#conquer

It’s not that the strong have no fear. It’s that the strong attack their fears.

Rex Reginae

So it’s 2018.. HOW IS IT 2018? Wasn’t it just 2015? Anyway, I digress. Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2017 didn’t suck all of the life out of you and you still have something left to give 2018… For me personally, 2017 had some ups and downs, but I think I am looking forward to what 2018 has to offer, because I have figured out little ways to stay on top of the game. 

New year new you right? I want to start the year off by talking about how to set goals for the new year (or in general, if you aren’t really a New Year New Me type of person). Personally, setting goals for the year allows me to stay focused throughout the year and work towards what is important to me. What you must realize is that even though you may have a set of goals you are working towards, life doesn’t always follow the straight and narrow path, so leave room for change and diversions. That being said, here are some tips I use to set my goals - both personally and professionally

Think broadly - Figure out which aspects of your life need improvement - When you are setting goals for the year, you should definitely be thinking broadly in a way that looks at various aspects of your life - your spiritual life, relationships (familial, platonic and romantic), your career, your finances, your health and more specifically your mental health / well being. Take each aspect and think about what you want to achieve. Do you want to save a specific amount of money? Do you want to improve your relationship with your family? your spouse? your girlfriends? Pick 3 - 4 things you want to focus on and figure out how you can set goals to improve those aspects of your life 

Write it down - Be specific! Make sure you are putting down specific goals, that way you are more accountable to yourself when it comes to evaluation. If you just write ‘save more’, at the end of the year, if you have saved 10ghc more than you did last year will you consider that an achievement? Be specific with your goals - ‘Save 70% more than last year’, ‘Savings account should be at xxx,xxx by the end of the year’, ‘Save xxx per month’. When you are writing down your goals think about HOW you are going to achieve them. If you write down ‘Be a positive person’, how are you going to achieve this? Be specific! Think about ‘Practice gratitude everyday - write down one thing I am grateful for each day’, or ‘Do not swear when drivers cut me off on the road’ or ‘Stop complaining about work’. These specific goals are easier to achieve and in the long run will get you closer to where you need to be. 

Measure yourself - Take the time every quarter to evaluate yourself and to see if you are achieving anything. There is no point in writing down goals and tucking them away under the bed for the year. It is important to constantly refer back to your goals to see how you are faring. Hold yourself accountable! Sometimes, you will realise that you may need to adjust some goals, especially those that are too broad and may be difficult to achieve in the short term. Keep a reminder close by to constantly be aware that you have something you need to achieve!

Reflection & Evaluation - You should take the time (usually at the end of the year) to write down what you have achieved (even if they do not directly pertain to your foals) and which goals you were unable to achieve. Now the fun part, you should take a minute to figure out why you were unable to achieve certain goals and what you can do different to achieve them next year. There will be some goals that you probably didn’t touch at all and there will be some that you halfheartedly attempted to conquer. Figure out WHY. 

Some goals to consider for 2018 

• Practice gratitude daily - write down 1 thing you are grateful for everyday 
  
• Drink 3 Litres of water per day
  
• Excersice for at least 20 mins everyday 
  
• Read a book for at least 20 mins everyday 
  
• Check on a friend you don’t speak to often at least once a month
  
• Save at least 50% of your income 
  
• Limit alcohol intake - once / twice a week only 
  
• Take 1 hour per week for self care - face mask, pedicure, paint your nails 

I hope this helps someone, I have been using these tips to set goals for myself in the last 2 years and I think we are making some progress. If you want to chat specifically about somethings you would like to achieve and how, send me an email at [email protected], I am always happy to help! 

Until next time, stay fly!

xx

Sharms