New month, New goals

New month, new goals… ready?

Are you ready to crush your goals and finally make the kinda progress you’re craving? Are you ready to look back at the end of the month and genuinely feel proud of yourself for the progress you’ve made?

If the answer to those questions are “yes,” then I’m with ya!

Get ready to get motivated, get organized, and get going on our monthly goals.

New month, new goals… let’s get it!

I think this will help:

Here are the major points you’ll find in this post:

• Motivation Bombs to help you kickstart the new month
• The #1 must have tool you need to track your goals and progress
• Your Strategy for kicking booty this month
• The Questions you need to ask to level up your mindset ASAP
• The Top 10 Feel Good Quotes to Inspire you this month (Hang them up in your office or room)

New Month, New Goals – The Motivation Bomb

Have you ever noticed that motivation usually doesn’t last?

Forreal, think about it. When’s the last time you’ve been super motivated to do something (work out, start a new diet, work on a business idea)? You were totally committed and then a few days later, your motivation dried up like the Sahara Desert.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you’re a unicorn. God bless you.

If you know exactly what I’m talking about, you’re like me (and most other people). God help us! lol

I’ve started many months super excited and motivated to get things Done. Handled. Finished. #BoomThereItIs

Somewhere along the line though, my motivation faded, a new Netflix series was discovered, and before I knew it, another month was finished and my goals were not.

Where are you in your life?

Needless to say, I was as flaky as a Pillsbury dinner role.

That didn’t bother me as much in my 20s, but now that in my 30s, I’m well aware that I’m playing a whole different game. The things that held me back from making real progress, could’ve ended up costing me my dream life if I didn’t get it together. And Quick.

I couldn’t afford to let that happen. I can’t afford to let that happen.

That’s been my motivation to finally and seriously change my behavior. I think about having to settle for a mediocre life, living paycheck to paycheck. That thought horrifies me because I don’t want that for myself or my future kids.

READ THIS NEXT: 21 Questions to Find Your Passion In Life

Now, what’s your motivation?

What’s going to keep you going when the initial excitement has worn off and it’s time to get to work, work, work?

Whatever the reason – make it sticky and compelling. Make it so compelling that whenever you think about it, it helps you muster the energy to keep on going.

Take some time to figure that out now. Seriously. Now. Action creates momentum.

“Keep moving ahead because action creates momentum, which in turn creates unanticipated opportunities. ” —Nick Vujicic

Your New Month = Motivation + Everyday Action

One day at a time, one moment at a time, I had to be intentional about changing. I had to find ways to hold that same energy that I had in the beginning of the month, throughout the rest of the month.

I’m going to be sharing some of those simple tactics with you, that you can do also.

These tactics are small changes that’ll make a big difference without overwhelming you.

Before we get into the details, let me say this right here, right now – You can do this!

You hear me sis?

YOU. CAN. DO. THIS.

So keep calm, and let’s take this one thing at a time. No pressure.

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Experience Your Dreamiest Year Ever- Printable Vision Board Kit

Explore My Vision Board Kit!

Tracking your monthly goals?

First thing’s first: Are you tracking your monthly goals?

In other words, are you writing down your goals, tracking your progress during the week, and then assessing how you did at the end of the month?

If you’re not, then I really do think you should start.  If you’re reading this and you really do think I’m crazy, I get it, but just hear me out.

Tracking my monthly goals was a game changer for me.

3 Ways tracking your new monthly goals can help you:

Humans are interesting creatures. We can be out of our minds excited about something one day, and completely forget about it another. Tracking, or measuring your goals helps ensure that your goals stay top of my mind, day after day.

Tracking and measuring is one of the fundamental activities businesses use to achieve success. Why can’t you?

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. – Peter Drucker

When you start tracking your monthly goals you’ll:

1. Stay focused on your goals throughout the month.

If you review your goals daily, you’ll stay focused on the actions you need to take to hit those goals. It’ll provide motivation to take action. And remember, action creates momentum. If you’ve ever used a fitness tracking app, you get this. The moment you start tracking your steps, the more motivated you are to take more steps. Tracking is motivating.

2. Know how to make progress.

As you start taking action, you’ll get a feel for what specific actions you need to take to hit those goals. For example if your goal is to lose 5lbs for the month, you’ll know you have to start with changing your diet or physical activity (maybe both). Measuring your goals helps you determine your action plan.

