6 Ways You Can Set Yourself Up for Success In 2020
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It’s a few months into the new decade and the initial enthusiasm for living out your new year goals has likely worn off. Maybe you’ve made a few lifestyle changes here and there, but it’s understandable to feel like you’re losing steam trying to stay on top of your work schedule, health, family responsibilities, maintaining a social life, and more.
With that being said, Spring is right around the corner and what better time to revisit your goals, decide what’s realistic and what’s not, and reassess where you want to be in a few months from now. Review these simple yet actionable steps to help guide you through these next few weeks so you can feel proud of your progress and earn that celebration bubbly when you reflect on 2020!
Here are the six ways you can set yourself up for success this year.
1. Focus on Habits and Routines
Habits are extremely important as you’re probably well aware, but oftentimes we forget the impact that not continually following through on our commitments has on our future progress. Each time you commit to something then fall back on your word, you lessen your trust within yourself and only make it easier to break promises in the future. It’s important to create routines and habits that you can actually stick to based on your lifestyle. If you want to start going to the gym daily but hate waking up early, don’t force yourself to start a new workout routine before dawn as you won’t be motivated and most likely won’t stick to this routine for very long. Instead, try to schedule any new habit during a time when your mental strength and capacity is at its peak so you’re able to follow through. This process will help strengthen your willpower and boost your confidence, reinforcing your ability to make longer lasting changes.
2. Set Smaller, Specific Goals
Similarly to developing routines that you can stick to daily, it’s also critical that your goals are specific enough for you to measure the progress you’re making. If you have broad ideas versus a specific task to complete, it’s a lot easier to brush something off and not hold yourself accountable. Rather than find yourself in the same place you were six months ago, focus on developing smaller, more intentional actions that will help you reach your goals. The more granular you get the better in most situations. A great place to start is to write down what time you want to wake up, how long you plan to write in your journal for, or which night is set aside for date night, a gym session, a home-cooked meal and so on.
3. Elevate Your Money Mindset
It’s not surprising that financial management is one of the largest challenges that people face, often contributing to stress, turmoil, and possible disagreements within relationships. That’s not to say that all individuals struggle with money—but unfortunately, most people do not have a healthy relationship with money.
The first step to improving your finances begins with elevating your money mindset and aura. If you’re someone who has never tracked your spending before or set investment goals, check out our weekly money date guide to help you get started.
4. Plan for the Future
It’s never too late or too soon to start preparing for what lies ahead. This is not to take away from living in the moment and being fully present in your life, but rather to encourage you to have a plan for the expected and life’s surprises. Whether you’re currently single, engaged, starting a family or approaching retirement, it’s necessary that you are securing your future for yourself and your loved ones, should anything happen to you.
If anyone in your life depends on your income for financial protection, it’s highly recommended that you maintain life insurance coverage. If you have not done this already, you might want to take some time to review life insurance policies in order to ensure you’re receiving the best rate and coverage for your situation. Oftentimes, the benefits of life insurance are misunderstood which is why people wait to apply for coverage when in reality, the younger and generally healthier you are, the more affordable your rates can be. If this is your first time considering a life insurance policy, you can speak to a professional who can guide you and answer any questions that might impact your coverage.
5. Take Better Care of Your Health
As mentioned earlier, many people desire to improve their health goals early on in the new year. This is a positive goal, but as we know, it’s easy to retract on our commitment to eating well, exercising, and focusing on daily health improvements that can enhance our overall well-being. One way to make changes you know you can stick to is to set a few small intentions each day that promote better health. These should be easy to implement and can include things like drinking eight glasses of water a day, focusing on maintaining better posture at work, stretching before getting into bed, and eating a fruit or vegetable first thing in the morning. Furthermore, many people typically don't get enough sleep during the night, which can negatively impact their motivation to reach their goals. Focus on your small health goals, rather than hoping for immediate or extreme results, as it will make a huge difference in following through on your commitment.
6. Make Plans and Stick to Them
Just like making a commitment to yourself, you can make more of an effort to only agree to plans if you are sure you will attend. The more things you say yes to and then don’t show up, the more unreliable you will be to others and yourself. If you desire to be more considerate of your time as well as others, it’s necessary to prioritize and agree to plans based on what is realistic for that day or week.
Whether it’s with your boss, a family member or your best friend, when you do make plans, you should make every effort to follow through with them. If you agreed to something, remember that it must have been important to you at one time. It’s easy to get caught up in the day and tell someone you’re feeling too busy or tired, but if you do this regularly important people in your life might end up losing trust in you. In order to be more reliable, be honest with yourself and try to put less pressure to overcommit or accept every invitation. For most, responding more straightforwardly will reduce your stress and leave you feeling happier to do the things you actually want.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the goals you set for yourself or simply got lost in the ability to follow through, this is your second chance to apply these tips to your life to help you achieve the success you desire this year!
