Setting goals for 2023

Setting Goals for 2023

Why start on January the 1st ... Start now 

Most people like to start prepping for the year and plan/make goals on January the 1st but approximately 80% of New Year's resolutions fail within the first few weeks. 

If you haven't already guessed by now I am so passionate about health, well-being, and personal development. I absolutely love creating goals and visions and smashing/completing them, so it's no wonder why I am writing this next post on setting goals as we go, from 2022 to 2023. 

There are many ways you can set goals and plans and how you can hold yourself accountable so I am going to dive write in and go through my morning routine which helps me to reach my goals and plans and how you can set your own. 

1. My vision board

So one of the most important parts of my morning routine is looking at my vision board which I am slightly changing for 2023 as most of my goals/plans change, so will my board. This can be photos/magazine cutouts, words, or anything that you can put together on a page. You can use a word doc, canva templates or you can use good old pen and paper and cutouts. The point of the vision board is to put photos, words/phrases of things you want to attract into your life. For example, if one of your main goals in 2023 is to lose weight/get more definition then you would put a photo of a lean body. (however please be mindful and do not use it to compare yourself, but rather a goal you want to work towards). You can put as many photos or words etc as you like the board is yours as you choose. It's so useful to imagine what you want your future to look like and build from there. The great thing about this is you can look at it every day whether it's digital so you can look at it on your laptop or phone or physically in your book or on a board every day. You are constantly reminded and motivated by your goals. 

2. Affirmations 

The second part of my routine and important thing when it comes to setting goals is to affirm what you want. You can do this through affirmations. You can write them down and read them every day whether that be in the morning or evening before bed, even reading them out loud in front of the mirror if that helps you envision your goal. I've written about affirmations before but these are basically statements you want to affirm with yourself/become but you read them as if you already are. The logic behind this is you become who you believe you are so the more you say/read them the more you take the actions to become that person aka the best version of yourself. You want to create an affirmation that aligns with your goal. So, for example, let's use the same example above to lose weight. You could write something along the lines of; 'I am creating a body that is strong and healthy'. I love writing affirmations, and it's entirely up to you what you write, you can do a lot of research on Pinterest for ideas or google. You can even write yourself a daily affirmation if you wanted one daily rather than a set few to look at each day, depending on how you feel.

3. Journal/brain dump  

So the third thing I do in my morning routine is journal/brain dump on paper. This can be anything literally on my mind but it could also be anything I want to do or plan out to reach my goals. Making smaller goals/plans or even tasks or daily actions to contribute to this goal. It could be something as simple as making a plan to prep my lunch and breakfast the night before, or to put my gym wear out the night before so as soon as I wake up, I can put it on and go. Equally, these things are habits that we can stack on other habits we do to achieve our goals. There are so many journaling prompts you can use as well if you can't think of anything to write, which you can find on google or Pinterest. Sometimes I use writing meditations from the Superhuman app, but it's ultimately up to you. You may decide that journaling isn't for you but it is a tool you can potentially use to get to where you want to be. 

4. Plan my day

Planning your day is also important to reach your goals. It's good to plan your day ahead so then you can actually stick to actions that will get you that step closer. I personally use the planner that I got from my online coach 'Empower daily planner'. You could literally just write it in a notebook, your journal or on your phone if you prefer. My planner has a few things to note down which you can alter how you prefer. One of them is writing down your top priorities for that day, the things you need to get done regardless of anything else. For example, going to the gym or 10k steps which are non-negotiable if your goal is to lose weight. I also have a list of secondary 'todo' lists for the morning, afternoon, and evening. This breaks the priorities down into smaller tasks to complete and gives you time to do these. My planner also gives you space to write out your meals for the day, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and a snack. Also if your goal is to move your body more you can also track what you are doing that day e.g. Weight training, cardio, Yoga, Stretch, Rest day, or other etc. Also, something to write down is a reflection of your day, how did it go? and also any goals for the following day you want to achieve. This can then go into your priorities for the following day. 

5. Read 4 pages of an inspirational book

Something to keep you in line with your goals is dedicating your time to reading a personal development/inspirational book. There are many out there, and believe me, I have read quite a few e.g. The compound effect, The 5am Club, and The Miracle Morning to name a few. Reading just a few pages each morning or evening or whenever you have time can really put you into the right mindset that you want to achieve your goals. It's a little bit of motivation you need sometimes to really get up and take action. You also learn a lot from these books especially as we can't remember everything we read even just taking 1% of what the book is talking about is beneficial for you, put it to good use. 

6. Meditate

I've talked about it before, and you may have heard others too at some point but meditation is so good for you to reach your goals. It might not be for everyone or you may just have not done the right meditation. The ones I use are from the Superhuman app and they are unbelievably the best meditations out there. They are nothing compared to headspace and other apps you find on the play store. They focus on you envisioning your goals/ambitions rather than thinking of nothing. They are upbeat and the music puts you in such a positive mindset. There are literally so many combinations of meditation to dictate how you feel if you are suffering from anxiety or low mood. There are leg-up wall meditations, cleaning, cooking, walking, running, stretching, pilates, seated, errands, and motherhood meditations. Literally all sorts, for every occasion whether you are going through heartbreak, a difficult time, or need some inspiration there are so many meditations on there to fit all. The best thing about it, is they are anything from 1 minute long to 40 minutes long. There is no way you can't meditate as they are suitable for any time length you want. Whether you are in a rush or you have plenty of time. They are quick and easy and put you in the best mood. They can change your mindset in a matter of seconds. It's the power of now. It calms you and puts you in a state of mind where you can do anything you want to do. 

7. Move your body 

Moving your body in the mornings is the most effective in my opinion but whenever you do it, at lunch or in the evening moving your body releases endorphins, which makes you a happier person. A happy person can't be negative, they just can't. Moving your body puts you in such a better headspace compared to sitting down and not doing much. However you move your body, going for a walk or going gym or cardio, etc you are doing your brain a favor and removing brain fog. Brain fog is something we are almost all clouded with but, once we remove it we are a completely different person. We are more motivated and disciplined than ever. We can achieve anything we put our minds to, remember that! 

To finish, surrounding yourself with like-minded people, who are positive, encourage you, and mentor you will ultimately help you 10x more to get to where you want to be. Stop settling to be around people who do not make you feel good. Unfollow those negative accounts on your socials. Get rid of anything that no longer serves you. Don't feel bad about cutting people out of your life that no longer value you and vice versa. Sometimes we have to be selfish to help ourselves and that's perfectly okay. 

P.S you can find my post from 2020 here: How To Set Your Goals And Intentions For The Year

All the best for 2023, 

Love Trace xxx

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