Goals, goals, goals…

I love a New Year. A fresh start. Another shot. A new beginning.

Basically, I love starting something.

I am an ideas girl who loves a plan and the promise of something perfect. I love how, at the start, there are no errors and it is all about the potential of the project.

Maybe this is why I hate New Year's Eve so much. I guess the opposite must be true.

As you might imagine, I have set myself many New Year's resolutions in my time. From losing weight to keeping a diary and pretty much everything in between (and sometimes the same things many, many times over!) As you also might imagine of this perfectionist, I have usually slipped up and subsequently quit by mid February.

That's why, this year, I'm not bothering.

Don't get me wrong, I have grand plans for the coming year (possibly the grandest yet!) and I am all about setting goals, but I am coming round to the idea that I should leave those rules and resolutions behind if I really want to see results.

Like me, many of you will be looking to be more consistent or ambitious in the content you are sharing in order to promote your business. Whether you are looking to embrace video trends and engage with your audience or aiming to put out content that converts to sales time and time again, you have probably - like me - spent plenty of time contemplating how you might do that. You may have produced a plan. You may have even paid me to do this for you!

However, before you sit back feeling smug and simply visualise just how successful you will be, take a little bit of time to consider these ways to ensure that all of those plans aren't wasted…

Get real

Whilst I am all about being ambitious, dreaming big only works if you are able to show up to action the plans too. Take a moment to look at your intentions and nail the nitty gritty of the logistics. Pin point your who, what, when and where as well as your why in order to take those dreams and make them a reality.

Be honest

Whatever your best intentions, stop for a minute to picture you on your worst day. When you are stressed or tired or busy or simply cannot be bothered to do anything other than the bare minimum. What happens then? If you can’t imagine what you will do when you are less than your best then it isn’t really a plan at all.

Take accountability

So you’ve said you will do it. So what? Promising yourself you will make something happen is only really worth it is you are prepared to hold yourself accountable to that promise (even on those bad days!) And, for most of us, we are pretty good at finding an excuse. So, find a way to make sure that the rubbish excuse simply won’t cut it. Whether sharing your intentions with your followers to joining other goal getters to offer mutual support, avoid doing it alone.

Be prepared to fail

A good goal takes you beyond your comfort zone. Therefore, you will be looking to do something you aren’t an expert at yet (Ah, ‘yet’! My favourite word!) and, when you aren’t an expert, you ARE going to get it wrong. Accept that and be prepared to move on. Slipping up can feel like failure but, ultimately, you only ever really fail when you quit.

DON’T QUIT!!!

Believe me, you will want to. The second you slip up you will want to pack it all in. Don't. Try to remind yourself that progress is never a straight line. Take some time to reflect on how far you have come, bank each and every one of your achievements, set your sights on the specifics that got you started in the first place. Then, keep going. you will get there eventually, I promise.

So, if you have set yourself some goals for the year ahead, I would love to hear your thoughts on these tips or any other pieces of advice you have for achieving them. Join me over on Instagram...