Have you ever thought ya know, I need a place to write down my goals so that I can look at them on a regular basis. Something I won’t just set aside and forgot about as the year goes by?
I know I have.
Year after year I’d write them into my journal and let several months go by before I look at them again.
Or I’d stick the goal on a sticky note on my wall .. with out assessing the action I needed to take to accomplish the goal.
So I made the conscious decision at the end of 2020 to purchase a planner specifically for my goals. The planner I purchased is called “Cultivate what Matters” – link here to check it out (no, it’s not sponsored – wish it was haha cus I love it so much).
I chose to use this planner because I knew the next 18 months of my life were going to be pivotal. I have quite a few large goals that I am working through and want to be intentional with reviewing them and the progress I am making towards them each week.
One of the things that I love most about this planner is that it requires some pre-work and takes you through some “Life coaching” exercises that I’ve only learned through my life coaching certification. These exercises force you to sit down with yourself and analyze your life as a whole. It helps you to get intentional about putting your time and energy into the things that matter most in your life.
After doing the “soul work” you are then able to dive in and plan out your goals; starting with the goal itself and the action it will take for you to get there. We will talk about goal setting in another post but for now, I want to focus on the tips that will help you have a better life so that you can actually follow through with your goals and ensure they are aligned with what matters most to you.
I’ve learned firsthand from my own experience, that the goals are great but if you don’t have other areas in your life functioning optimally it will be hard for you to execute on your goals and do the things you set out to do.
Without doing the things laid out in the post, you will be sitting here on 12/31 thinking to yourself, what went wrong? Why didn’t I complete XYZ?
How to Have a Better Life so you can accomplish your goals
“Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex”. Norman Vincent Peale
If you want a better life, you need to work on adjusting your habits.
I’ve found through much trial and error that I tend to follow through things more when I am on top of the things laid out in this post.
Remember, when we first develop a habit it’s not going to come naturally we are going to have to work at it but the more we do it the less work we have to put into forming the habit, and eventually, it will become second nature. It is going to require motivation, discipline, commitment, and willingness to keep trying and going if you falter. In time, if we stick to it, it will become second nature.
So let us dive into these habits:
- Journaling: Journaling allows us to express ourselves and to quiet the noise and hear our own voice. My sister found journaling to be therapeutic after the loss of my niece. It is a form of therapy; it can get us through dark days and is a way to figure out root cause issues in our lives. Through journaling, we can express our pain, self-reflect, record our memories, and find inspiration.
- Annual Life Reviews and Goals – It’s so important that you have goals and take a look at your life on an annual or quarterly basis. In doing so, you can praise the accomplishments you’ve made, assess what is working and what’s not, etc. It doesn’t have to be the first of the year it can be anytime but it is important you are at least being intentional and keeping track of them. I always say a business cannot thrive without its plan + an assessment of its performance, a building can’t be built without a blueprint + an audit to ensure all is stable. The same applies to our lives.
- Sleep – Sleep is the time for our bodies to restore and rejuvenate. This is an area in my life that I struggled with previously but I have taken steps in the last 12 months to improve the quality of my sleep. If you struggle with losing weight this could very well be one of the culprits as I had learned. To read more about sleep check out an article by a future guest to this blog: https://pursuittoself.com/how-to-sleep-better-naturally/ She provides so much great insight and information on getting quality sleep.
- Nutrition – you are what you eat – this is one of the most powerful quotes I have heard on the topic. I am up and down with my eating habits but I can tell you when I eat well I feel like a million bucks – when I eat horribly I feel like I’m in debt. There is a plan that I swear by that has helped me and other individuals. Click here to learn more.
- Exercise – Move your body, Move your body – we are the laziest generation known to man, we sit on our butts most of the day scrolling our phones, watching tv, working at a computer, etc we do not get the exercise we need. According to https://medlineplus.gov/howmuchexercisedoineed.html Adults should do 150 minutes of cardio exercise each week and strength training twice a week. I work a desk job so I actually aim to do more exercise each week and have developed a love for running to ensure I am getting in the minimum exercise requirements for my body (plus getting outdoors – read more about running if this is an exercise you’d like to dive into)
- Weekly Planning – Time management is so important for one’s quality of life. I will be talking so much more about this in a future post so be sure to check for it by subscribing to the newsletter. (I can nerd out on this topic all day because it is what has helped me achieve so much). But simply put: Time management and a good productivity system allows you to have a better sense of direction for your life, frees up the brain from working so hard, and provides you with a greater sense of accomplishment and confidence as you cross the things off your to-do list.
- Financial Planning – So, let’s face it without money where we going? It’s important to be organized with your money, know where every dollar is going, etc. A system that I have used and loved is Dave Ramsey’s financial peace university (not sponsored). I think Dave Ramsey is a great starting point for anyone who is new to budgeting and or investing. He provides practical + relatable tips for the newbie.
- Relationships – At the end of the day, it is the relationships in our lives that matter. Important relationships include Your family (we can’t pick them but need to understand that we weren’t born into the family on accident) + Your friendships; choose friends that are in alignment with your values and your beliefs. Nurture the people you but learn to have boundaries and remember there is the saying that you are the average of the 5 people you are around. So choose and spend time investing in your relationships wisely. This too requires a whole separate blog post haha (multiple at that).
- Personal Growth – Never stop learning. Another quote that love and appreciate and find to be true day after the day reads “The more you know, the more you realize you do not know”. Going back to school, buy some books, sign up for some courses, hire a coach.
- Spirituality – Ahhh, spirituality – this will complete you in ways one cannot even begin to imagine. For so long, I was constantly task + results-driven. But, as of late I have learned the importance of tapping into my spirituality. It can look different for us all: Christianity, Muslim, Jewish, Kemetic Practices, Buddhism, etc. Wherever you are, whatever your faith tap into it and ensure you are incorporating your spiritual practice into your daily life. It will provide purpose, help you find your purpose and give you the stamina to carry through with your life goals.
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