What's Happening in 2019?

Setting your goals or target can be a daunting task for most of us.

Here are some steps that you may consider as you plan for the New Year.

Step 1

Be CLEAR about what you want to CREATE in your life now. Write down your goals for the following categories:

1. Your Career (example: I see myself as <name the position / title>, meeting my performance targets, excelling leading my team and rewarded by <state the desired amount> for my accomplishments).

2. Your Community (example: I see myself contributing to society / community / club / circle of friends in terms of <define your contributions in terms of providing solutions, creating a support group, initiating a movement).

3. Your Health (example: I am taking charge of my health by doing <name the activity / exercise routine and how many times a week or changing your current diet to a healthier one or quitting a bad habit that may affect your health).

4. Your Well-being (example: I schedule <how many hours> for myself every week to read books or take a up class to skill up, join a learning group, to think).

5. Your Relationships (example: I will allocate <how many hours> to be really present with my family everyday. No mobile phone. No social media activity - just focusing on having conversations that matter and enjoy the moments being together as a family unit).

Step 2

Identify how do you want to feel while undertaking the tasks that will help you inch closer to achieving your set goals. Many of us (me included), have assumed that we aim feel happy, fulfilled, satisfied and complete once we achieved all the goals. Why not start with the now instead? By imbuing yourself with much positive thoughts, feelings and energy while working towards your goal, they can help you stay motivated - even when things don't always go the way you want to along this journey that you set out for yourself.

1. How would you like to feel everyday when you wake up?

2. How would like to feel everyday when you are getting ready to sleep?

3. How do you want to feel when you are at work?

4. How do you want to feel when you look at yourself in the mirror?

5. How do you want to feel when you are face with challenges or problems that you need to solve everyday while you are working towards your goals?

Step 3

From the day we are born, we have been inundated with messages from our parents, teachers, communities that shape our ideas about the world and our role in it. These messages will ultimately affect our behaviors subconsciously and limiting your beliefs. Take a moment to write down any messages that you think may have been standing in your way (negative) then flip them with messages that you think will set you forward. Here are some examples:

Career

1. Negative: Get a stable job that will help you pay your bills and live a normal life.

2. Positive: You can do any job or produce anything that you put your mind to it that will allow you to live an extraordinary life.

Money:

1. Negative: Your earnings are limited to what you do at work, the hours you put in and dependent on your Boss' assessment of your performance.

2. Positive: Your earning potential is limitless.

Step 4

This may sound rather morbid, but the reality is that we all are going to leave this planet at some point. So why not write the story of your legacy - how would you want people to remember you? What would they say when you're gone? How would they describe your work, your contribution and the person you were when you graced the world?

What you will notice is that this exercise will help surface or heighten your awareness on how you would be spending time in a meaningful way. You may even find your life's purpose that could set your actions in motion from this moment on.

Step 5

Figure out what lights you up! When you are living your purpose, you will enjoy what you are doing. Think back and identify the activities that you do (or have previously done) that brings or brought you JOY.

When you identify, connect with and engage with your happiest activities, you are living in your best life. One that gives you the calm and clarity you need to discover the connection between your goals, your desired feelings and the activities that you will do to have a life filled with purpose!.

Step 6

Next up, list down the habits that you have now that you think might be dragging you down? For example:

• Spending too much time on your phone browsing social media sites?

• Bingeing on junk food before you go to bed?

• Drinking too much coffee a day?

• And so on and so forth...

To start, pick just one habit that you can modify slightly - going cold turkey here may not be the best idea. Say, cut down 5 cups of coffee to 2 cups daily, maybe.

The point is, making subtle shifts can mean a lot to your energy and outlook. Bring your awareness and your habits towards to direction that makes you feel better. Small improvements will eventually compound to take you step closer to the life fulfillment that you seek.

Step 7

When you are stuck at any point in time, consider simply giving back - selfless giving is one of the most rewarding activities that you can do, for both yourself and the people whose lives you touch. Who do you help when you are doing what you love?

This experience will likely give you a much needed shift in perspective and help energize your purpose.

Step 8

Now is the time where the rubber hits the road - Action Time!.

Start by choosing ONE goal and brainstorm all the possible action steps that can take you closer to achieving that goal. List them down. Break them down into small tiny steps so that it is simple to do (so simple that it gives you less excuse not to do it). Baby steps but it all adds up.

Break your annual goal to monthly, then to weekly and finally to daily. Do the same to your action steps.

Step 9

Then commit your action steps to paper. Track them on a daily basis, then weekly, then monthly. Before your know it, by the end of 2019, your small action steps will lead you to achieving your annual goal.

Also, tracking on daily basis will give you that extra boost of wins (though small wins, but a win nevertheless). This will help keep you motivated and continue your path.

Don't be too rigid though - circumstances, events, timing may cause you to adjust your daily / weekly / monthly action steps. Go and make those adjustments - as long as the goal remains the same. Enjoy the journey, by all means. Appreciate life and live to the fullest.

Step 10

Book those activities into your calendar.

To quote Tony Robbins, "If you talk about it, it's a dream, if you envision it, it's possible, but if you schedule it, it's real." So schedule all your action steps. Make it happen.

Lastly, try to find an accountability partner. Have someone who is impartial to your dreams but will help keep you on track by checking on you once in a while. Likewise, do the same for your accountability partner.

He or she could be your spouse or relative or not necessarily so. As long as they are equally motivated to achieve their own dreams and goals.

So, go ahead and make 2019 Your Best Year Ever!