Thursday Press #60: wanna set the best goals for 2023?
[22 DEC 2022] read this before the ball drops...
Happy 12/22/22, friend!
I know, it's not nearly as important as the 2/2/22 hubbub back in February.
But as I sat down to write this email all about setting goals, habits, and intentions for the new year, it seemed pretty damn meaningful.
According to my very quick Google search, seeing 2222 is the angels' way of letting you know that good things are on the way.
So in the spirit of making those good things actually happen, let's talk about “the r word” – resolutions…
I'll be honest, that's a pretty good depiction of how I really feel about resolutions.
I spent way too many years setting the same vague resolutions to be healthier, read more, do this, and do that.
Spoiler alert: it didn't work.
Buuuut I am a girlie all about a fresh start. Back-to-school season, spring cleaning, new years… I'm all in.
And I've recently been a lot more successful (and intentional) about my goals for both my business and my personal life. So I'm here to share that with you.
disclaimer: I am in no way an expert, but I find this shit so fascinating. and I'm going to share some resources from people who actually are, so stick around.
TIPS FOR SETTING GOALS + CREATING HABITS
I broke down my most meaningful tips in an Instagram post earlier this week, which is what inspired this whole email. (Ya girl cannot be concise to save her life)
Here's the original post if you want the full deets, but I'll rehash the highlights for you here:
Know your “why” for each goal, and make sure it's really yours
You have to plan the steps to reach the goal
Plan for roadblocks, challenges, and inconsistencies
Be mindful of the “stories” you tell about yourself
Make your habits easy to do & hard to forget
When it comes down to it, my stance on setting (and achieving) goals is all about choosing the right goals that are in alignment with the life you want to live and then making a plan to make it happen.
All while being realistic about your time & values and giving yourself grace if things don't go perfectly to plan.
MY 2022 GOALS & HABITS
I promised I'd share some of my goals from this past year with you. I've shared many of them in bits and pieces, but I'll give you the rapid-fire run-down now (including the ones I didn't achieve):
Personal
Daily journaling – I did this until around October. I think it was a good practice for me, but more times than not it added stress and shame at the thought of failing.
At least 30 mins of movement 5x/week – this is the goal I'm most proud of achieving. It's amazing what a walk in the fresh air can do for your mind, body, and soul!
Business
Monetary goal – I hit this one, but I personally don't see the need to share because it can bring up all kinds of comparisonitis that I'm not about.
Email my list weekly – hi! I did that! Hope you enjoyed 😉
Invest in professional development – the HerHQ Foundations program gave me the most supportive community that I'm eternally grateful for.
Invest in a new website – I thought I was going to outsource this, but instead I invested in a website template and BTL Copy's Site Series course to DIY it (still in progress though…)
Get branding photos done – thanks to a perfect mini-session with Madalyn, check!
MY 2023 GOALS & HABITS
I'll be honest, First name / pal, I haven't done my goal-planning routine for the new year yet. But here are some of the things jumbling around in my brain:
Pick back up my 1 Second Every Day habit – if you're not familiar, it's essentially filming one second of your life, every day. And it's SO cool to look back on. There's an app that helps you stay on track.
Hire a team member
Invest in professional branding, finally
Clean/tidy for 15 minutes a day – housework on top of a business is no joke y'all, and I have no desire to spend a whole weekend deep cleaning every month.
RELATED RESOURCES
To Read: Better than Before
This isn’t the first time I’ve recommended this book by Gretchen Rubin and it won’t be the last. This is one of the first (and few) self-help books I’ve actually enjoyed, and I credit it with helping me establish a 2+ year strong flossing habit.
Rubin uses research- and anecdotal-based evidence to suggest the best habit-forming tips based on your personality type in her Four Tendencies system.
To Follow: Sarah Kleist
Actor, web designer, TikToker and overall multi-passionate icon Sarah Kleist self-describes the New Year season as her superbowl, and for good reason. Follow along on IG or TikTok for the best advice on goal setting, planning, etc.
To Read: Atomic Habits
I know this is on every book rec list, but there’s a reason. While I don’t resonate with every single thing James Clear says, Atomic Habits is an easy-to-read book about easy-to-implement changes to improve your life.
Here's wishing you a happy holiday season, safe travels (if you're traveling), and good times! I'll be out of office until Jan 3, but you'll still see me popping up on stories & of course I wouldn't miss our final Friday Favorites of the year, coming to an inbox near you next week!