I’m excited to be writing this post on the night of my 37th birthday! It’s become my personal tradition to set my resolutions on this special day rather than the New Year. And when the New Year rolls around, I give my goals a thorough reevaluation, making any necessary adjustments along the way.

However, I know that most people are at the halfway mark in the timeline of their yearly goals so there’s no time like the present to share some of the awesome things I do when setting my goals for the year. So, let’s dive right in and chat about why this practice is seriously important and why you should totally get on board if you haven’t already. And trust me, you’re gonna love it!

Setting goals gives us a roadmap to follow and a sense of what we’re aiming for. Take this time to look back on how things have been going so far and figure out where we can make improvements. Whether it’s personal growth, career stuff, or your health and well-being, setting goals that are specific and measurable can really light that fire under us and make it easier to make positive changes.

Every single day presents us with the incredible opportunity to progress towards our dreams. By forging intentional goals, we empower ourselves to accomplish remarkable feats. So, join me on this remarkable journey as we delve into the enchantment of intentional goal setting and unlock its potential to revolutionize the latter part of your year in unimaginable ways.

#1 Be Realistic and Consider Your Current Circumstances

First things first, I take a good long look in that internal mirror that we often like to avoid in order to get an honest assessment of where I am now in relation to where I’m going. If I did hit my goal, great! I make sure I take the time to celebrate my achievement and own the super awesome job I did. However, if I missed the mark on some goals I get out my journal or planner (or both) and I ask myself questions about each goal and evaluate my progression towards the outcome. Those questions sound like:

• Does this goal still align with my values and reflect the person I am becoming (is it still important to me)
• Did I adjust my goal because of new information, or did I simply just not live up to the expectation I set for myself
• Can I scale down what I want to accomplish in order to make more headway
• What worked well in terms of progress
• What obstacles did I encounter and how did I/could I overcome them

If you’re doing this exercise along with me, now is the time where we get a good view of where we are in life right now. Think about whether the season of life you’re in would be supportive of your goals. For instance, if you’re a single mom with a newborn, now may not be the perfect time to set the goal of nurturing friendships, because you may not have the bandwidth to nurture a friendship while caring for an infant. Or if your goal is to save up for a down payment on a home by next year, but it’s seven months into the new year and you’re living paycheck to paycheck, it may very well still be doable, but it will take some major adjustments, a lot of prayer and a little faith to make that happen.

Now that we’ve taken a look at where we’ve been and acknowledged where we are, let’s get clear about where we’re going.

#2 Defining a Vision for the Second Half of the Year

When I thought about figuring out where I was headed and being more intentional with my goals and daily routine, I started by getting a good sense of who I wanted to be. I asked myself what the ideal version of me would do on a daily basis. What would she eat, what time would she wake up, would she exercise, what kind of workouts would she do, how would she dress, what time she’d go to bed every night, and what types of friends she has. Now that I knew very well who she was, I then started to step into her shoes by pretending that I was already her and then I wrote out the vision I saw for her year.

I encourage you to do the same, and when you do, remember that it’s super important to really feel that you are already this person living in a space where you know beyond any doubt that you can accomplish what you set out to do. The most powerful part of visualization is feeling that the “thing” you’re after is already done or already a very real possiblity for you.

#3 Break Your Goal Down into Small Actionable Steps but Go Backwards Instead of Forward

If you’re anything like me, taking a look at the lofty goals I’ve set for myself can be so daunting that it creates decision paralyses.

There have been countless times when I’ve set ambitious goals for myself, filled with excitement and anticipation. But then, reality sets in, and I start considering the energy, time, and resources required. It can be a bit overwhelming, to be honest!

To tackle that overwhelming feeling, it’s crucial to break down your goals into manageable steps. Start by dividing your goal into monthly milestones, outlining the progress you want to make. Then, break those monthly targets into weekly tasks that gradually move you toward your ultimate objective. And finally, transform those weekly tasks into daily actions, ensuring you make progress every single day.

