Reflecting on 2023 for 2024 Goals
The new year of 2024 is around the corner, and as we all know, everyone is setting their New Year resolutions and goals for what they want to achieve in the new year. What is motivating you to set your goals? The lack and scarcity in your life or the idea of knowing there is more out there for you? Our challenge to you is to visualize a realistic but elevated version of what your life could look like in 2024. This process does not start with a Pinterest board, although it is part of it, but it starts with reflecting on the past 365 days.
Reflect
Before you start setting your goals and thinking about what you did not achieve this year, give yourself your flowers and think about what areas in life you excelled in and how you feel about them today. Take some time to answer the questions below in your journal before setting your goals for 2024.
- What am I proud of accomplishing in 2023?
- How did my lifestyle and mindset change throughout 2023?
- How proactive have I been when it comes to reaching goals recently?
- What may have held me back from accomplishing certain things?
Be Specific
Now that you’ve taken time to reflect on 2023, how it treated you, and how you handled it, it’s time to set goals aligned with where you visualize yourself going in 2024. The key to bringing big dreams to life is having a balance between those different areas while being specific about what you will experience. Break down your 2024 life goals into categories.
- Financial: savings, salary, money management
- Social: relationships, events
- Wellness: physical activity, eating habits, emotional and mental states
- Occupational: work and business
- Personal Development: new learnings, mindset, religion/spirituality, character evolution
Rather than having broad goals such as “Live a healthier lifestyle,” you can narrow down and be specific on what that means. Does a healthier lifestyle include meeting with a financial advisor each month to discuss your spending? Going for two-mile walks every Sunday? These categories will help you create smaller steps that are measurable and trackable and allow you to incorporate them into your everyday life.
Visualize
Remember that Pinterest board we mentioned? Now is the time to pull it out. Grab images related to your goals in each of the categories, and start to build out your vision board. Whether you are creating a digital vision board on Canva, a page in Notion, or using physical images to hang on your wall, each image should represent your life in 2024 and have meaning behind it.
An easy thing to do is get caught up in what looks nice and what you see other people adding to their 2024 vision board and goals, but it’s essential to stay true to yourself and where you are heading in life. If you feel you are losing sight of your big picture, go back into reflection mode.
Check-In
Outside of setting goals, the key to achieveing them is following up on your progress. Making smaller monthly and weekly goals may help your journey because you are frequently checking in with yourself rather than once at the end of the year. A convenient way to follow up on your goals is the set time aside each week or a couple of times a month to check in and see where you are. Block time out on your calendar like you would a meeting because it is just as essential.
And if you think you may forget, write your future self a letter. Futureme.org gives you the chance to schedule emails to your future self. Use this as a way to reflect on where you are at that moment and where you hope future you will be when they receive it. Just remember to check in with yourself and give yourself grace along the way.
We all deserve to live the life we desire, and it can come a little easier if we align ourselves with where we want to go. To do that, as a recap, that means:
- Reflecting on where we are and where we want to be
- Being specific about our life goals by writing them down and visualizing them
- Holding yourself accountable
We hope you experience all the great things in 2024 and it treats you nothing but well. Spend some time reflecting in our journals in 2024.