: @vistahillsmartcare to get connected with a Behavioral Health team member at Vista Hill SmartCare.
Wishing you peace and prosperity in the New Year!
Vista Hill SmartCare