New Year’s resolutions aren’t for everyone. Heck, a lot of us get to a point where we know ourselves well enough to know we don’t stick with them for one reason or another. Personally, I’m guilty of making too many resolutions — it just ends up being unrealistic. I mean, really, what was I smoking on Dec. 31 when I made that crazy unattainable list?
Still, goals are necessary for a certain measure of success. And this is the perfect time to pause and reflect on the year that’s past. What are we proud of? What could’ve been better? Work, home, family, parenting, personal, health … It’s all fair game. What matters most in the months (even years) ahead? What do we want more of? What do we want less of? How can we be better? Reach higher? Be happier, more at peace?
The SMART goal methodology is one that makes sense to me. I need the specificity more than anything … It’s not enough to say “go to the gym more.” No, I need to say how many days and what I’ll be doing there. That’s a goal I can work toward. But I can’t write goals until I reflect on what I want to be.
So, I always make time at this time of year to reflect — New Year’s reflections, I call them. What do I want to be doing in the year ahead? How do I want to be different?
Hey, maybe you’re perfect and don’t need this. If that’s the case, kudos to you. Maybe you can choose to write about something you want to make sure you don’t change.
We have just a couple days left in the year, and this, my friends, is our final writing prompt. So, take a few minutes, reflect and write on this question: What one thing will you work change in 2017? Bonus: What steps will you need to take to get there?
Thanks for checking out our Wednesday Writing Prompts. Even though the Writing Prompt series will be on hiatus in the new year, we’ll still be blogging, so keep visiting. (And if you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, subscribe below.)
Wishing you a beautiful, focused, successful 2017!