With the end of the year approaching, some people may be starting to think about New Year resolutions and 2021 goal setting. Like many people, I went in to 2020 with a vision that it would be my best year yet. I set goals both personally and professionally and told myself there was no option but to accomplish every single one of them in 2020. For as long as I can remember I have set New Year resolutions that slipped through the cracks by February. Not only would I give up on the goal or resolution, I wouldn’t hold myself accountable throughout the year. I decided that 2020 would be my year to get it done—and I did exactly that (pandemic and all).
I made a conscious effort to reflect on exactly what goals/resolutions I wanted to set for myself. I gave myself plenty of time at the end of 2019 to think about these goals and decide on them. By the time the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve I already had a note on my phone with my goals written out. I’m the type of person that absolutely has to accomplish something that I write down. Whether it’s on a To-Do List or a list of goals, I just have something in me that really motivates me to complete what I wrote down. I wrote my note in a checklist format so I could check off each item as I accomplished it throughout the year. I found that as I started checking things off, I was more motivated to keep working towards the rest of my goals.
When I was deciding what types of things I wanted to accomplish in 2020, I thought a lot about personal growth. I wanted to cover everything from physical, mental, financial, and professional. Although I won’t go into my professional goals, I wanted to share how I created my list. I made sure that I had some goals that I knew I could accomplish as well as some that would totally challenge me. I also included a “reach goal” – this is a goal that you want to work your ass off to accomplish, but you know from the beginning that this was your “extra.” For me, this was the only goal I set that I didn't achieve. I will go into which one that was down below. In general, I think having a healthy mix of different categories as well as a range of achievability is the best way to build your list of goals.
I think whenever you set goals for yourself you always want to write down how you’ll measure your success. For example, one of my goals was to read more. Rather than just writing down “read more” I wrote, “read 8 books.” This sounds silly but the wording of your goal can make all the difference. How would I have determined that I “read more” at the end of the year if I wasn't keeping track? Placing some type of requirement definitely helps gauge how well you're doing/the progress you’re making throughout the year. Overall, I think it’s important to be intentional with how you word your goals so future you can’t squirm your way out of reaching your full potential.
The pandemic threw a wrench in a lot of people’s plans this year. I decided really early on into quarantine that I was going to use this unique circumstance to my advantage. I absolutely refused to take the L for an entire year just because it didn't go as planned. Looking back on this year, I am really happy I chose to continue moving forward and making things happen for myself because I am really proud of everything I was able to achieve. Again, I want to note that some people were affected by the pandemic in a much different way and I am speaking only to my experience. For those of you that simply needed to take a pause and pick back up in 2021, that’s okay too! I hope no matter what category you found yourself in this year, you are still able to start fresh for 2021.
Without further ado, here is the list of my 2020 goals:
· Read 8 books
· Do Whole 30 all the way through (30 days)
· Complete Kayla Itsines BBG Sweat all the way through (12 weeks)
· Be an overall nicer person and less uptight
· Have better posture (when on flights and sitting at desk specifically)
As you can see, my list of goals covers most categories that I wanted to touch on—mental, physical, and emotional. I also had a financial goal on my list but it was very specific so I will just summarize that I had set a pretty lofty goal in terms of what I wanted to save (my stretch goal). To my happy surprise, I was able to exceed the goal I set in August, then I decided to extend it through December, and I am on track to reach that by the end of the month. I honestly don’t know if my stretch goal with how much I wanted to save would have happened if it weren’t for the quarantine. Cutting eating out, shopping, coffee every morning on the way to work, travelling, Ubers, and going out really helped me save a ton. Definitely a daunting realization that I took into consideration when I made my 2021 budget.
Actually, a lot of my goals were even more achievable during the quarantine than if I was living my regular life. Aside from the financial piece, I had a lot more time to read, workout, and be really introspective about how I wanted to change myself. I think for most people, working out or being active in one way or another was super necessary this year. I personally found that I enjoyed working out more than ever this year since it was the one thing that got me outside, or just off my ass for lack of better words. I was able to crush my goal of completing the BBG Sweat program and had noticeable results, which I was really happy with. I had attempted this program so many times in the past and was never able to get all the way through it without quitting. Not only did I complete the 12 weeks, I went on and did it again—completing two rounds of the 12-week program!
