I have a couple of questions for you. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Did you promise yourself that 2023 was going to be your best year yet? Or maybe you set some goals during the last three months.
Well, does it surprise you that most people who make New Year’s resolutions usually break them and toss them aside by February?
And those goals that were set during the last few months may already be placed on the backburner until next year when they’ll be pulled back out again.
Well, today I’m sharing some good news with you today! It’s not too late for you to make this year the year you want it to be. It’s spring and this is a great time to refresh your vision for 2024.
Before I give you the steps that I use and I share with my clients to do that, I want you to know why I believe it’s so important to us as women of faith to be intentional about designing the year we want, and we believe God wants for us.
First of all, we’re commanded to live a life that is salt and light to this world.
Matthew 5:13-16 says, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
This passage reminds us that we’re also going to be held accountable for our results based on the resources we have been given to steward.
Matthew 25:14-30 tells us the familiar story about the Parable of the Talents. That Parable is a reminder “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.
Finally, we’re to be an example to others.
In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul says that we should be imitators of Christ – in other words, be like Him as an example to other people.
These three things remind us that we have a responsibility to take the time to plan out our year. And this is true for our personal lives, as well as our work lives – whether that’s a career, business, ministry, or non-profit.
We can’t sit around hoping and wishing that on December 31st we’ll be able to say that 2024 was an amazing year.
Now, I’m not saying that all of your plans will make this year perfect for you.
But what I am saying, is that if you align your will with God’s will for your life, pray, and take the steps the Holy Spirit is prompting you to take, you will have the year God ordained for you to have.
Not planning for a good year, however, will probably result in you not having the year you want.
So, you have a responsibility to take the time to plan out your efforts for the year. Once you’ve made your plan, you need to stick to it. This means reviewing it regularly – at least every 90 days.
To help you with this, let me share a 5-step process for you to get started designing the rest of 2024 so that it is the year you want it to be.
I have a couple of questions for you. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Did you promise yourself that 2023 was going to be your best year yet? Or maybe you set some goals during the last three months.
Well, does it surprise you that most people who make New Year’s resolutions usually break them and toss them aside by February?
And those goals that were set during the last few months may already be placed on the backburner until next year when they’ll be pulled back out again.
Well, today I’m sharing some good news with you today! It’s not too late for you to make this year the year you want it to be. It’s spring and this is a great time to refresh your vision for 2024.
Before I give you the steps that I use and I share with my clients to do that, I want you to know why I believe it’s so important to us as women of faith to be intentional about designing the year we want, and we believe God wants for us.
First of all, we’re commanded to live a life that is salt and light to this world.
Matthew 5:13-16 says, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
This passage reminds us that we’re also going to be held accountable for our results based on the resources we have been given to steward.
Matthew 25:14-30 tells us the familiar story about the Parable of the Talents. That Parable is a reminder “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.
Finally, we’re to be an example to others.
In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul says that we should be imitators of Christ – in other words, be like Him as an example to other people.
These three things remind us that we have a responsibility to take the time to plan out our year. And this is true for our personal lives, as well as our work lives – whether that’s a career, business, ministry, or non-profit.
We can’t sit around hoping and wishing that on December 31st we’ll be able to say that 2024 was an amazing year.
Now, I’m not saying that all of your plans will make this year perfect for you.
But what I am saying, is that if you align your will with God’s will for your life, pray, and take the steps the Holy Spirit is prompting you to take, you will have the year God ordained for you to have.
Not planning for a good year, however, will probably result in you not having the year you want.
So, you have a responsibility to take the time to plan out your efforts for the year. Once you’ve made your plan, you need to stick to it. This means reviewing it regularly – at least every 90 days.
To help you with this, let me share a 5-step process for you to get started designing the rest of 2024 so that it is the year you want it to be.
5-Step Process for Recommitting to Your Goals for the Year
Here are five steps in this process.
Step #1. Reflect on your 2023 wins and losses.
This is a step that a lot of people skip when they begin making plans for the current year. It’s really important to take the time to pause and reflect on the year that you’ve had.
You should be looking at the past year and assessing your strengths and weaknesses, disappointments, and victories. You should then learn from this review and adapt necessary changes for this year.
Think through the goals you set for yourself and the areas of life you intended to prioritize. My 7 Pillars of Purposeful Living is a great tool to do this – you can get your free download at herrichlife.com/pillars. Begin by reflecting on each pillar: God, Love, Health, Work, Finances, Environment, and Lifestyle.
Using the download, I want you to go through each pillar and ask yourself these questions:
- What stands out to you the most?
- What accomplishments are you most proud of? What were some of your best moments?
- Which pillars were difficult? What did you learn from the challenges?
- Which pillars were most rewarding?
- What worked – and what didn’t?
Personally, my biggest challenge is always in the Lifestyle Pillar. Setting aside time for play, recreation, and fun is something I have to be intentional about. I have to make a commitment to myself to not neglect that part of my life.
So, set aside some time and assess what worked for you in 2023. Knowing the answers to these questions will help you design a better 2024.
Step #2. Outline what matters most to you in life.
This simply means that you need to identify what is most important to you in this season. This is the time to outline your core values and use them as a building block for developing meaningful goals for 2024.
It’s important to live in alignment with your core values. Because when you don’t, you will feel out of alignment and that can grown into frustration and overwhelm.
