Goals are extremely important, and while they always have been - in the face of this brand new year, this clean slate of a new 10 years - they're more important than ever...

 Don't let that intimidate you. If you're not one for goal setting, we'll help you nail down what's important to you, and figure out exactly how to reach your goals - professional and personal. 

 If you haven't started this new year with a laundry list of resolutions and plans for the new year - we understand. Resolutions get a bad rap because...well, most people don't follow them. Sure, they're "goals" but tied to nothing tangible except a date that's since past - we don't really stick to them. They blow away like stray birthday balloons. 

Whether or not you have a list of resolutions - we want to talk to you about setting goals. If you don't already have a list of goals to hit - don't feel bad. Here are a few ways we set goals.

1.  Have a seat! Our world is SO rushed. Everything we do seems to be at a speed where there's little time for self-reflection. We seldom ask ourselves amidst all of our perceived obligations - "What do I want?" Take the time to pause, sit with yourself and come back to your center and regroup within yourself. What are the things you've always wanted to do? What dreams did you give up on too quickly? What goals did you set last year and not reach? What will ultimately make you the happiest? 

2. Grab a pen. It's time to put it to paper. After you've had a chance to sit in meditation about your ambitions - get whatever means you use to write something down - and start making notes. It doesn't have to be fancy - but it DOES have to be visual. Ever heard the phrase "writing it makes it real"? If it's written it can't just be forgotten. If you're faced with your goals every day they're harder to default on. Take your time and flesh out all of what you want to do - with this next decade, or even just this next year. Don't worry about it being long - you can always winnow it down as projects take off. 

3. Plan! Plan! Plan! While you're writing - take the time to assign 12 separate pieces of paper a month January to December. Got that? Great! Now, take that list of wants and hopes and dreams and start tying them to months. Not specific days - just months. Write them at the top and call them "Goals". While you're doing this pencil in the important dates that you'll want to remember. Birthdays, anniversaries, company and personal milestones, vacations, time out of the office, and any other scheduled changes you can foresee. Any projects you see coming up - make sure you pencil them into your yearly goals and highlight them so you know they're coming. 

4. Budget and prioritize. There are ALWAYS costs associated with doing business. Some foreseeable, some not. It's going to be much easier to be prepared for any of your upcoming calendar if you have a good sense of what everything will cost. Go through your new "calendar" and make a rough estimate of what each project will need financially. Now that you have an idea of those figures - double them and put them in writing. Make sure you give each project a realistic time frame to come together - especially if there's planning involved. Now that you know how long you'll need - make a mark in your calendar for the months in which you need to be saving - and how much - for your upcoming projects. Pencil in your starting dates for saving. You'll be glad you did 6 months from now. 

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