Yeeee! The New Year is Here .But… are you ready????

OK.  The first 1/2 of January is over and by now we are sure to be slacking off all the great resolutions that we made only 20 days ago.  Yaah, I know as well as you do who you are!  Enough excuses about lack of time and feeling down and taking care of the kids.  Wake up and smell the coffee (hopefully one from Starbucks. . .. trust me , you will need it!).  You have 20 days less to complete all the goals that you set for yourself at the beginning of the year.

To make your task easier (since I am so totally awesome!)  I will share a great article that I recently read on goal setting.The article was written by Kate Larsen in the Experience Life magazine, Feb. 2012.

To make it manageable and not overwhelming, I have decided to discuss each of the 4 steps of goal setting on separate days.  Also, where possible, I will  present the ideas in a point form so that it is easier to skim through the article at a future date if you so desire (please desire!!)

OK.  So, as mentioned, there are 4 basic steps on how to achieve the resolutions that you have set for yourself.

The first step is to Think

• In this stage, you build a strong foundation for your goal – reflect on the changes you want to make and how you to propose to do that.
• Have your personal interest at hand while setting your goal – as in, you want to save $$ because YOU want to not because your spouse wants you to.
• Choose a goal that “lights” you up (please, I did not mean  “on fire”).  The goal that you pick for yourself should be energizing and challenging and at the same time not impossible to attain.
• The best goals are those that meet your intrinsic need for autonomy, competence and connectedness.  These goals will make you so much happier when you achieve them.
• Create positive goals such as I want to achieve 100 views of my blog a day (hint hint ! start spreading the word along people!!!) not . . .I will jump off a cliff if I do  not increase my web traffic!  Fear is a poor motivator. positive goals are more compelling.

According to the author, before you set your goals for 2012, ask yourself the following questions (experience Life, Feb. 2012 – Kate Larsen)

• What is my goal
• What do I want to change about what I am doing to achieve my goal
• How will my life be better when I achieve this goal
• What makes this the right time to change
• How do I feel about making these changes – your fears  and hopes
• How will I know when I have accomplished my goal
• What will my life be like when I achieve my goal

Think about these questions and take time to write down the answers. Some people also benefit from making a vision board.

The next step in goal setting and achieving is Choosing your goal. – until the next time, please take time to write down your answers and help me achieve my goal by spreading the word around for coolmama blog!

thanks and ciao!

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