Goals for a New Year

Goodbye 2018 and G’Day 2019. We are just over a week into the new year and usually that means we are either smashing our goals or we have fallen off the wagon and given up. If you’re one of the committed people out there that are still smashing goals then a massive congratulations is in order! As for the rest of you who may have slipped up or haven’t had a go yet, it’s time to reassess your goals or think about what’s important to you moving forward and how you can achieve this.

Goals can be challenging, so when setting goals, you must make them attainable - if not disappointment and guilt arise and we definitely don’t want that. Based on an article from 1981 by George T. Doran, there is a SMART way to accomplish your goals.

Specific - What is your goal? Be specific and add as much detail as possible. Where will is take place? What do you want to achieve?

Measurable - How are you going to measure your goal? How will you track the progress to achieving your goal?

Achievable - Goals can be challenging and should push you out of your comfort zone but should still be achievable. Is your goal attainable? How can you break it into smaller steps to make it achievable?

Relevant - Is your goal realistic? Will you be able to achieve your goal with determination and effort? 

Timely - Do you have a timeframe as to when your goal should be completed?

Using the SMART guidelines when setting your new year goals helps simplify the process. Once you have set your goals it’s time to step in and step up with effort and determination to achieve your dreams. 

Another tip that can be vital to achieving dreams is sharing your goals! Tell people about what you want to achieve. If somebody else knows about it then they can remind and support you and you may even inspire them! So here are Head and Heart Mindfulness we are going to share our mindfulness goals with you.

Kylie - My goal is all about love. 

Towards the end of last year I found myself focusing on ‘love’ a lot. I spent more time being aware of love in its many forms. I consciously created habits of noticing the feeling of love when embracing a loved one, expressing my love in its many different forms, observing love being shared between others and practising self love and acceptance. I send love to those I know well, others I don’t know so well and those I have conflict with.  In my home the moments of love that bring the most joy are the love between the four of us when we have a family cuddle and my kids laughing together as they play. Love brings joy and acceptance and simply makes you feel awesome. The feeling you experience of ‘love’ is due to a cocktail of feel good hormones (dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin to name a few) being released into your body. And amazingly you can have the benefits by thinking about love as well as experiencing it in the moment. This year I am excited to embrace love mindfully.

Brooke - This year I hope to spend time strengthening my skills of patience and tolerance. 

I will use mindfulness to do so by focusing on my breathing, my responses to people and situations and acceptance of my environment. I aim to show patience and tolerance towards myself in daily activities, roles and settings. My intention for patience and tolerance is for all relationships I have, in particular my children, husband, family and friends. I also want to extend patience and tolerance for situations that are out of my control, by practising acceptance and combining all the skills I have to quietly and calmly move on, or away from negative or stressful situations. By doing these things, I will enable myself greater opportunities to be happier and calmer.

Erin - This year is all about mindfully decluttering.

For me 2019 is all about creating space, both physical and mental. I’ve always been someone who liked things to be clean and tidy - I’m just not very good at it! Last year, I decided enough is enough - it’s time to declutter. I have spent a lot of time organising my home and I already feel lighter. This year I’ll be working on being mindful of the things I bring into my home. If it’s not useful and doesn’t bring me happiness, it won’t be coming into my home. In terms of mental space, last year I discovered journalling as a creative outlet. It allowed me to track my mindful moments, health, exercise and self-care. I discovered I wasn’t really taking very good care of myself. This year, I’ll be continuing to create mental space through journalling and mindfulness practice. I can’t wait to see what 2019 brings!

Kelsea - My goal is to practise gratitude. 

I plan to set aside five minutes every day before bed to be grateful. I will list a minimum of three things that I am grateful for that day. It could be a person, activity or a thing that I am thankful for. I also want to use gratitude as a way to change perspectives from negative to positive. In the past gratitude has helped me to see difficult scenarios in a new light. I can bring positivity and abundance into my life by practising gratitude everyday.

What is your mindfulness goal for 2019?