It's 2023...Now What?

Jacqueline Journey

5 Easy Steps to the New & Improved You

Everyone has a wish list of things they’d like to improve or change about themselves and for some reason New Years is a sort of yield sign that says “Hey! Wake up! Another year has gone by and you still haven’t made all of those changes you keep talking about.”

Here are 5 quick & easy tips to put your dreams into action, so that next year you’ll be able to look in the mirror and see the new and improved you!

Identify your overall goals and put them in writing. Seems easy enough, but it’s incredibly important to document what you want and set a time frame to get it done. Make sure the time frame and goal itself are achievable, but not too easy. There’s a sweet spot here – challenge yourself, but don’t make it so impossible that you might just give up before you should.
Make some mini goals leading up to the ultimate goal. For example, when I decided to write a book, after I set a goal date to finish writing the first draft, I set mini goals for when I wanted to complete each chapter, to keep me on track. Creating these bite size goals let me know when I got behind and helped me get it done.
Identify distractions and detractors and eliminate (or ignore) them. Whether it’s naysayers who don’t believe in you and discourage you from even trying, or maybe you’re a smoker and want to run a marathon. Cut out the things that are holding you back from going after and getting what you want.
Make it a habit. Do something every single day that helps you move closer to achieving your goal. This is really tough in the beginning, but after about 30 days it really starts to get easier, because you’ve now created a habit. You are in the swing of things and getting used to your “new normal.”
When you do achieve your goal, don’t just let it go by without acknowledging all that you have accomplished. You have to treat yourself and celebrate! If you don’t take a beat and honor all of the sacrifices and effort you have put in, you miss out on a great opportunity to appreciate your accomplishments, which can help fuel you when you take on future goals.