How to Make 2016 Your Best Year Yet

new years resolutions

The new year is always a good time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. Whether you call them goals or resolutions, whatever your intentions are as you move forward into a new year here are a few tips that will help you narrow down what it is you really want to accomplish and set you on a path to doing it!

Assess Last Year

Take a look back over the past year and ask the question, "What worked?" Figure out the things in your life that really worked, things that brought success or gave you joy. Things that eliminated stress. Narrow down the things that worked and see how you can incorporate them into your goals for the coming year. And ask, "What didn't work?" And sometimes we find there were things that "worked" for us, but we didn't really work them. I've found that true for a few things last year that really worked, but then I stopped doing them. So my goal is to go back and make those a priority in the coming year. On the other hand,  maybe you said "yes" to something you thought was a great idea, but in retrospect actually caused more stress for you and your family. Maybe 2016 is the year you let it go and stop trying to make it work? Figure out what didn't work for you, what didn't serve you, what created more stress and sucked the joy from you and work to eliminate that in the coming year. Asking what did work can lead you to celebrate some of the great things from last year and eliminating what didn't work can free you to enjoy more of the things you love.

Break Down Your Goals

In the past I've always made goals for the year and haven't really assessed them until the year rolls around. But this year I'm approaching it differently by setting quarterly goals. And instead of letting my goal list run wild, I'm limiting myself to three goals each quarter. Keeping your timeline short (three months) and limiting yourself to only a few goals will help you be more effective at accomplishing what you really want.

Get Accountable

It's important to have someone to share your goals with. A person who can check-in with you periodically and give you feedback on your progress towards completing your goals. Perhaps you can gather a group of friends on Facebook and create a group that's centered around reaching your goals for the new year. Or maybe you can put a coffee date with a close friend on the calendar and together you can encourage each other to reach your goals. Whatever kind of support works best for you, whether it's big numbers or small, create a system now that will be there for you when your resolve falters.

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Whether you're setting personal goals, or ones related to health, fitness and running considering all of these tips can lead you to a great start in the coming year.

What goals do you have for 2016?

--Sarah