READY, SET, GO....ALS!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing break and are feeling ready and refreshed to enjoy all that awaits in 2019.

Each year, in the first week of January, I start an intensive review of the previous year. What goals were set, what was achieved (or not)  and what goals still need to be pursued, or mastered, in the year ahead?

What were the unexpected events of the year, and how did they impact me? As a small business owner, I consider it a necessary annual ‘performance review’ to ensure that my business is meeting my needs and that of my clients.

It’s usually a very inwardly focused time for me, very different from the remainder of my year which is focused on the needs and goals of others.

By the end of January, I've got a clear set of guidelines and principles to work with across the year ahead and I find this truly comforting.

In the coaching realm, we speak about personal goals constantly, harnessing intentions and moving towards them. Goal setting offers structure and purpose and to some security. 

Reaching our goals, whether they are learning a new skill, keeping to a budget, changing a toxic pattern of behaviour always, always, enhances our confidence, our motivation and our self-esteem as the achievement reflects back to us our ability to self-care.

Goal setting also keeps us focused on what is important to us. When we don’t goal set we can often get drawn into actions and priorities that are important to others.

In my Kinesiology and my coaching practice clients often choose to spend time identifying priorities and then aligning to them in their search for deeper meaning and a sense of purpose and integrity.

Not everyone spends January reflecting as I do, but if you are keen to review your year’s ambitious and set some personal goals here is a simple structure to get you started: 

Draw a circle (or a rectangle if you like straight lines!) and break it into 8 segments: 

Health and fitness
Career and Work
Finances
Relationships
Spirituality and Personal Development
Family
Home and Hearth
Leisure and Hobbies

You are welcome to choose different categories or add a couple more if you need too, but I find that 8 is quite enough for serious goal work.

Create one over-riding statement for each of the eight areas and then nominate between 4-7 specific actions or subsets for each. The specific actions or subsets might be physical actions you know you need to take (e.g. no more daily takeaway coffees in your 'Finance' section) or they could be a memory or an affirmation that resonates with you and assists you to stay on track.

For some segments, the actions will come easily to you, for others you may need to sleep on them, revisit them, talk and engage with others to find more clarity.

There is no one right way to goal set, but keeping it realistic (in terms of time and the energy required) will produce better outcomes. 

If you know you respond well to big challenges then set yourself one big stretch goal each year. A goal that requires extra effort and input (train for a half marathon, or save and reward yourself with a dream holiday) can be incredibly satisfying and inspirational (life-changing even) when you achieve it. 

When, after my introspection and review, my goal setting is clear, I work with my own wholistic coach to align myself with my goals. I then check-in over the year to make sure I'm on track. It has proved to be a very satisfying and support way to progress and I invite you to try it.

Until next time

Clair xo