Marching into 2018 with Goals, Grace & Grit
Congratulations – you survived the 2017 holiday season! We’re all cleaning up from lots of well-deserved celebrating, and now’s the time to recalibrate and hit the reset button.
Let’s talk 2018 goals
We can recommit or establish new habits anytime – but there’s something that feels so appropriate about mapping out our boldest intentions and most thrilling goals at the outset of a new year.
In order to set yourself up for the most efficient path to success, you need to put a few things in place to ensure you’re operating with a healthy, high-performance foundation – inside and out. Here are a few pieces of advice we all can benefit from:
Gratitude & Being Present
As you set goals for the future, and envision how we want the coming year to go, be sure you don’t lose sight of accomplishments you’ve already made, and successes you’ve already achieved. Take a moment and bask in gratitude for the goodness you have right now – especially your health and vitality, and the opportunity to wake up each morning with a new day in front of us.
We often fall into the trap of feeling like we’ll finally “be happy when…?” Goals are important, but it's important not to live in a constant state of anticipation of the future at the expense of the present.
Do you have a future aspiration that is serving as a road-block to your happiness today? Ask yourself where and how this kind of thinking tends to trip you up – and pay attention to that so you can enjoy the present while working towards an even more rewarding future.
Creating Space
Clear out the excess and the clutter. File or just get rid of old papers and receipts. Donate items you’re not really excited about. And if you received holiday gifts you don’t want – give them away before they crowd-out space that should really be reserved for the things that bring you joy.
Create some breathing room.
Remind yourself how important it is to take great care of your body. It is the only one you’ll ever have! We tend to indulge in extra sugar and alcohol throughout the holiday season, so now is a great time to realign with priorities for a healthy body.
- Go grocery shopping and stock up on your favorite healthy foods.
- Make a plan to skip alcohol for a while.
- Clear unhealthy options out of your kitchen so you're not constantly tempted to pick them up.
- Bundle up and go for a walk, or try a new winter activity like snowshoeing or cross-country skiing.
- Schedule a couple of workouts this week and make it extra fun by planning them with friends or family.
Reflect & Envision
Reflect on and celebrate all the achievements you’ve made in 2017. Decide where you want to go even further, and start envisioning your goals in 2018. Make a mental note of what made you feel the best about the past year and what gave you the most happiness and satisfaction. Let that information support the plans and goals you envision.
A fun project I really enjoy to kick-off a new year is creating a vision board! This is a visual collection of images, photos, and words that symbolize, describe or depict the things, feelings, achievements or experiences you want to have in your foreseeable future. Studies show that if we put this in a prominent place where we can see it clearly for even just a few seconds each day – our chances of manifesting our dreams skyrocket.
Whatever your goals are, your Barre & Soul community is here to provide support and encouragement every step of the way. We’re here to cheer you on when you’re killing it – and since we’re all human, we are here to count on when you divert from the path to your goals and end up on an unplanned detour!
See you at the barre in 2018! Its going to be great!
P.S. Want to dream and scheme with me in person? I'll be holding two Dreamers Summits next month: one on February 18 at Barre & Soul, Portsmouth, NH and one on February 25th at Barre & Soul Harvard Sq. in Cambridge, MA. Sign up!
P.P.S. Are you signed up to receive my monthly love notes? You can sign up here, which includes a free 5-day mini-course on my Radical Time Design method for getting stuff done!
Xox,
Andrea Isabelle Lucas