An uncommon but extremely effective approach to goal setting is “backward goal setting” or “reverse engineering”. This idea combines the visualization we just talked about with what we already know to be true which is that breaking your goals down into small actionable steps is better to digest. So instead of starting from where you are now and planning steps forward, you begin with your ultimate goal and plan backward, outlining the steps that lead to that end result. Imagine you’ve already achieved your goal – what did you do to get there? What were the milestones you hit along the way? This method allows you to have a clear vision of your goal, making it feel more tangible and achievable. It also helps us to see potential challenges and plan for them in advance.

This approach not only makes the journey less intimidating but also provides a clear roadmap and sense of purpose. Remember, success is the result of small efforts, repeated day after day.

#4 Know your Obstacles and Plan for Them in Advance

Now that we’re self-aware, we have a vision of where we want to go, and we know exactly what steps to take to get there…..we also know what obstacles could possibly stand in our way. By the way these can be internal or external. If your goal is to wake up early and workout before work or school then it would be wise to already have your workout clothes picked out and easy to get to. Maybe you have a habit of hitting the snooze button one too many times in the morning (guilty 😬), then a well known way to overcome that is to put your alarm clock on the other end of the room. If you get overwhelmed with deciding what’s for dinner every night, then maybe meal planning or having a reportoire of go-to meals is the route for you.

Personally, I have to decide what I’m gonna wear for the week at the beginning of the week, or I will pick out things that I don’t love, outfits that I don’t feel my most confident in, and clothing that isn’t the best fit for the way my day will go. I’ve found that anticipating potential hurdles not only equips us with the necessary strategies to overcome them but also prevents them from derailing our progress.

#5 What Would Future “You” Think

This is super helpful when I’m just so over the 5am wake ups, feeling like I’ll never be debt-free, worrying about if my business will ever take off, frustrated that the weight loss is taking forever, and I’m just feeling hopeless in general. It’s like, why bother with all these temporary struggles on the way to my goals? It’s tempting to give up, but I know I gotta keep pushing.

When I need a boost to get up and get going, I ask myself, “What would future me think?” And honestly, she wouldn’t be too thrilled. She’d feel like I let myself down. So I also ask myself, “What would future me do?” I try to put myself in her shoes, the person I want to become. Would she give up? Get overwhelmed? Make excuses? Absolutely not! And that’s the motivation I need to jump out of bed, throw on some yoga pants, and hit the mat then take on my day.

#6 Create Celebratory Milestones Along the Way

When it comes to goal setting, figuring out what your milestones will be is absolutely crucial. It’s like having signposts along the way, guiding you towards your ultimate destination. These milestones serve as checkpoints that allow you to track your progress and stay motivated throughout the journey. And you know what’s even more exciting? Celebrating those milestones!

Consider what significant progress would look like at different stages. Is it completing a certain phase of a project? Reaching a specific target metric? Once you have identified these milestones, you can think of celebration ideas that align with your goals. For example, if your goal is to improve your fitness, you could celebrate reaching a weight loss milestone by treating yourself to a new workout outfit or booking a rejuvenating spa day. If your goal is to save money, you could celebrate reaching a savings milestone by enjoying a fun and frugal outing with friends. The key is to choose celebrations that not only give you a sense of accomplishment, but also support and reinforce the progress towards your goals.

#7 Enjoy the Journey

I’ve been guilty of this more times than I can count. Getting hyper-focused on the end goal and not taking the time to really enjoy the process. I can’t stress enough the importance of really enjoying getting to where you want to go. This is why on roadtrips we prefer to take the scenic route! It’s much easier to drive six hours when there’s something to visually enjoy along the way. Life and goal setting should be the same way.

The journey is just as important as the destination. So, take a deep breath, relax, and truly appreciate the steps you’re taking towards your goals. Embrace the challenges, celebrate the small wins, and let yourself enjoy the growth and progress you’re making. Remember, life is meant to be enjoyed, and goal-setting is no exception. So, get ready for an amazing adventure towards achieving your dreams!

So take a breather, do some deep thinking, and set some goals that will help you dominate the second half of the year and feel awesome during the process.