Are Your Goals Broken? Reset and Recharge!

January 14, 2019
Written by:
Tasha Swearingen
Featured, Homeschool Planning

A new year is a new opportunity to set some goals for ourselves! Wipe the slate clean and forget about the past! Right? If only it were always that simple. Somehow, by mid-January, we’re often dealing with broken goals. Ten days in and we want to throw in the towel because we’ve messed up. It’s little wonder, then, that statistically speaking only 9.2% of people actually achieve their New Year’s goals and break those bad habits for good. So should you just go back to your previous ways and forget trying to change? Nope – it’s time to reset and recharge!

Why New Year’s Goals Are Broken

A new year is an opportunity to feel new hope! We get a do-over with something that’s been bothering us in life and that can only be positive, right? Well, to an extent. As long as we keep our goals realistic and as long as achieving them truly is within reach, goals are a great thing to have. In the past, experts have suggested writing out your goals because doing so increases the likelihood that you’ll reach them.

But what happens when we set goals that are too lofty? Usually, we start out with a laundry list of goals and things we want to change, attempt to make all of these sudden changes at once, and find ourselves giving up before January comes to a close. All is not lost, however! Keep reading to find out how to increase the likelihood of success!

Resetting Your Goals

Reset your new year's resolutions instead of throwing in the towel!

So, trying to change 10 things at once isn’t quite working, huh? That’s okay because that’s a heaping amount to try changing! Dust yourself off, and start with just 2-3 things to change. You have a whole entire YEAR left (minus maybe one month), so pare your list down to the 2-3 most important and hit the “restart” button!

Renewed Vision

Now that you’ve decided to start with just a few things, it won’t be such a shock to your system and daily flow to eliminate or start doing those few things. To get started, try categorizing all of your goals. Common categories include “personal,” “spiritual,” “health,” and “financial.” As a homeschooling parent, chances are good that something on your list of resolutions relates to “homeschooling” as well. With your goals more organized and laid out, choose the top few things that will really make you feel better about yourself or that will help your family.

Depending on what you have on your list, it may not take the next 11 months to see results. You may start to see results immediately or in a couple of weeks. Whatever the case, celebrate those milestones! It’s important to your overarching plan (resolving everything on that list) that you acknowledge those achievements – no matter how small. Doing so will keep you motivated and help you see that you really can achieve what you set out to do.

Most people attempt to change too many things at the same time, resulting in a crash and burn halfway through January. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t give up! Get out a pen and piece of paper and write everything out, then choose your top few goals and go for it! Little by little, you’ll start crossing more off that list and before you know it (maybe even before the year ends), you’ll have nothing left to aim for because you’ll have achieved success and that will feel so good!

#HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM, #HOMESCHOOL RESOURCES

Tasha Swearingen

Tasha is a homeschooling mom to 5 and has been homeschooling for 14 years. Currently, her children's ages span from toddler to young adult. Tasha has a Bachelor's of Science degree in Social Sciences from Florida State University and is working on her MBA through SNHU/Berklee School of Music.