Happy 2019!

Some people love the New Year and the anticipation of a fresh start. Many like to set resolutions and make goals as they consider the year ahead. Some would rather just continue on and perhaps even chuckle at the idea of starting and sticking with something new.

I hope whether you are a goal setter or not,  you find some inspiration and encouragement from this post.

Goals Work for Me

I do enjoy setting goals because I find them to be a motivator for me. They help me stay on track and keep focused. I realize they might not be that for each and every one of us, but I thought I’d share how I’m approaching my goals this year.

I have taken some time to consider my goals for 2019. There is nothing earth-shattering or heart-stopping about my goals. I have a number of priorities and desires for my life; in order to continue to pursue and cultivate those, I make goals.

A New Approach

I decided this year, though, to take my goals month-by-month. Each month I will write out my goals for that particular month. They are simply smaller pieces of the bigger puzzle.

I’m choosing to do this because I believe it will help me stay more focused. It would be easy for me to set big goals and then not reach them because I didn’t have a good action-plan or I didn’t pace myself correctly over the year. Monthly goals will help me tackle my big goals more efficiently and accurately.

Because each month is different, I can accurately assess how much of my big goal I can accomplish in that particular month. I will be able to consider monthly commitments and activities when choosing how much and how many of my big goals to tackle.

I believe there will be satisfaction in breaking the bigger goals into smaller goals each month. I will see some progress and gains within 30 days or so.

With that satisfaction will come motivation and encouragement to continue on. Sometimes people give up on their goals because they don’t see progress, and they become discouraged. Breaking my goals into monthly goals will result in quicker milestones and more encouragement.

An example

One of my goals for 2019 is to read 24 books. (I realize this number is probably tiny for some of you and maybe a bit big for others. I believe it is just right for me.) In order to reach this goal, I will need to read 2 books a month, but because I am doing monthly goals, I can adjust accordingly. Looking at the monthly calendar might result in my choosing just 1 book for a certain month. I might have a month where I realize that 3 books is quite doable.

Having a plan and looking at it monthly will hopefully result in reaching my end-year goal of 24 books. Breaking the big goal of 24 books down into smaller month goals will keep me focused, satisfied, and encouraged.

I’m looking forward to trying out this month-to-month approach and seeing if it is a good fit for me. Just a few days into the year, and I am already liking how it feels to consider my goals by the month. We’ll see what the next few months bring!

What about you? Do you have goals for 2019? What do you think about setting monthly goals? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas, so drop a comment below!

Until next time,
Charissa


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