HAPPY NEW YEAR: 2021 Gratitude & Goals
Last year in my blog post, New Decade New Attitude, I established that 2020 would be a year of abundance, and that it would certainly set me up for the next 5 years. Today, I am happy to announce that I couldn't be more happier about putting that out into the universe, because it is without a doubt very true.
This year, despite the pandemic, I published one of the most successful books I have published thus far, I Don't Respect Your Politics. I was sought out by podcasters and bloggers for my expertise and opinion and also praised for being thoughtful with my content and the way that I communicate information.
Additionally, I gained acceptance into a doctoral program to pursue my PhD in Psychology, which, in my opinion was the best thing to happen to me in 2020, as it has been a goal for quite sometime. Therefore again, despite all the negative I could list, I choose to focus on being grateful for the favor and opportunities I have been blessed with thus far. That is why this year I wanted to focus my traditional New Years post on more than just goals. I wanted to also set the tone for gratitude in 2021.
ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
Typically, when we start the year off focused on what we don't have, creating a list of goals that we think we need, we forget to be grateful of what we do have and all that we have accomplished thus far. This year I wanted to make sure that we start off the year focused on gratitude, being gracious for what we have and establishing goals that align with our purpose, to make sure that we are properly motivated to achieve each goal set.
SETTING ATTAINABLE GOALS
How many of you go through the year with a list of 10-20 goals that you only end up achieving and/or completing 5 of? That I am afraid used to be me until I came to realize the importance of setting attainable goals. Goals aligned with my purpose (purposeful goals).
It's important that we remember just because we set 3 goals, doesn't mean we haven't done enough or achieved enough. It's not really about the number of the goals, it's about the motivation for which the goal was established and the goal's impact on our lives moving forward. That which I discuss in great detail in my post, Are you setting empty goals?; it's definitely worth a read.
However, for me personally, each year the number of goals I set vary, but I know that at least one goal every year is to self-publish a book. I have been doing this consistently for about 5 years. That is a goal that aligns with my purpose and God given talent of writing. And whether I see the results immediately, I know, like many writers, it only takes one book to get recognition. And once the work is discovered, all other works are sought. Thus, understanding this, I never get discouraged, I just do it.
However, before I composed this post I had not yet set goals for myself for 2021, I only knew that 2020 was everything I anticipated that it would be. So, while composing this post, I naturally began to compose a list, and my goals for 2021 so far are as follows:
Publish book.
Increase my brand awareness in 2021 by sharing my wisdom and knowledge via more platforms.
Join APA Association.
Apply for an Academic organization.
Publish one article in a major publication whether online or otherwise.
Read 25 books (5 more than 2020).
I assume that this will conclude my goals for 2021 as there are a lot of things about my life that are still unclear for me and I will need more clarity in order to set a goal. So while in waiting, I will work toward each of the seven listed, noting that at least two can easily be achieved in one day. This way I can continue to be positively motivated about my goals because I can see that I am achieving them.
Nonetheless, I hope this helps you all set purposeful and attainable goals for yourselves moving forward. And don't forget that despite all of the negative things that we may experience, that there are at least 2 positives for every negative. So, make an effort to focus on establishing and maintaining an attitude of gratitude all 2021.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
