Making 2024 Your Best Year Yet
And just like that, another year has come to pass. Another year full of memories, changes, and moments of growth. I am sure all of us have had some memorable highlights in the past year but maybe also some things which we weren't quite able to complete or fully finish through.
The new year is a chance to work on exactly those things which still await us, and we still want to achieve, all while aiming for new heights, new personal goals, and continuing our journey of personal exploration and development.
Happy new year, everyone! 😊
THE PROCESS OF GOAL SETTING
Reflect on the past year: By looking back on the year that has passed, you allow yourself to evaluate your personal journey in terms of how you have changed as a person, in what ways you have grown or improved, and in what ways you still want to change and improve.
Identify the areas you want to mprove in: Based on the previous step, you can now start thinking about what specific changes you would like to make. How could you be happier? More satisfied? More fulfilled? What is missing from your current life? How can you be of more service to other people? How can you add more meaning to your life?
Identify your why: For each of the changes that you want to make, you want to identify why you want to make those changes in the first place. Why do they matter to you? Why do you want to pursue them in the first place? By establishing your interests and why behind these changes, they can act as a source of motivation to keep powering you through.
Establish categories: Next, try your best to categorize each of these changes under an appropriate category, which will make later on the setting of goals much easier and provides a more compartmentalized way to see and organize your goals.
Set SMART goals: This is the step where you translate the changes that you want to make for the next year into proper goals. Based on the SMART outline, each goal has to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Make sure that each goal is defined specifically enough, that you can measure your progress, that you can achieve it in the timeframe that you set to achieve it, and that it is relevant to your own aspirations and wishes.
Break down larger goals into smaller ones: You may find that some of your goals are larger and more complex/demanding than others, which is why it is useful to break down those larger goals into smaller sub-goals or steps that are easier to achieve. In this way, achieving the larger goals seems much more achievable.
Keep the goals in a visible place: After having written down your goals, it is best to print them out or display them in a visible place so that they will serve as a reminder for the promises you have made to yourself and the new person that you want to become.
Accountability: Before the new year starts rolling around, you also want to consider how you will stay accountable with your goals, whether that be by setting consistent reminders, taking on common goals with a friend, or joining an online group of people with whom you regularly check in.
One goal at a time: We can often find that we have many changes and goals that we want to make; however, it is most realistic to tackle each goal one by one or one category of goals at a time.
Set a reward: Once you achieve or complete a given goal of yours, give yourself some sort of reward since it is beneficial to celebrate each small win in life. By rewarding yourself, you are also in a way acknowledging that you are capable of achieving the goals you set out to achieve, which boosts your self-esteem and can act as further motivation.
24 QUESTIONS TO POWER YOUR 2024
What are the 3-5 new habits you aim to establish this year, and how do you plan to incorporate them into your lifestyle?
Which habits and routines do you intend to bring into the new year?
What habits do you hope to let go of in the coming year?
What are the five primary goals you want to set for your professional/work life?
What are the five main goals you want to establish for your personal life?
How will you stay motivated and accountable to ensure you follow through on your goals?
How do you plan to manage and overcome potential setbacks in the upcoming year?
Which relationships do you aim to strengthen, and are there any you wish to end this year?
How can you increase activities that energize you and decrease those that drain your energy?
What new skills or knowledge do you aspire to acquire?
Which books are on your reading list for the year?
Are there specific places you want to visit or travel to in the upcoming year?
How will you prioritize self-care in the following year?
What steps will you take to minimize time-wasting activities?
How can you optimize your work and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your time usage?
What strategies will you employ to ensure you have fun throughout the year?
What mindsets do you want to embrace in 2023, and which ones do you want to leave behind?
In what ways do you hope to grow as an individual, and what aspects of your current self do you want to improve?
Envision where you see yourself at the end of the year: What activities are you engaged in, what have you achieved, who are the significant people in your life, and where are you on your personal journey? What challenges have you overcome?
How do you aspire to feel by the end of 2024?
What kind of person do you aim to become by the end of 2024, and how do you wish to experience life?
What excites you or what are you looking forward to in 2024?
If you had to sum up your ideal 2024 in three words, what would they be?
What do you want to remember the year 2024 for?
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
With this, I want to wish anyone reading this fore mostly a happy new year. I want the best for each one of you, for you to truly start living authentically for yourselves, to start placing yourself first and to go after all of those amazing things you want to achieve. You are not alone and you got this. Do this for you because you deserve it and you are worth it.
Thank you for everyone who read my work this year, it genuinely means a lot to me. I will try my best to continue doing so in the new year.
See you all in 2024 😊