3. Feel Encouraged.

As you track your goals, you’ll start seeing your progress which is insanely motivating. Let’s say your goal is to take 10,000 steps a day by the end of the month. When you first start the month, you’re at 3500 steps, but a few weeks later, you’re up to 7,000 steps. Seeing that progress, reaffirms your belief that you can hit your goal and inspires you to keep going.

New Month, New Goals, New Tracker

Tracking your goals doesn’t have to be complicated.

You can do it using a spreadsheet, a planner, or or a bullet journal. I haven’t caught the bullet journal wave, and although I love a spreadsheet, I find that handwriting my goals works better for me.

Using a Planner to track your monthly goals

I have a planner that let’s me track my yearly, monthly, and weekly goals, and it is amazing!

I got the Legend Planner (Yearly, weekly, monthly) on Amazon

[Legend Planner, Weekly Tracker]

[Legend Planner – Weekly To-Do List]

It’s not dated, which means no matter when you get it, you can use it for the full year. Plus, it came with decorative stickers… need I say more?

Figure out which tool works best for you to track your new goals. Obvi, I highly recommend the planner above.

Your “New Month, New Goals” Strategy

Now that you’ve got the tools you’ll be using to track your monthly goals, it’s time to set your “new month, new goals” strategy.

Now it’s time to choose goals that you can actually hit. For this we’re using the good ol’ SMART Goal system.

There are tons of articles on SMART goals, so I’ll just review it briefly. If you’ve got a handle on this, feel free to move to the next section.

What are SMART Goals and why should you use them to set your new goals?

SMART is an acronym that describes the criteria you should use to set your new goals. If you follow it, you’ll come up with goals that you’re much more likely to achieve.

For this example, let’s say we start with a general goal like, “I want to get healthier.” Look at how the goal transforms as we make it SMART.

Specific – We want to define a specific outcome for our goal. Instead of just saying that I want to get healthier, I can make it more specific by saying, “I want to lose weight.”

Measurable – We need to be able to measure our progress.  To make it measurable, I can change it to, “I want to lose 15lbs.”

Attainable – We need our goal to be something we can actually do. After doing some research, I discover that  losing 15lbs in a month is hard (especially since I don’t currently work out) and it can be dangerous. So I can make it more attainable by adjusting it to, “I want to lose 5lbs.”

Relevant – We need our goal to be aligned with our other goals. If I was also trying to become a body builder and needed to bulk up, this goal of losing weight probably wouldn’t be relevant.

Timely – I can set a specific time frame by saying, “I want to lost 5lbs in the next 30 days.”

Now that you know how to set new goals, go ahead and write your goals down.

Don’t worry about not having your planner or journal yet, start with what you have. Write them out on your phone or on in a notebook.

Which new goal gets you the most pumped?

How many goals did you end up with?

If you’re new to this, chances are you’re going to have to make a lot of changes to your regular routine in order to hit your goals. That can be overwhelming, especially if you have more than 1 goal. To avoid overwhelm and to give you a chance to get in your groove, it may help you to choose a primary goal to focus on.

When I first started, I chose 1 Goal – To read 1 book a month. Before I knew it, I was reading daily, finishing 2-3 books a month, and ready to take on my next goal.

If you think starting with just 1 goal would work best for you, then ask yourself which goal would make you the most pumped.

Prioritize your goals

You want to choose something that get’s you really excited because you’re more likely to stick with it. And, making progress in one goal can build your confidence and prepare you to take on more!

Imagine adding one new habit/goal a month. Where would you be in 12 months? Better yet, who would you be in 12 months?

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting excited just thinking about it! #sheready

Go ahead and circle or star the goal you’re most excited about. Like right now, I’ll wait.

When you catch a glimpse of your potential, that’s when passion is born. – Zig Ziglar

New month, new goals… Same plan?

Now that we’ve figured out what our primary goal is, it’s time to get a game plan.

We already know that if what you’ve been doing, hasn’t been working, it’s time to switch it up. #insanity – am I right?

