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There’s a free printable at the bottom too for your goals 🙂

It’s January 9. This is not the year I was expecting so far.

It’s ok to start working towards a new goal even if it isn’t a Monday! What?!

Even if it isn’t the start of a new month!

Even if it’s a Thursday!

The only requirement for a goal is to actually have that desire to achieve something inside you.

I’m going to tell you how I have planned my goals in the past. If anything resonates with you, please feel free to use it. If absolutely none of it sounds good to you, please tell me why and how you accomplish anything in your life. I would be curious.

Usually I start in December. I have a calendar and a planner and I sit down and work on picturing my life. Honestly, I’m not that great at envisioning much farther than a few months down the road at the moment.

Give it to Heavenly Father

Get down on your knees and pray. Jesus wants us to come to Him. He wants us to let him be a part of our lives.

When we allow him to direct our potential we are quite literally limitless.

Each year I choose a scripture to focus on during the year. One year was about how I have to nourish myself to build my testimony.

Alma 32:41 “But if ye will nourish the word yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root: and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.”

Another year was about giving all my sins to God. Letting all of them go.

This year is Mosiah 3:19. “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, WILLING TO SUBMIT TO ALL THINGS which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”

Health Goals

Some of the things that I used to believe that I could achieve just aren’t in the cards this month. Especially my health goals. You know how it is widely known that women have a hard time with doctors? Well… I’m a woman. I’ve had some fantastic experiences and some absolutely terrible ones.

My goals have been to lose 30 pounds for about 7 years, since I had kids. My body is pretty incredible. I can actually lose 3-5 inches and not change a single pound. I’ve done that a few times but this year I’ve been feeling the urge to attack that goal without so much intensity.

It’s so easy to be unhappy with our bodies, but there are just things that are so much more important. I have some bladder issues that are causing me a lot of pain and a few problems. I’ve gone to the doctor and am in the process of physical therapy and ultrasounds and all sorts of things.

Keeping up on your own health and just going to the doctor or scheduling those appointments can be a goal in and of itself!

This year I have to submit my will to His during these trials. Maybe you do too and that’s how it should be. If we trust in His plan, everything WILL end up exactly how it should.

Spiritual Goals

I always include a few spiritual goals. Most of them revolve around General Conference and the Book of Mormon. This year will be just as focused on Christ. I pick a few things that bring me closer to Christ and then hopefully I can be a better person. (Fingers crossed lol)

It’s easy to pick spiritual goals when you pick a book. There are so many books to choose from! My favorite that I read last year was Heart of the Matter by President Russel M. Nelson. It’s worth the read!

This year I am working with the Young Women and need to memorize the new theme. It’s not really new but it’s definitely not the theme I had memorized as a youth!

Another area I focused on (during the year of giving up my sins to know thee) was music. It’s easy for me to choose whether I like a song based on the rhythm and not the content of the words. I have always been on the lookout for better music and I am so grateful that things are changing.

There are more choices for music today than ever before. I am so grateful for Forrest Frank, Josiah Queen, Colton Dixon and Megan Woods. Their music gets stuck in my head and I never want it to leave. (My kids love it too!)

Personal Development

This is the section that I can go down a rabbit hole and never come out of. I choose a number of books that I want to read per year. Generally most of the books that I choose are personal development or business building books. I love them.

But I don’t think personal development has to be stuck in a box. I also think skill building falls in this area. I got an awesome sketching kit for Christmas and I’d love to learn how to become a better artist. I already tried to make this cool butterfly! (Here’s the kit if you’re interested.)

Languages, cooking, photography, a new business, hobby, painting, keeping a part of the house clean, budgeting, or even learning about budgeting, are all things that I have made goals on in the past.

Am I perfect at any of these? Not even a little 🙂 That’s not the point!

Don’t Put Your Goals in a Box

Don’t get mad at yourself if you don’t accomplish something in the exact timeline you were thinking. Sometimes life happens. Actually a lot of the time.

We have to decide WHAT are our priorities?

What could you do that WILL make your life easier or better if you just had the willpower to change?

Focus in on your most necessary goal and go for it.

You might fail. You might even fail twice.

But… you might win.

5 Steps on How to Make New Years Resolutions:

1. Say a prayer. Envision your life. Include someone bigger and more powerful than yourself.
2. Write down 1-3 on a piece of paper.
3. Health: Pick a way to be a stronger, less stressed, less sick version of yourself and fight for that.
4. Spiritual: Think of what you do really well and where you need help. Focus on one.
5. Personal Development: What cool skill do you want to learn more about? Do it!

It doesn’t matter what day you start, as long as you start! Remember, you might win!