Goal setting 2018: the importance of setting goals in life & business and how to stick to them

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It was a slow start to get motivated this year, I got a taste of the simple life and it felt hard to come back from it. I hadn’t posted my annual “hindsight- a year in review” in January like I normally do, I’ve neglected the blog and this cold weather has me completely uninspired. My recent trip to Tulum, however, did get my creative juices flowing again! Proof that resting the mind and body is a necessity. Now that I am feeling myself again and because I want to stick to my good habits, I am forcing myself to write this goal-setting post, as I have done for the last 5 years. It is one thing that I have consistently done, and that has contributed to the growth and success of my life and business. I don’t always achieve every goal, but it’s nice to know where I was a year from now, how much I have grown and where I am headed. So if you want to know more about the importance of setting goals in life and business and you want to know how you can stick to them, keep on reading!

Reviewing 2017 goals and accomplishments

The best way to get started is reviewing what you have done in the last 12 months, and better yet, if you have goals that you set last year, review those as well.

Instagram is a great tool that allows you to review your top nine moments of the year. It’s not the only tool that you can use to help you measure your success, but it is one. When I look at my best nine in 2017, it’s actually not extremely meaningful. All I get from it, is that my followers really love seeing me in fun outfits. When I was getting started however, this intel was invaluable. It helped me realise that I needed to focus on producing similar content if I wanted to grow my channel. I now know what my followers like, and keep delivering it to them! So seeing this just confirms that I am headed in the right direction.

I accomplished a lot in 2017. When I look back at my goals, I had promised myself to focus on health, wealth, and less.

When I look at my health journey in 2017, I realise that I have been through the ringer and back. I had my endometriosis surgery which was successful, I was not able to go through with fertility treatments and I put on some weight, but became stronger from doing a whole lot of yoga. I am not disappointed, I accept my journey and my body. If anything I am proud to be where I am today. I realise however, that I want to take better care of myself. I pushed so hard this year and didn’t give myself the time to rest after my surgery or really morn the fact that I’m done having kids. I pushed so hard this year that I’ve gained back all the weight I lost and kept off 2 years ago. I can and will do better!

When I look at the wealth of my business, I did very well for myself. I was invited to do many speaking engagements, I got pretty big contracts with brands like Joe Fresh and McDonald’s, and I participated in a number of promotional campaigns for different shopping centres in Ottawa. I completed a Youtube training course, a public speaking course, learned a lot about SEO, learned how to edit video, and grew my Instagram channel.

Sadly, when it comes to the less part… good god I failed. I bought more, spent more, did more… and I think it damn near killed me. Ironically, I pushed so hard this year, that I forgot what it’s like to have a normal life. You know, make time for my friends, do things around the house, organize clothes, go through the pantry, clean out the vanity, redecorate the house… all things I’ve done this holiday break by the way ?? and already I feel amazing.

2018 Goal Setting

After review the past year, I ask myself a few questions. Do I want to repeat the same thing as the year before? What’s in the cards for me this year? What do I want to learn or accomplish? Do I wanna hustle hard this year? Is there another accomplishment I can just cross off my list? Have my priorities shifted? Will I ever have my finances and spending habits under control? These are some pretty tough questions, but I have to go there.

Year after year, I always seem to have a financial goal: spend less, get out of debt, save for a trip. It’s a goal that I have a hard time accomplishing for some reason. I am reading The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We do in Life and Business and it has made me realise that I need to change something here. I think the problem with finances is usually an outcome of something else. I buy stuff when I am unhappy, so this year… I want to focus on HAPPINESS! Finding happiness with the people around me and the things that surround me.  Sounds cheesy… but I know this will help me, I’m already seeing changes.

My goal for 2018 is that I want to focus on my happiness by spending more time at home with my family, only doing or working on things that bring me joy (saying no to the things that don’t) and fueling my body with happy habits (healthy food and exercise). My why? If I am happy and happy with myself, I will not feel the need to find happiness in possessions or bad habits (over-spending, poor eating, working more than I need to).

Since my goal is a little more values-based, I do have some objectives and focus areas for my business in 2018:

  • Grow my Youtube channel 
  • More beauty content because the followers have spoken (grow my affiliate revenue)
  • More shoe content (so I can leverage on what I already have!)
  • More travel blogging work (a.k.a more time with the family!)
  • Hit 10K on Instagram (thanks to a spambot this was done for me, although I am not proud of how I got there)

 

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2018 #highlightergoals…. Thanks to Becca! haha

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How to stick to your goals

If you struggle with sticking to your promises or sometimes feel unaccomplished, you may not be setting the right goals for yourself. Here are some of my tips and tricks on how you can set goals for yourself, ones that you will actually stick to!

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  • Start small, maybe with just one goal. You will naturally dedicate everything to achieving it. All your focus and energy will be turned to this… I promise it will be hard to ignore!
  • Dream big, but set realistic goals that you believe in, goals that are relevant and achievable. Get inspired by others, but don’t copy them.
  • Write down why you want to achieve this goal, it’s the only thing that will compel you to achieve it.
  • Write your goals down and better yet, post them somewhere that you can see them often. Avoid the “out of sight, out of mind” approach.
  • If you have a hard time with commitment, break your goals down into small goals and plan the deadlines in your calendar. Once you achieve those small goals, celebrate these small wins and reward yourself! These small victories work on a cumulative basis and will help you get closer to the finish line. They also help you celebrate the journey and focus less on the destination.
  • Consider you and your business as one, or at the very least set personal and business goals. If you are not healthy, your business won’t be either. This is the biggest switch that I will be making this year!
  • Don’t be hard on yourself if you haven’t achieved your goal. Reevaluate it and adjust accordingly.

The whole point in setting goals is to become a better person because doing good, leads to doing more good. Setting good habits spills into every aspect of your life, like health and wealth. The important thing is to have fun, enjoy and embrace the process. It should never feel like hard work. And if it starts to, remember that you will never regret work that you put into anything. You just have to push yourself a bit, even if it can be daunting. Try to remember why you are doing it in the first place, and I promise, it will always be worth it.

Photography credit Kamara Morozuk.

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