2015 – Your Best Year Yet!

January – it can be a difficult month. Back to work after 2 weeks of sitting on the couch and stuffing your face! It’s not always easy to get back into the swing of things. Hopefully by the time this week is over we will all be back in business and maybe feeling great after taking a class or two!

January is a great time to take stock of where you are and set out what you would like to get out of the coming 12 months. We use goal setting quite often, and while some might scoff at the idea, we’ve found it is amazing what happens when you actually take the time to map out and write down what you want to achieve. It’s important to begin by reflecting on what’s gone right, what’s gone wrong, what you want to repeat and what you don’t want to repeat. After that set just a few goals – make sure they are specific and figure out what you need to do in order to achieve them. Then you’ve got the bones of an action plan, or a roadmap to help you get there! We are going to take this week to get back in the swing of things and then use this weekend as a chance to write up our own goals and plan for 2015. Find our top tips below, try it out and let us know how you get on!

1. Sit down and take stock

Take a little time to sit down and take stock of the last 12 months. What would you like to repeat, what worked out well for you? What don’t you want to repeat? What lessons can you take from the year. Spend a little time on an honest reflection of the last year or so.

2. Write up your wishlist

What would you like to achieve this year. Make your wishlist. See what happens when you write down all you would like to achieve. Don’t worry about how you’re going to get there for now. Pick your top three, or even your top five things you would like to get out of the year.

3. What obstacles do you face to get there?

Now – taking your top list, see what stands in your way of reaching each of the goals or objectives you’ve set for yourself. What do you need to do in order to make them happen? Are tyhere any obstacles standing in your way? It can be your own mindset, education, qualifications or anything that springs to mind.

4. What can you do about them?

Now is the time to get creative? Look at your goals again, and look at the obstacles you have listed. What do you need to do in order to overcome each obstacle and achieve your goal. Write down what needs to be done. Work backwards from your goal and break down each of the steps it would take to get there. This works even better if you can put a timeframe on each of the steps.

5. Make a roadmap

Take the steps you have outlined above, put a timeline on each one and link it up with each of your goals. You should have a list of your top goals, and the steps you need to take to get there along with a timeframe for each step. This is your guideline or your roadmap. Now you know what it takes to start achieving your goals. Make it as simple as possible. Make it measurable and specific.

6. Go for it

This is your year. The only limitations there are the ones you put on yourself. Remember everything is achievable when you break it down into small steps. The one thing you have to do is take action. This means taking the steps you need to reach your goal. Small actions and steps add up over time. It’s much better to do a little each day and keep chipping away then to start with a bang, tire yourself out and stop working on your goals all together.

Let us know how you get on. Here’s to making 2015 your best year yet!