Setting Goals for 2023

 

I have found a new word to carry with me into 2023. As I begin setting my goals, I think about my word. True. The root word meaning tree, it means to be authentic.

 I want to live a life that is true to me. 

I want to feel strong enough to speak my truth. 

I know this year there will be some hard truths to swallow.

I divide the year like cake, into four pieces. Each quarter contains three months, or 90-days. I'll ask myself what kind of lifestyle do I imagine - how do I want to feel? Less anxious for sure. I want to feel like I can breathe better, more well rested. 

Something to think about before setting new goals is looking back at what brought you the most meaning and happiness? Donating to cat fosters for example, brought a lot of purpose to me. Creating cleaning routines helped my mental health. Despite naysayers, I got the job at the school which inspires me to go back to college and showed me what it was like to feel workplace happiness. (Some background: I had 3 jobs in one year that were all toxic.) Setting firm boundaries and listening to my intuition, this is something I am carrying with me into 2023 because it served me so well. Trusting myself plays a huge part of protecting my inner peace. 

2023 is about being the person God intended me to be. Success will really mean developing healthier habits and working hard, and falling back in love with me. 2023 is about being honest with myself, not being afraid of who I am. Unapologetically myself. It's time to start creating beautiful things again, like poems and flowers and new life. 

Every week is a chapter, and there are 52 Chapters this year, or 52 Chapters in this next series of books on your life. At the beginning of each week I set tasks that must be done that will get me closer to my long term quarterly goals. 

For example: 

Save $100 every paycheck so at the end of the month I have $400 saved. 

This means I need to make sure I work more than 40 hours a week. 

Think of these little steps as quantifiable ways to achieve your goals. Another example could be every Monday try to rehome a cat, with the goal in mind to rehome one animal at the end of the month. 

You also have to remind yourself the why. 

Why are you working so hard?

Why are you volunteering so much?

Having less debt will bring me less anxiety and give me more freedom. When I am at work I remind myself that I am there for a paycheck, that the harder the work the faster I can get out of this. And I volunteer so much because it's the right thing to do.

When January 1st comes, nothing magical happens. Nothing will transform overnight. I am just stating to the world the person I want to be and focusing on my true lifestyle. Then every day I have to take the right actions to achieve that life.

My 2023 Goals

1. 52 Week Savings Challenge (Reseller Edition!) 

2.  Go to the Dentist

3. Go to an eye doctor

4. Rehome All Cats

5. Crochet and Write Again

6. ReOpen Hyla Brook Books

Some Tips on Setting Goals for 2023

1. Make small attainable goals

2. Divide your year into quarters

3. Ask yourself how do you want to feel

4. Look back at major events from year before, reflect

5. After reflections, set priorities