Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating and the first day back at work is kind to you all. Starting a fresh and feeling renewed is the best thing about the new year and over the past few days, I’ve been planning how I can make 2016 my best year yet.
Whatever your thoughts on new years resolutions we all like to start the year on a positive high, full of passion and aspirations for the future. Personally, I’m not really one for setting resolutions because I find that they’re intimidating, unreachable and setting myself up for failure before I’ve even begun.
Last year I totally spun my annual goal setting on its head and took a more holistic approach to designing a fabulous year and concentrated on getting things back on track after having a baby. My approach to 2015 was to focus on myself, mind, body and soul. In some respects, I accomplished this, but some of my self-care practices and healthy intentions fell to the wayside despite my efforts.
In 2016, there is a lot that I want to achieve and feel that a more traditional proactive approach is necessary for me to accomplish these things. I really want to build on some of last years successes and think that my word for 2016, GROW embodies this perfectly. After using last year to focus on myself, understanding my new normal as a mama and practising actions of kindness has set me up to really attack the new year and I’m very excited!
More often than not, when setting our goals they tend to be centred about what we would like to achieve and actions, rather than how we would like to feel, which is something I would like to channel after reading this awesome article. So as well as my goals I’m also going to set a list of heartfelt intentions to help set 2016 alight for a happy and balanced year.
Goals for a kick-ass 2016
Blogging and Biz
- Increase my income from my freelance work and grow my business
- Launch Project YOU! in early 2016
- Write and launch my first ever e-course
- improve the photography on the blog
- Blog housekeeping
I’m so lucky to be doing what I love and adore the blogging community and the fact that I’m part of it. I want to have a massive push this year and take my blog to the next level. This includes writing an e-course and launching Project YOU! in February, more details coming soon! Of course, like with every business money is the heart of the matter and I’m hoping to extend my freelance work and increase my revenue from my online work and clients.
Personal Life
- Get back to setting monthly goals
- Sort out my finances once and for all
- Find a short and effective workout routine to help me increase my strength and tone up
- Book in monthly ‘me’ time in my diary
- Invest in myself and learn something new with an online course
- Read at least one book a month
- Take a photography course
- Run a half marathon
- Schedule in monthly family day trips/adventures
There is so much that I want to see and do and always feel scared that sometimes I let life just pass me by, hence a keen focus in planning family day trips and investing time in myself to discover something new. Learning is a passion of mine and something that I haven’t really encouraged myself to do since my PhD., taking an on a class is something I’m looking into at the moment.
One thing that I really want to do is find my fitness mojo again. Family discussions over Christmas about running a half marathon has really helped. I didn’t pass the ballot for VLM 2016, but I think a group of us running a half marathon would be so much fun – a fantastic life event to celebrate turning 30 next year, eek!
Getting a DSLR camera for Christmas has been the perfect opportunity to take up a new hobby, photography. I love taking photos anyway, it’s part of my job, but feel that I need some help which is why I’ve enrolled in a photography course at the local college. Another thing that I’ve set as a priority for 2016 is sorting out my finances and I’m going to have a big push at budgeting and saving this year.
Intentions
- Stop rushing, it doesn’t matter how long it takes because I will get there eventually
- Realise that I do enough and I am enough
- Trust my instincts more and stop second guessing
- Pay attention to how things make me feel rather than drifting from one thing to the next
- Be comfortable with who I am today, right this minute
- Remember to be kind to myself and I’m doing the best I can
- Continue to do what I love
- Live for now and let the future take charge of itself – what will be will be!
Self-love and kindness will be a theme that I will be talking a lot about on the blog this year made it a key focus, particularly with how I would like to feel in 2016. Which is something that I’ve generally ignored. Feeling more confident, self-assured in my capabilities is high on my list as well as feeling comforts me and happy with what life has in store for me.
With my return setting monthly goals I’ve had a think about what I would like to achieve in January:
- Add the finishing touches and promote my Project YOU challenge that launches next month
- Complete my house-keeping to-do lists on the blog
- Reduce (not cut out!!) my refined sugar and caffeine intake
- Get back to eating wholesome and nourishing foods to regain some balance
- Budget!
