New Year Goals: a Template

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

A person writes their new year's goals on a journal

The new year is not here quite yet, which means this is a great time to set your goals. I enjoy arriving at the new year with my goals in place, which gives me focus, margin and hope for the new year. Focus because priorities are great guides for every person. Margin because on the way to reaching my goals I need to breath and truly live the life God’s given me. Hope because I want to be a good steward of the gifts God has given me.
Today I thought I present you with a template for goals. This is the way I’ve been writing my goals for a few years:

Health goals
• List 3 ways you can improve your health.
• It is important to have your doctor on board on this one.


Fitness goals
• I list these because as a runner I can list the things I want to accomplish.


Family/Marriage Goals
•  I list how I can improve my marriage and how our family can bond in the upcoming year.


Business Goals
• I started this category 6 years ago. I list things I want to accomplish with my business (writing, speaking, etc).


Faith Goals
• I list my spiritual discipline goals here. Two years ago my goal was to read the Bible in a year. It’s important to list goals and to work towards them.


Travel Goals
• This is a new category I added after being encouraged by the goals I accomplished this year. I love just to dream and write down the places I’d love to visit.


Last year I had a category called “Other” for the goals that really didn’t fit in any category listed. I was amazed to see that all of those goals were accomplished effortlessly. Write all of your goals down friends, it’s important and efficient.

I remember the years I really didn’t set any lofty goals for myself. The years I was expecting for example, were times when my goal was to give birth to my babies. Thanks to God we went through those years and the months after with grace. I have friends who set goals for themselves but suddenly, their health becomes a priority. I remember that 8 years ago my doctor told me to make my health a priority or my qualify of life would decrease. I worked diligently that year on lowering my blood pressure and that habit stayed with me through the years. Quality of health means quality of life. What I am trying to say is that your health and your peace need to be on top of your priorities for 2017. A healthy, peaceful person can accomplish so much more than the opposite. Maybe 2017 is the year you finally learn how to successfully manage stress. Maybe 2017 is the year you learn how to let go of the spirit of fear and you embrace the power, love and the sound mind available to you. There’s more available to you and I believe it starts with writing down your goals.

I pray this template is helpful. I want to finish by telling you that I know a lot of people choose one word for the year. If you rather do that, more power to you. Regardless of the approach you choose, remember to write it down before the clocks turn on January 31. Let’s arrive in 2017 with our goals in hand and with hope in our hearts. Happy new YOU!