Dream Big and Work Hard: Goals for 2017

It's 2017 and I AM READY!  Our family is still working on choosing our word of the year.  Last year's was adventure and I drew this on our kitchen chalkboard wall:

buy the 8x10 print here from Maine Mom Design's cute etsy shop

To the left of the drawing, the kids wrote down places they wanted to travel to and what outdoor activities those places offered, like snorkeling and paddle boarding.  We didn't get to as many as I would have liked, but we had fun on our trips to Garner State Park and Red River, New Mexico.

What I have found is that having these aspirations visibly in front of me makes me more mindful of them and more likely to make plans and make those adventures happen.  So, I'll be writing 3 things on my chalkboard wall this year, as an addition to our not-yet-chosen word o' the year:

Dream Big

I read motivational books all the time and the best productivity tip I've come away with is to make your goals big, specific and measurable.  Saying "I want to lose some weight" is a good start, but a better goal is "I want to lose 20 pounds by June 1st."  You have a specific, difficult challenge set and the time frame in which you want to achieve it.  After setting a goal like that, it's easier to work backwards and set smaller checkpoint goals and action items to make you successful.

Focus on Essentials 

Greg McKeown's book Essentialism

Greg McKeown's book Essentialism is one I usually read at least once a year because I need the reminder to step back and choose the most important thing.  I apparently didn't read it as many times as I should have in 2016 because I very much overloaded myself with commitments and I am determined to not let that happen in 2017.  I want to focus on my dreams and find the essential steps to make those dreams happen.

Work Hard

This year I want to make sure I'm working hard on the things that matter.  It's easy to get side-tracked doing a million different things that keep you busy, but don't help you advance your goals.  Make sure you align your work with your goals to make sure you're getting the most out of all your effort.

I would love to hear what your word of the year is and what steps you're taking to "make it so"!