The only goal I attempted and was unable to achieve was Whole 30. I made it to day 17 and quit due to health issues that no one wants to hear about. This is a program that I personally don’t really support/believe in. Once I started doing more research on it when preparing to begin, I realized the thought process behind it wasn’t really something I agreed with. However, I wrote it down, so I was sure as hell going to give it my all. I feel pretty good about completing 17 days of the program, but something I wouldn’t do again—and that’s alright! As for better posture, this is something that I remained super conscious about all year. Whether it was sitting at my desk in my home office, when I’m walking, and even when I’m working out. I wish there was a better way I could have measured this goal; however, I am considering it accomplished but will continue to work to get better at this habit.
I think this year taught everyone a lot about themselves. Something that I didn’t write down as a 2020 goal, but always say I need to get better at is being alone. I absolutely hate being alone. I feel recharged when I’m around other people and interacting. For the most part I can’t even go on a drive without having to call and talk to someone. This was a flaw I noticed in college and was just not able to improve it. This year however, forced me to be alone a lot of the time. I can now say this was an unwritten resolution that I not only mastered, but I now genuinely enjoy my “me time”.
I personally love looking back on my year and reflecting on all the great things that happened. Like I said, I decided early on that 2020 would be no different.
So, in an effort to try to highlight all the amazing things that came out of a year filled with so much stress, anxiety, and challenges—here is my 2020 highlight reel.
January- Was able to travel a lot for work
February- Went to Puerto Rico with my best friends for our 25th birthdays
March- Was able to spend the most time with my family and Alison than I had since high school
April- Had the best quarantined birthday for Alison and we began working really heavily on the launch of Grace and Lennon in April
May- My goddaughter was born
June- Grace and Lennon launched and Alison and I have had so much fun with it ever since!
July- Went on a girls getaway to Provincetown and had the best trip with one of my best friends
August- Alison and I found out that we’re going to be aunts! Our older sister and her husband are having a baby next Spring!
September- Visited one of my best friends in Denver and had the trip of a lifetime
October- Spent Halloween with one of my other best friends, had a slumber party that felt like we were kids again
November- Alison and Anthony finally moved to Boston which has been amazing
December- In the car buying process (will hopefully end up with my first new car this month!)
I think it’s easy to want to pretend that 2020 never happened, however, try your best to pull out the silver linings, no matter how big or small. I got a lot of joy by writing down my 2020 highlights. It really reminded me that life is truly what you make it.
Overall, I think the key to accomplishing your goals is to plan them out. Start thinking about these things now. I think you really have to want these things in order to achieve them, so think about goals that really matter to you! Once you have a good list that encompasses all areas of life, outline ways of which you’ll measure your success—add detail wherever you can. Make sure you have a mix of attainable goals and reach goals. Having too many goals that may be unattainable will make you feel discouraged. Being able to check off a few goals that you know you can accomplish helps keep the momentum going. Additionally, make a conscious effort to bring your goals into your day to day life. Don’t tackle one at a time—slow and steady wins the race. Slowly but surely start adopting habits that get you closer to achieving your goals, that’s how these qualities will stick once you check it off your list.
I am currently trying to think about what I want my 2021 goals to be. So far, I have the following:
· Get promoted at work
· Run a 10K
· Read ten books
· Be better at letting things go that bother me (things/people I can't control)
Once I complete my list, I will start writing down exactly how I plan to achieve these goals/ways I’ll measure my success. I hope this helped spark some ideas for those of you who set New Year resolutions every year. I hope it motivates those of you who set goals but let them fade out before the year is over. Perhaps this has encouraged those of you who normally don’t set goals each year. Now that I have found a system that have proven effective for me, I wanted to share it. Comment below to share what your 2021 goals are!