How To Create Sustainable Goals for the New Year

Making sustainable goals this New Year… is that even possible?

During this time of the year, we feel obligated to conjure up abstract goals to use in response to the inescapable question of “SO- what’s YOUR New Years resolution?”

Regardless of how resolute you are, it seems like most everyone falls victim to the one month-and-done resolution success.

I think that this is because we create goals and resolutions that aren’t compelling enough.

We lack sustainable motivation when we try to accomplish something that doesn’t mean much to us.

This realization led me to come up with a three step, 5 minute sustainable goal mapping strategy that channels a deep spiritual connection to the goals we make.

The beauty of this goal mapping method is that it challenges you to correlate your goals directly with your values and purpose in life.

Having goals tied to something rooted deep within will strengthen your resolve to achieve those goals.

This activity will leave you feeling motivated and driven— and it can be easily done in 5 minutes or less!

Step 1: What are some of your MISSIONS in life?

The absence of this step from most peoples’ goal plans is primarily what derails their plans.

Upon reaching inevitable difficulties in pursuit of a goal, you are much more likely to abandon goals that are not rooted in a deeper mission/purpose than those that are.

Identifying your “missions” comes off as a bit of a daunting task, as doing so encourages you to unpack what you truly are living for.

Try to just think really big picture here— why do you want to do what you want to do? Why do you strive to be the person that you strive to be? What are you really working hard for? These questions will help you get closer to identifying your missions.

I wrote out 3 of my personal missions here.

Step 2: What METHODS can you use to carry out these MISSIONS?

These methods are more general/broad means to get you closer to your missions. They should reflect characteristics of your missions. Here were some of mine:

Step 3: What MEASURABLE steps can you take to track your progress with these MISSIONS?

I selected twelve measurable habits/goals that I wanted to pursue. All of these goals related directly back to my methods of living out my missions.

It takes around 30 days to reprogram our brains to create a new habit, so having a new habit in mind each month (compounded on top of the ones you’ve already made) is the perfect system.

It’s not as easy as just practicing your habit for a month though, while doing this you have to actively work on discarding any bad habits that previously took its place.

Related-> 5 Bad Morning Habits You Need to Drop

Implementation

For every good habit formed, there is a bad habit to be broken. You can work to do these simultaneously by using this 3 step technique.

You will get better and better at self-control and perseverance as months pass and your practice of habits compound.

It might seem like a gargantuan task, but really you are just focusing on one measurable goal for a month–making that a habit– and then building upon it as you conquer your next goals!

I sat down with my boyfriend the other night and explained the strategy to him- in under 10 minutes he had 12 measurable goals planned out for 2018, each meaningful and tied to his sense of purpose. Whether you do it in your notes app, like my friend did, or in a fancy schmancy bullet journal, I assure that you will feel more settled after getting all this stuff down!

This is the outcome of his strategy session- 

So there ya have it! I challenge you to take just 5 minutes and work through this 3 step process.

Here’s to the pursuit of purposeful and sustainable goals in 2019 🙂