How to prepare for 2017

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I've been reflecting on my year all week. My accomplishments, magic moments and not-so-cool moments. Enjoying my reflections, I decided to set goals for the coming year and that's where I got stuck. I tried to use some goal setting templates and guidelines but, honestly, I ended up even more overwhelmed. I couldn't bring myself to use any of the templates so don't worry, I'm not about to give you a goal setting template you have to follow Eventually, to avoid being overwhelmed, I decided to keep my system simple.  I wrote down three areas I wanted to see significant growth in in 2017. These three areas were; family, giving and personal development. Everything else I hope to achieve has to fall within these three areas or its not a priority. I firmly believe the best things in life should always be kept simple So how do you prepare for 2017? Start with reflecting on your 2016. What went really well? What didn't? Why didn't it? Was it something to do with you? or just something that couldn't happen? 'Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences and failing to achieve anything useful" (Margaret Wheatly) Use your reflections to plan for the new year. What three simple areas of your life do you need to prioritize this year? Write out these three areas and set a quarterly milestone for each area. This way, you don't set goals just for the sake of setting goals. You'll set goals because you understand deeply why you need to prioritize and achieve those goals "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward" (S. Kiekergard) Finally, commit to a process Goals can put a burden on your shoulders. You might find yourself living your life in limbo and stalling your happiness until you achieve a certain goal. That's not a great way to live. Pass on the need for instant gratification and bring yourself to a place where your daily habits add up to your ultimate goal For instance, if you want to lose weight. You're better off committing to the process of reducing your daily meal portions than starving yourself randomly or hitting the gym only when you feel like. When you reduce your daily meal portions, your tummy will shrink and you'll shed the weight much easier. Experts say losing weight depends 80% on what you eat and 20% on exercise. This can also apply to other areas of your life where you want to achieve significant growth. Commit to a process of doing an activity daily or weekly or monthly and it eventually adds up. A quick tip here, learn to forgive yourself when you fall short and pick yourself right up again. "When life knocks you down, try to fall on your back. Because if you can look up, you can get up, Let your reason get you back up" (Les Brown) You have the ability to make 2017 better than previous years. Try not to get overwhelmed with so many goals that you end up achieving nothing. That happens to the best of us. Keep it simple. Enjoy the process and watch yourself achieve significant growth. Here's to 2017!!