Happy 2019! I’m excited to announce that this year I’m becoming a #goaldigger! Actually, I’ve been one for a few years now. I gave up on making New Year’s resolutions several years ago because like many people, I’d fail at keeping them. Since then, I’ve been so much more successful at setting and achieving my short-term and long-term goals throughout the year. I find goals easier to achieve because they vary from “bite-sized” to “life-size” goals, making them easy to put in buckets that I can tackle at various times. Examples of bite-sized goals for me include accomplishing key deliverables at work, writing and scheduling new blog posts for the week ahead, finishing a book, or even reorganizing my closet. Life-size goals include launching a new venture, (which I can easily break down into bite-sized goals to make them more achievable), planning and taking my dream trip (Iceland, I’m coming for you this year!), and working on my overall financial security and stability. I’ve become a true #goaldigger! And I want you to become one too.

Here are 7 tips to help you set and slay your 2019 goals:
1. Pray and/or meditate, and practice positive thinking
I start every morning by getting down on my knees and praying. One of the things I pray for is that God provides me with direction over every area of my life. With my faith, I also work hard at maintaining a positive outlook in every area of my life, and believing in myself. Staying positive helps train your brain that everything will work out, which makes it easier to focus on being successful at your goals, rather than focusing on potential failure. Confidence is key.

2. Create a vision board and/or write down your goals
I spent New Year’s Day creating 2019 vision boards with my sister. Creating one helps me visualize the things that are most important to me (God/faith, entrepreneurship, love, travel and feeling and living well). It also lays out exactly what I want to achieve in 2019. It’s a great daily visual reminder of your plans and goals and it’ll help push you to work towards them.

3. Find accountability partners
Starting a diet or exercise plan, savings plan or anything other goal-oriented plan is much easier to follow if you have someone else on board in some way. Whether or not that person is doing it too or just helping you stay on track, having an accountability partner always helps. It doesn’t even have to be someone you know personally – there are plenty of online tools and virtual resources/people to help keep you on track.

4. Plan ahead
Last year a friend of mine told me a story about a famous coach. He said the coach planned out every moment of every day, down to eating the same thing for lunch every day because he knew exactly how long it would take. This level of consistency and self-control is admirable, and a great way to stay on track. There are many ways to do this, of course, but I tend to keep track of my life using my iCalendar, a good daily planner and a notebook. When you follow a set plan, it’s more likely to become a habit, therefore making your goals much easier to achieve. Which leads me to my next step:

5. Start your day earlier
I’ve heard so many times that the most successful people have one key thing in common: they start their day earlier. One of my good friends encouraged me frequently to start my day earlier to pray, meditate, read, or get some other things done. I’ve always been a night owl so this has forever been such a struggle for me. But there are times in the past year that I have challenged myself to get up earlier and I was able to get work done, get a workout in, AND felt more refreshed and ready to take on the day.

6. Get more sleep
Ugh, the struggle! I feel like I never get enough sleep. But it’s a problem that I’m constantly working on and trying to make new habits. Because more sleep leads to starting my day earlier, which leads to feeling better, getting more done, and achieving those goals. Easy enough, right?!

And last, but definitely not least:

7. Take care of yourself
Self-care was the buzzword for 2018 but it is so important. If you set aside time for self-care every week, you’ll be able to refresh, recharge, and refocus on your goals and tasks for the week. It sounds like a given, but how many of us don’t take care of ourselves? We get so wrapped up in all of the demands of life and then look up and wonder why we’re exhausted, mentally drained, stressed or sick. I’ve recently signed up to do the New York Times 30-Day Well Challenge which is supposed to help you “build healthy habits for your body, mind and spirit.” I’m excited to do it and hopefully I’ll form some great new habits in the process!

Take some time out for yourself so you can get back to slaying those goals you’ve set for yourself!

What are your tips for goal-slaying? Share in the comments below!