Entering the New Year with purpose
As the new year approaches, many of us try to turn over a new leaf. We recognise the dawning of a new year as an auspicious time for change and growth. However often the goals we set can be very superficial. Its often the typical goals surrounding a healthier lifestyle (e.g. quit smoking, exercise more etc.) , weight loss (e.g. lose X Kgs) and greater success/productivity (e.g. earn more money, work harder, buy X etc.) that many of us adopt. But you must ask yourself, is this truly what I want? will this truly make me fullfilled? while these can be very helpful goals, its important that you first reflect on the year that passed and truly understand where you are currently and where you'd like to be. This way you can make sure your goals are aligned to the vision you have of yourself, your life and your values.
Here's a few questions to help you get started:
Who am I & who do I want to be?
What are my values and does my life reflect that?
How do I align my behaviours according to my values and purpose?
What is my purpose? and if I dont know, what can I do to discover it?
What things/people/situations brought me joy this year? and what things/people/situations brought me negativity (e.g. despair, anger, anxiety, hate, etc.)?
Can I remove/ add anything to my life to cultivate greater peace and wellbeing?
Remember each of us has our own unique qualities and strengths, we have our own challenges and life experiences. It is through understanding this, that we can truly set goals that are relevant and meaningful for us, and help us towards achieving the future we truly desire. Often the goals we set are not aligned to our values and/or our own desires and dreams hence achieving them becomes all the more difficult as our motivation wavers and we question - is this really worth it? If you are able to align all these properly. your brain will recognise that the benefits significantly overpower any perceived and/or real costs of eliminating this 'bad habit' and your energy and motivation will continue to grow as you see progress.
Its important to make sure you focus on the process rather than the outcome. Sometimes the end outcome may not be within our control but the process is, and if we stick to it continously it will naturally lead to the positive outcome we desire.
For example, you may want to become a successful entrepreneur but this is vague and unrealistic, given you only have a couple years of experience and currently work an entry-level job. Instead, you could focus on working 2hours extra every day on your startup, or expanding your skillset through an online course , or an mentorship with a leading entrepreneur, or you could identify a funding opportunities that you could access to launch your own business. The latter goals are much more within your control. As you work on these goals and the actionable behaviour consistently, it can lead to this positive outcome and overtime you'll realize your closer to your dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur.
So why not start today? the earlier you start the more time you have to think, analyse and reflect on your own personal circumstances. Writing down your resolutions on paper, gives you clarity and sets an intention towards tracking and achieving them. REMEMBER- "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