For instance, one of my core values is boundaries.
- What I’ve learned is that if I don’t set good boundaries, I end up taking on more things than I should.
- And when that happens, I get frustrated because I’ve said yes to things I don’t really want to do.
- So, I’m always asking myself if what I’m being asked to do is something that is important to me right now, in this season.
- If it’s not, that’s a no for me.
Your values are what motivate you to prioritize your time and resources based on what matters most to you.
So, ask yourself:
- What matters most to me, right now, in this season – relationships, dreams, your business, ministry, or career?
- What will you choose to value or prioritize in 2024?
- What do you need to say no to, right now?
Step #3. Visualize your ideal 2024.
In order to achieve what you want, you have to know what you want!
I know that sounds obvious, but I’m always amazed by how many women skip this part of setting goals and planning.
Here are 3 questions that will provide a framework to help you get from point A to point B.
- First – What do you want?
- Dream big and envision what you hope for in the future.
- Identify what you want your life to communicate and contribute.
- Where do you want to be on December 31, 2024?
- Second – What’s missing?
- Consider what’s missing from your life that could add more joy, peace, and presence to your life.
- How will that give you the joy, peace, and presence you desire?
- Third – What can help you get there?
- Determine what intentions you can set to get there.
- Set goals that align with what you want to happen.
Here’s what I mean. I love watching winter sports and one of my favorites is figure skating.
- When I first started watching the skaters, I would often see them with headphones on, eyes closed, and swaying, as if they were actually skating.
- After a little research, I found that those skaters were visualizing themselves going through their entire performance.
- But it didn’t end there – they also visualized themselves winning the gold medal, having that medal placed around their necks, and holding up their arm in victory.
- This is a technique athletes have used for years.
- That doesn’t mean they win the gold medal every time, but it has led to a lot of successes for many athletes.
Your mindset matters – what you think can often bring about your reality.
Visualization works by getting your mind and body ready for what you want to happen – and, just like exercise, the more you do it, the stronger your visualization muscle becomes.
So, visualize what you want 2024 to look like for you on December 31st.
Step #4. Brainstorm your goals
Once you are clear on your vision, you’re ready to set your goals.
Go back to the 7 Pillars for Purposeful Living and set at least one goal for each of the pillars that is going to help your vision come to pass.
And don’t think that you have to complete all of them this year. For instance, if you have a 5-year goal, you can’t complete that in 9 months. But you can identify the steps you can take in the next 9 months to get you closer to your five-year goal.
As you review the 7 Pillars while setting your goals, identify the progress that you’d like to see in each of the pillars and then map it out for your year – concentrating on 90-days at a time. You can do this in a spreadsheet, a calendar, or anything else that you would like to use – you just need to make sure that it’s written down.
Get your goals out of your head and into the world – writing them down will make them more real to you. Studies show that people who write down their goals are more successful in reaching them.
Step #5. Create your action plan
Y’all know I like a good action plan – whenever I talk about how to do something, an action plan is usually my final step in the “how to” process.
Today is no different.
It’s time to break down your goals, step by step, so that you can take the action you need to take.
For example, I schedule out my Work Pillar every 90 days.
- My current business 90-day plan for April, May, and June includes me scheduling the topics for my blog and newsletter, deciding on my social media focus, the goal setting bootcamp I’m planning for next month, my upcoming summit, and working with my designer on my journal. Some of these will be completed during these 90 days, others won’t be completed until the next quarter.
- I like to write – pen to paper – so, I have a calendar just for this purpose.
- Not only does this make it easier for me to hit the ground running when it’s time for me to work, but it takes away overwhelm and replaces it with peace and calm.
That’s two things that make my year a good one.
Here’s a brief outline of what you need to do for your 90-day planning.
To get started, review your:
- Quarterly Actions – What do I want to have achieved at the end of 90 days – by June 30th?
- Monthly Actions – What can you do on a monthly basis to bring you closer to your June 30th desire?
- Weekly Routines – What can you do on a weekly basis – what routines can you set up that will help you accomplish your monthly desires?
- Daily Habits – What can you do on a daily basis that’s going to make those weekly routines happen?
So, again, pull out your pen and paper or tablet and get started.
Conclusion
I wish we had magic wands and could wave them, and we would automatically achieve everything we want to be, have, and do.
But that’s not the case. If you want your life to be different, you have to do something different.
The question is, what does God want for you at this time in your life?
Here are 3 final tips to help you answer this question.
Tip #1 – Don’t answer that question – what does God want for you at this time in your life? – with what you “should” want or what other people tell you to want.
Remember, Colossians 3:23 says: Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
You’re partnering with God to design the year you want – you don’t have to figure this out on your own.
Tip #2 – Don’t give in to the temptation to focus on what you’re lacking, what you don’t have, what you don’t know.
Instead, challenge yourself to focus on what’s possible.
Choosing to be lack-focused can cause you to magnify the problem instead of being solution-oriented.
Philippians 4:8 reminds us: And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Tip #3 – Give yourself some grace.
Forgive yourself. If you mess up, try again. Too many people fall into the trap of believing that if they stumble, they should stop trying – that’s not helpful and it’s not true.
Ask God to help you to forgive yourself when you fail and then for the strength to keep going after the change He has called you to make.
2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that: Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
If you want 2024 to be an amazing year for you, write out what you want, make a plan for getting it, and start working that plan.
