Month by Month: Spacing Out Your Goals Throughout the Year
New Year' resolutions wear many hats in the eyes of those who make them. Some people do not make resolutions, others are quite diligent and complete them with mastery. I have been on both sides and I usually ended up in the classic scene of balls of paper, bubbling from the trash can. There is no need to be in the position of not knowing whether to create goals or let them simmer in your imagination. You have the option to compromise.
Blending the choices of making goals and not making goals may sound like the battle between water and oil. It can be done. In this post, I am going to tell you of a method that others have most likely done in the past. I will label it the "Month-By-Month" method for now (MoMo for short).
Here are the instructions on how to do MoMo:
Pick a month, any month. It does not matter if it is the first of the year or the first of August. The month you choose is the month that you will focus on your goals.
Write goals to complete during your chosen month. You can write one goal or many goals. I usually write many goals, more than I know that I can complete. I do this to train my mind to realize that no, I may not complete everything in one month and that it is OKAY. The reason many people quit half way on their resolutions is because they are too hard on themselves. If listing many goals is too overwhelming, then you can concentrate on one or a two goals for your month. Whatever is comfortable for YOU.
The MONTH BEFORE your chosen month, PRE-PLAN your goals for the chosen month. Plan out the small details. Focus on this instruction in particular because my next post is going to be on exactly how to do this.
Create a schedule, week by week that will focus on your chosen month's goals. Each week represents steps which will get you closer to your dreams. For example, one of my goals for the first week of April is to learn seven new vocabulary words in English. This is only a part of my overall goal in April to learn 30 new words in English. You can do this with all of your chosen month's goals.
Take a break and space it out. There are times in the year where I simply do not feel like concentrating on anything from my Bucket Book or use MoMo. Nobody can make me do it, not even a fairy godmother with a pastry platter. Take a month or two off if you wish to rejuvenate your mind. When you approach your new month, whichever month you choose, you will come at it with a freshness, like a New Year's Resolution - replicated.
At the end, celebrate. I celebrate by resting my mind after a month focusing on goals. Buy yourself a present, eat a delicious meal if you wish. Whatever celebration means to you, do it!
This concludes the MoMo method. Until next time, have a day full of euphoria.
(photo by Kiarra Lynn Smith)