So, now that you know what your goals are, it’s time to break it down into actionable steps you can take daily  and weekly. So, if the goal is to lose 5lbs, you can add the following actions to my game plan:

1. Saturday – Make grocery list and go grocery shopping (use www.mealpal.com for recipe ideas)
2. Sundays – Meal Prep
3. Mon, Wed, Fri – Go for a 30 minute run

Whatever your new game plan is, be sure to schedule out your activities in the tool you’ve chosen. Again, my recommendation, is of course my Legend Planner, but do what works best for you.

[Legend Planner – Filled In]

New Month, new goals = New Mindset

Now you’re ready for your new month, with new goals, a new tracker, and a new game plan. Aaay, we’re making moves girl!

But before we hit the ground running, let’s take care of  the MOST important part of our success, our mindset.

Your mindset (thought, beliefs, attitude) will determine whether you take consistent action and knock your goals outta the park. Or, it can be the iceberg that causes you to crash and sink.

We’ll cover this in more detail in another post, but to get started think about areas of your mindset (beliefs, thoughts, attitudes) that held you back last month?

Here are some questions that helped me personally confront my mindset:

• How do you generally react when things don’t go your way?
• What’s your usual response when you don’t see immediate results?
• When you’ve set goals in the past, what’s kept you from hitting them and why?
• What excuses are you usually making for yourself when you decide not to take action towards your goals?

These questions only work if you’re being honest with yourself. When you face your truth, you can deal with it.

So go ahead, and actually write down the answers to these questions. 

And remember, this is a “no judgement.” The purpose here is just to get honest with ourselves so we can start making real changes.

Now that you know where your mindset is, you can take steps to level up your mindset.

READ THIS NEXT: When you Feel Like a Failure, These 7 Things can help

So far, you’ve got your:

• Tracking tools ✔️
• New monthly Goals ✔️
• A Game Plan ✔️
• Mindset leveled up ✔️

See, that wasn’t so hard was it?  Like I said earlier, you can do this. You can be the person you were destined to be and live your life to your fullest potential.

Now you’ve got what you need to get started, now here’s a little inspiration to get you through the month.

10 New month, new goals Quotes to Inspire You

I’m a big believer in keeping inspirational and motivational reminders around me. So, I’ve included a mix of quotes, some of which you can buy and hang up in your room or office.

1. At some point your goals should be so big that they scare you. You’ll have to do things that are scary, ask tough questions, and step out of your comfort zones. Let this quote remind you that everything you want is on the other side of fear. (Get it on Amazon)

2.  Ugh, I can’t tell you how many times I used to quit a workout because it was hard. Or quit anything because it was hard. When you’re working towards your goals, you’ll come up against hard things. But hard doesn’t equal impossible. Take a minute, pray, and get back to work. (Get it on Amazon)

3. This is one of my faves because it reminds me not to procrastinate. Whenever I read this, I’m reminded to lay my excuses to the side and get to work. #workworkwork (Get it on Amazon)

4. Another awesome quote that inspires me on the days when I’m questioning myself. The simple reminder that we’re worthy of our dreams and goals can help us push through insecurity. (Get it on Amazon)

5. If you’ve ever had one of those days when all of your aspirations feel so far away, then you know why I love this quote. It reminds me that at any moment I could be just 3 feet away from Gold. It inspires me to never give up, but to instead stay focused and keep pushing. (Get it on Amazon)

6. This is one of my favorite “new month, new goals” quotes because it reminds me of the formula for change. Changing our lives, means first changing our thoughts. Focus our energy there and our actions will follow.

7. This is another one of my favorite goal related quotes because it reminds me that goals are my guide. They help me define what success means to me and how to get there. 

8. This quote reminds us that setting goals is the starting point. Pursuing those goals can lead to a life and future greater than anything we can imagine.

9. Similarly to the previous quote, this quote inspires me to dream big and see where faith + action + my new goals will take me.

10. I LOVE this quote – it speaks to the over-achiever in me. It reminds me that I can always be better than I am right now. It inspires me to keep pushing and to discover what my best looks like.

11. I found this quote by @mamastrongfit on Pinterest and it reminds me not to get too wrapped up in the results. When I focus on putting the work in, I can become inspired by my progress, which is what will ultimately push me to get great results.

How are you going to stay motivated and inspired?

Now that you’ve got a few of my favorite quotes and techniques, I’d love to hear what works best for you. Have you found any sure-fire ways to motivate and inspire yourself? If not, which new method are you looking forward to trying the most? Let me know in the comments below!