- Do more yoga and meditation
- Finish reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Start my photography course
- Save 10% of my total monthly income
- Finish my tax return
I have a really good feeling about 2016 and cannot wait to see what it has in store for me and my family. There is something magical about starting a new year and I hope you’re all designing a year you will love – make it awesome!
Happy New Year!
I love setting goals and making resolutions as they help to keep me on track. Many of mine are the same as yours – I really want to take my business to the next level this year.
Here is to a great 2016 for us both!
Happy new year! What a year it’s going to be for you with your book launch Dannii! Wishing you every success with it, you deserve it! 🙂
It’s great to set goals for the year ahead as a focus, although I guess if i’m honest, I tend to plan week to week rather than long term!
I’ve never tried planning week to week. How does that approach work for you?
Is it sad that I’m so happy I’m not the only person who hasn’t finished their tax return yet? It’s my first year self-employed (virtual assistant) and even though it’s only a couple of months it’s still freaked me out a little!
Wishing you the very best for 2016 and all your goals! xo
Ha! Not at all, I haven’t even started mine, but have scheduled in some time this week to complete it once and for all. 🙂
I love this- you are setting some pretty amazing goals- I hope you knock them all out of the park! Also, your baby is absolutely adorable!
Thanks Jessy, happy new year!
Great realistic goals. It never bodes well if goals are unattainable because they’re either too lofty or just too difficult. You need milestones and steps to get to big achievements. I don’t really set new years resolutions and I don’t really have any hopes or dreams for 2016 – more that I just hope it’s a good year and I’m happy, however that manifests itself. One goal I DO want to work on though is stop being late! I think that’s something I should really work on…
So true Anna, which is why I just can’t do resolutions anymore. I find them too intimidating and they just put me off. Wishing you a happy and positive 2016!
These are great goals. I particularly love the entire intentions section. It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle that we forget to enjoy the moment and to take care of ourselves. This year I will be focusing a lot on myself by pursuing new things in my career and frequently scheduling myself some down time!
Happy New Year & Good Luck with your goals,
Roxy
Good for you, I think we all forget about ourselves throughout the year and making it a priority in your schedule is a great way to make sure that we get that valuable time with ourselves. Happy new year!
Happy new year! Andy had the target of reading one book a month last year, and I think he managed 13 in the end so pretty good! I read a lot anyway and think I average around 15 per year, but it’s a great target as it is just such a relaxing and interesting way to spend time.
Good luck with the running goal too- a half marathon is a brilliant thing to work towards.
Happy new year! I’m so excited about my reading goal. I’m a massive fan of books, but never seem to find the time for one reason or another, but I’m definitely making an effort this year. Like you say, it’s a lovely relaxing way to escape and discover new things too.
You have such a good mantra about everything, and take such a positive, realistic approach to all aspects of life! I love the idea about not rushing, and I think I need to pinch that one too. I’ve found, in particular over the last 6 months-year I’ve put so much pressure on myself to be this amazing person who can do it all and have found myself so disheartened when I son’t achieve what I believe I deserve. Everything happens for a reason, and if it’s taking you longer to get to where you want to, it means it’s something well worth waiting for!!
Looking forward to reading what you’ve got in store for your blog throughout 2016 🙂
She’s So Lucy
Happy New Year! Like you I’m not one for setting resolutions and I tend to just plod on with life without even having a goal set. 2015 was an amazing year for me personally, I found a balance in my life that I think I’d forgotten, I also managed to pay off a huge debt that had been looking over me for years! So 2016 is a chance for me to continue my balanced life but also really start living more, go out see the world and also what’s around me, continue to create my own happiness which will in turn bring happiness into my daughter’s & partners life,I want to be more fulfilled though and I would love to get into more yoga, I began at the end of the year and I felt more relaxed and my body felt brilliant too, so I recommend the yoga for toning and general upkeep! Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube is fab! Good luck with all your goals and aspirations for this year! (Sorry for the long comment!)
Happy New Year!
I find that I hardly ever read books anymore. I still read, a lot. But mainly articles or blogs. I need to pick up a few more fiction books in 2016. I used to read loads as a child/teenager and it is something I really miss.