I am so excited we made it to 2021! Happy New Year to you! Do you have any major goals or resolutions for yourself this year? I always write out a whole list of ideas I would like to accomplish for the year in my journal and also create a kind of vision board/mood board. I just love setting new goals and also I like to brainstorm tangible plans to actually accomplish those goals. I feel if you have an actionable plan, you are more likely to accomplish your goals.

I always write down my goals and plans in my journal. I write in here every morning when I wake up.

Have a Plan Before You Start

One of my goals a couple of years ago was to figure out a way to incorporate exercise into my day. I worked full time, had two small children and just could not figure out how to work out. I brainstormed some ideas and actually figured out that if I woke up around 5 am each morning before work, I could squeeze in a quick 2 mile run on my treadmill.

The hard part was actually waking up at 5 am to accomplish my goal. After getting through about 2 weeks of waking up early, running and feeling the amazing affects from consistently working out, waking up early became a habit and way of life. When I did not wake up early I actually felt worse. The consequences of not working out outweighed how hard it could be waking up early. By figuring out a plan and actually trying it, I was able to accomplish my goal of working out every day. Plans are important steps we create that help us accomplish our goals.

“Plans are important steps we create that help us accomplish our goals.”

Another goal that I have reached the past four years was painting every day. I talk more about this in a previous blog posts here but I wanted to start painting more for myself. I created a plan in which I could make this possible. I did not just wing it. I brought my paints and sketchbook to school every day with me and painted during my lunch break. Yes I had to give up time hanging out in the staff lounge, I had to rush through eating, but the enjoyment and the accomplishment I felt from painting every day made those tradeoffs worth it.

There will be sacrifices for what you want, you have to figure out if they are worth it in the long run. Giving up my lunch break to work on my art eventually turned out to be my favorite part of the day. I listened to podcasts or music, ate my salad as I painted beautiful scenery and my mind was transported for those 20 minutes to a wonderful place!

Sketchbooks from this past year of making art every day 2020.

Make Your Plan Easy to Follow

Once you have a plan, now make it easy on yourself! Create an optimal environment to succeed. Before I go to bed each night, I lay out my workout clothes for the morning. Before I go to school I make sure to have my bag of paints and sketchbook ready to easily bring with me. Set yourself up for success. It sounds so simple but it’s an easy way to make sure you accomplish your goals. This applies to so many different goals and habits you might want to accomplish. If you want to eat healthy, make sure you have all of the healthy food available and visible. Don’t have unhealthy food in your house or if you do, make it hard to access. If you want to play the guitar more, have it out in a place where you will easily be able to pick it up. One of my goals is to read more and I have done this by placing books I am reading in a basket out in the open where I can easily access them. If you make things easy on yourself you will more likely do them.

Don’t get Discouraged

Finally, if you do not keep up with your goals, do not fret or get discouraged. Just jump back in and keep trying. There have been times when I missed a day of working out or I felt like I just did not want to paint. If you feel that way you have a couple of options.

1. You can take a day off.

Try not to miss twice in a row but if you do, no worries. Keep trying!

2. Push through and see what happens.

Give yourself a time limit and if you still do not want to do it after 10 minutes, then stop. This is what I do when I do not feel like painting and it has really helped me stick with it. Some days I just do not feel like painting. However, if I do it for 10 minutes usually I end up wanting to continue. Very rarely have I felt like I could not keep going. Starting sometimes is the hardest part. Once you start though, you will surprise yourself and what you can accomplish when originally you did not feel like it at all.

Good luck with your goals and I wish you the best! Let me know in the comments what some of your goals are for 2021! I would love to hear them!