How to Set Authentic Goals for the New Year

Each year people all over the world set goals for the new year when they make resolutions. They determine they are going to do a thing for the year in order to achieve something. Perhaps it’s to pay off debt, or save a certain amount of money. For others it might be a resolution to read a certain number of books in the year. And, the most common one, is changing a diet or adding exercise to the routine.

I’m not saying it’s impossible to follow through. But, it does require a change in mindset. In order to completely follow through it’s important to set goals for the year that are authentic and attainable.

Resolutions can literally be anything. But, as often happens, a resolution is a short-lived ideal that perhaps makes it’s presence known for a month or two before the realities of day to day life starts to block the past to the resolution.

Making huge changes is hard. But, making small changes can lead us to success, and inspire us to set even bigger goals.

Each year I try to set a few goals as the new year begins. Sometimes the goal is personal, or for my business, and other times it is goals for our family.

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But, I also am a realist and know that setting new years resolutions often falls short of expectations. And, I know if I seek to make huge changes they’ll fall flat quickly.

It all starts with a heart that’s willing to change. This means I have to learn to focus my heart, and let go of anything that might prevent me from continuing my efforts to move forward and toward my goals.

That’s why I believe it’s important to be prayerful about the goals I set for the year. Prayer is a way of communicating with God. Yes, He already knows my heart, but His love for me means He wants me to communicate with Him, and I do that in prayer.

I ask for help, wisdom and strength of spirit to meet the goals that I’ve set. And, when I fail, I can go to Him again and again.

This is one way to hold yourself accountable.

14 Authentic Goals for the New Year

Of course, your goals will likely look different from mine. They should! You and your family are unique and as such your goals should be unique to your own life and situation.

However, I’m sharing my goals and the reasons for them so you can see how to work out your own authentic goals.

7 Personal Goals for the New Year

1. To do a deep scriptural study – Last year’s quarantine and churches turning to an online platform left me feeling disconnected. But, I know I can always connect with the Lord through the Word.
2. Organize several hidden areas of the home. Over the years unseen places can become cluttered. I want to clean out, purge, and organize these areas for a more streamlined household.
3. Be more hospitable – Each month I will make concerted effort to invite others into my home, both friend, and stranger.
4. Healthy eating – I have specific eating goals and will continue to increase my activity/exercise routines.
5. Call my mom, daily. This should be simple, but I find myself getting distracted and losing the day before I realize it’s too late to call. I will set a reminder on my phone to call at the same time each day.
6. Purpose to develop one strong friendship locally – This has been difficult since we moved a few years ago… but I have a plan.
7. Daily work to move my businesses forward – this may seem simple, but it can be very difficult to remain focused on tasks when working online. I’ll set specific weekly and monthly goals and outline a schedule/routine to accomplish these things.

7 New Year Goals for our Family

1. Restore family devotional time each night – This last year we lost sight of this family tradition and we need to get back into the routine of it.
2. Do family dinner at the table, rather than in front of TV – We do eat together almost nightly, however, we’ve sort of gotten into the habit of eating on the couch with the TV on. I want to change that and focus on conversations.
3. Host a game night for friends, monthly– It’s time to get back to developing closer relationships with friends.
4. Plan for graduation! and prep for what comes next… Wow! – Yes, it’s last year of homeschooling and our only child will be graduating this year.
5. Continue seeking solutions for medical needs. – We’ve all gotten established with various medical/healthcare professionals and we’re working to resolve some ongoing issues.
6. Work on being more proactive with friends/family – All of our family live at least 10 hours from us, and since we’ve moved it’s been harder to keep in touch and involved. So I’m adding this as a goal for the new year. I still need to develop a plan to make it happen.
7. Pay off some unexpected bills that came up last year, and set aside both emergency fund, and extended savings. 

Well my goals may not be fancy and they may seem quite mundane, but they are the goals I’ve set for the new year and for me they are an authentic reflection of what our life is like at this time and the overall goals I want to get us back into a family routine after the upheaval of last year. 

How to Set Your Goals for the Year

When you sit down to determine what your goals will be, it’s important to write them down. Trust me, you might think you’ll remember but after a few days, or weeks those details will start to slip from your mind.

Having a written record allows you a chance to revisit your goals again and again to remind yourself of what your goals are and why you are working toward them.

• Write out any spiritual goals you may have.
• What educational/studies do you want to complete?
• What goals do you have for your business (if you work either from home or for a corporation)?
• Write out any big projects you would like to complete around the house.
• Think about any health goals you may have. Perhaps it’s managing a condition, or seeking help from a professional.
• What self-care goals are you thinking you might need to implement.
• Take into consideration goals you may want for your family.
• What financial goals do you want to set?
• How often should your family purpose time together?
• What is one area of family life that is lacking proper care, and how can you go about moving toward repairing that situation?

These are just a few questions to help you get started as you plan your goals for the new year.

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What areas of life are you most hopeful to focus on?

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