2021 Goal Setting & Vision
Goal setting is a phrase that would typically make me cringe when I would hear it in the past. If you’re anything like me, you’ve written the goals with the blue ink on paper, you’ve made the vision boards and you’ve even written out affirmations at the beginning of each new year. I’ve been participating in a lot of coaching and mentorship programs and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that habits are what drive us towards our goals. Without daily, weekly and even monthly habits, our goals and vision boards start to collect dust. Habits move to goal steps. Goal steps move to goals. Goals move to transformation which leads to vision. I made the shift this year from just goal setting and making vision boards, to identifying habits that will push me towards those goals. Let me tell you, my life has been changed!! Implementing the daily habits is key. The goal setting is your destination, but the habits are your transportation.
Here’s my step by step process as to how I’m writing goals, making a vision board and applying daily habits to have a flourishing 2021.
Get your mind & Space right- It’s taken me so long to write out my goals and make a vision board because quite frankly, my mind was not ready to set an intention for 2021. I had been so beaten down from not hitting my goals in the past, I was dreading doing it rather than being excited and motivated to once again put that pen to paper. Finally after getting out of that funk I made myself my brain drink that helps me focus, puts me in a better mood and gives me clarity, and I got to writing. When I made my vision board, I poured myself a glass of wine, I was listening to a podcast and I had already written out my goals. The fun part is putting those images on paper and creating the visualization of what you want!
Grab a journal- I prefer a college ruled journal with margins and plenty of space to write. My journal has a task list on the side which I love for day to day use and for marking things off my list. I also like a lot of writing space to journal or jot things down that come to my mind throughout the day. I don’t personally like the journals that have too much going on because I do feel it can get a bit distracting and keep me from the daily habits I need to practice in order to reach my goals.
Put it on paper
Review your goals throughout the week.
Determine your top 5 strengths- If you’ve taken Strengths Finder 2.0 and you know your strengths, write them down at the top of your paper prior to anything else. If you haven’t taken the assessment, you can take it here. Strengths Finder 2.0 identifies your strengths in the workplace. Whether it be a traditional job, your own business/company or how you function with others on a day to day basis, it pinpoints what things you excel at when it comes to processing new information, relating to others and execution. My top strength is strategic thinking for example. This will help you sort through what you need to focus on verses trying to strengthen your weaknesses which will only hold you back.
Determine top 5 values- You can see how to determine your values by visiting my business page here. Determining your values is a must when setting goals. If you don’t know what you value, you will spend time doing any and every other thing except for the daily habits needed to reach your goals. Your values will help shape your purpose and vision. They will help you align and empower you. There are different types of values you can use as guardrails for your life, but for goal setting purposes, I chose to only include my core values. These values make up what you truly believe in. If it is impossible to stand by when these are violated, this is a core value. Establishing values keeps you focused on not only your goals, but also your mission. More importantly, it helps you identify your purpose. My top five values are:
Personal Responsibility
Love
Respect
Spirituality
Understanding
Identify Your Purpose- Your purpose needs to be written in present tense. It should include your values or be a brief summarization of your values in a few sentences. Write out your purpose statement with two keywords. The first word should end with “ing” (ex: teaching) representing the idea of ongoing or never ending. The second word is your focus, subject, or object (ex: women). Ask yourself “How can I live my purpose in this situation or this context?”. Then ask yourself “How do I align my life with my purpose?”. This will change over time and you will constantly be reconstructing your purpose as you go through different seasons in your life.
Write out your vision statement- This can either be the big picture or it can be within the next few years. My vision statement takes me to the end of 2022. Again, you want to use words that are the present tense as if your goals are already achieved. For example, “I am 30 and I own a successful six figure business. I wake up everyday and I am teaching and get to serve other women who want more financial freedom and time freedom in their lives. I am the healthiest, happiest version of myself.”
Write top 5 goals for the year- The goals can be personal goals, fitness goals, business goals, family goals. But only stick to 5. Example: Lose 5 pounds by March 1st, hit 5k subscribers by December 2021 etc. You can use the SMART goal method to help you with the specificity of each goal you want to achieve. After each goal, write a goal statement in present tense. Make it clear with exact figures and dates. Example: It is March 1st and I have lost 5 pounds.
Habits- After each statement, write out daily, weekly, monthly habits you will need to do in order for those goals to happen. Example: I do cardio 3 times a week. I lift 3 times a week. I plan my meals on Sunday before the week. Habits do not represent everything you do. They represent everything you must do to accomplish your goals and vision.
Get a calendar- plug the habits into your calendar then set up reminders in your phone so you see them when the task needs to be complete. If you don’t already practice one of your habits, it needs to go on the calendar to become a habit. For the weight loss example, I would mark in the calendar the days I go to the gym and block out the time. You can also download digital calendars if you don’t like paper calendars. I’ve been using my google calendar in addition to trello . Trello has really helped me nail down tasks on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. If you’re someone who works with a team of people, you build a business via social media, or if you handle marketing at your job, trello is a godsend when it comes to organization and collaboration.
Additional Tips- In the margins of your notebook write out words, figures and dates that will stick out to you on your vision board. For example my words for 2021 are “clarity, margin, rest, volume, make the ask”. I write them in the margins so they stick out to me when I’m reviewing my goals at the end of each week.
Identify leadership characteristics- You will need to apply leadership characteristics to keep you focused on your goals. If anything, these characteristics help with leading yourself and holding yourself accountable so that you stay on track and implement the emotional and mental work it takes to reach your destination.
Choose one or multiple of the following leadership characteristics:
faith, hope, temperance, love, wisdom, justice, courage
It doesn’t need to be all of them, but choose the ones you need the most to help you reach your 2021-2022 goals.
Vision Board-Transfer your statement words onto your vision board if you want to make one along with pictures and images that match your goals and vision for the year. I learned from L’areal Lipkins that your vision boards must be 80% pictures, 20% words. They should be placed where you can see them everyday and they should be on small paper(14x22'“) instead of large paper so you can narrow down what you really want/need to focus on. Break the board into quarters so you know exactly what needs to be done every 90 days to set yourself up for a win. This is why setting the goals first helps you when it comes to knowing what to put on your vision board. Download some pics from Pinterest and print them in color. Grab yourself your favorite beverage and have fun with it!
Where there is no vision, the people will perish
My 2021-2022 Vision Board
Post your vision boards and written goals on Instagram or Facebook when you’re done and tag me on social media! I’d love to support you on your journey to reaching your goals and seeing your visions come to fruition! Here’s to 2021! Here’s to getting everything we said we would!