If you read my review of 2014 you would have read the following:
My list for 2014 was too long and at times I struggled with it. I go into 2015 knowing that I have in my mind a list as long, if not longer than 2014 of things I would like to achieve. But I also go into 2015 knowing that a long list can spread myself too thin and not allow me to focus on the things that mean the most to me.
My list for 2015 will be shorter. My want to do “all of the things” will not have diminished, but through a more defined set of goals, I will try to reign in my tendency to overload myself.
2015 goals setting step 1 – what brings me happiness
The first step I took in planning my goals for 2015 was of course reviewing the past year, but most importantly, working out what meant most to me and gave me the most happiness and feeling of success. I came up with four things:
- Achieving family harmony
- Spending time with good friends, including my beautiful husband and sisters
- Helping other mothers
- Running long distance
2015 goals setting step 2 – what do I want to achieve in 2015?
I then wrote down all of the things I would like to do and achieve in 2015. I didn’t limit the list at all. This was going to be a starting point and it felt good to write down all the things that had been swimming in my head. Some were large, some were small, some were exciting and some were pretty mundane but I listed them all.
As I imagined the list was long, well over 50 items on it at the end. And that was where I got a little stuck. My plan had been to somehow prioritise this list and create a short list of goals for 2015. I found the list overwhelming. I wanted to do these things, but I did not want to feel pulled in so many directions like I was in 2014.
So I sat on the list for over a week. Pondering it, reading other posts on goal setting and finally developing a structure that I could create my goals for 2015.
2015 goals setting step 3 – going from goals to goal
Through my reading I came across and interview with Jay Papasan on a podcast called a Dose of Leadership and it helped me greatly. It helped me realise something I think I knew all along. My goals needed to become a goal.
Jay Papasan is co-author of a book called The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results. I am yet to read the book, but have ordered it and look forward to reading it and using the strategies to help me achieve my one thing for 2015.
In the podcast Papasan stated:
Success is sequential not simultaneous
This resonated with me. When I look at successful people I admire, there is a definite pattern in their successes. They work on one element or area, master it and then move on to the next and keep going. Papasan also concludes that if you pick the right one, it will make many things happen.
I also love the Russian proverb they use in the book:
If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one.
I think I spent 2014 chasing too many rabbits and while I absolutely acknowledge I had a level of success and achievement, I don’t think the results accurately reflected the energy I expended.
This video by the team at The ONE Thing, has a statement that I am going to remind myself of daily {click here if you cannot see the video}:
Success comes when you can honestly say that you’re meant to be where you are right now, doing exactly what your doing.
2015 goals setting step 4 – choosing the one thing
I went back to the list of four things that gave me the most happiness and feeling of success in 2014 and it was actually quite easy to choose what my one thing for 2015 would be. It was family harmony. To make it my goal for 2015 I needed to redefine it in a way more weighted to me personally and more measurable.
I came up with this:
Underneath the goal I have created a list of strategies to help me achieve it and many of these strategies covered off some of the items on my list of all the things I wanted to do in 2015. The key strategies I need to execute for me to be the planned, patient and present mother to my beautiful kids that I want to be are as follows and I have included a small explanation as to why the strategy is important:
| Strategies to achieve my one thing in 2015 | |
|---|---|
| Be in bed before 10pm each night | If I am tired, I lose my patience and when very tired I tend to vague out and am not fully present with the kids. |
| Eat and a varied wholefood diet | I need to eat well to maintain my health and energy levels. |
| Maintian a regular fitness and exercise routine | Exercising is where I get some time on my own and this helps me come back to the family feeling mentally refreshed. |
| Practice gratitude daily | I want to work on improving my overall attitude as this affects how I interact with the kids. I have much to be grateful and need to remind myself of this. |
| Pause and think before I speak | I talk fast and a lot. Sometimes less would be better and more thought put into my words so they have a positive impact on my kids. |
| Make only positive statements (no complaining) | Towards the end of 2014 I found I was complaining a lot. I want to turn that around. This doesn't mean I accept poor behaviour or mess or have to love everything my kids do, but I need to find better ways to express how I feel about it. |
| Expect good things from my children | You find what you look for. If I am waiting for my kids to do the wrong thing or say the wrong thing, then that is most likely what I will find. While they will never be perfect, I need to not be focusing on their mistakes and misdemeanours. |
And I will use this framework to measure my success:
| How can I measure my success in 2015? |
|---|
| Daily journalling |
| Successful execution of strategies |
| Monthly reviews of the above |
And while some of these strategies did appear on my list as goals last year, I have a different approach to them. Going to bed at 10pm actually is no longer about me – it is about my kids. If I choose to stay up later, I am making a choice that goes against want I want for my kids.
I now have a defined purpose behind these strategies – one single focus that I want to achieve. By focusing on being the planned, patient and present mother to my beautiful kids that I want to be, I can use it to guide my decision making in all areas of life.
Have you set a goal or goals for 2015? If so I would love to hear about them.