Are you someone like me who looks at the time before the New Year as a time to reflect on the past year, and all that has either gone well, or not to our liking?

As we start the new year it is a great time to get clear about our intentions and values for ourselves.  An intention is a thought that you put out to the universe about how you want your life to be.  Intentions are an important part of the Law of Attraction, and the beginning of how you manifest your desires.

The clearer you are on your intentions, the more easily you can manifest your dream life.

Now, I am all about the Law of Attraction and visualization to manifest your dream life, but I think that you need to put the work in too in order to make your dreams into a reality.  This is where setting goals, and goal directed action comes in.

My favorite framework for setting goals is the SMART Goals format.  SMART stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Time Bound

The more specific and measurable your goals are, the more likely that you will be able to set goals that are also realistic and achievable.  It makes your goals more concrete, and easier to follow.  It also allows you to know when you have achieved them, since they won’t be too vague.

Having vague goals is one of the most common reasons that we don’t achieve our goals; if you say “I want to get healthy” that is great, but how will you know if you have?  Instead, a SMART goal would be, “I want to lose 10 pounds by April 5th.”  By making the goal more specific, measurable and time-bound, you will be able to know that you have completed it.

I hope that you will be able to set goals aligned with your intentions for the coming year, and that you will be able to achieve them!  I wish you all the best in 2023!