January

January marks the beginning of a new year, and we can use it as a reminder of new beginnings, or a fresh start. Everyone loves new beginnings when it happens after overcoming a struggle. It is a time to celebrate making it through and coming out on the other side. If you had a rough 2023, January 2024 is a new beginning that you can look forward to. This is especially true in business because a company typically operates with a fiscal year from January to December. Some companies have a big push for sales in December to ensure their financial goals have been met. Based on the results, they plan their next year in January.

With a fresh start, you can set new goals and make new plans. You can take a step back, look at your life, and decide how you want to proceed. Look at how the past year went. Count your blessings, and name them one by one. Whenever I do this, I always see that my blessings outnumber my troubles. Look at where you stand in the moment. Take an honest look at your life and what is currently happening. Is there something going well? Keep it going! Is there something not going so well? Think of things you can do to change it. Brainstorm if you have to. Don’t make any hasty decisions. Think about it first, then make wise decisions.

It is now the end of January and I want to know if you have set any new goals or made any new plans for the year. If you answered yes, my next question is whether you have been able to stick to your plans and work toward reaching your goals? I challenge you today, if you haven’t already, set some goals. They can be for the year, for each month, or even for a week at a time. They should be SMART goals. While SMART goals were created for business, you can also use the concept to set personal goals. S is for Specific, M is for Measurable, A is for Achievable, R is for Relevant, and T is for Time-bound. A specific goal is one that clearly defines what you want to accomplish and lays out the steps you need to take to complete it. A measurable goal is one that you can quantify, like losing a specific number of pounds, reaching a specific weight or body mass index (BMI). Maybe you want to reach a certain percentage of body fat. These are all quantities that make the goal measurable. An achievable goal is one that is realistic. Setting a goal to lose ten pounds in a week is not only unattainable, but it is dangerous to try. Be reasonable when setting your goals. While not going over the top, you also need to not be so slack that you are not making any progress. For example, do not set a goal to read a 100-page book in a year, unless it is not in your native language, or it is your first time learning to read. Challenge yourself while being realistic. A relevant goal is one that will make a difference. It is a goal that will help you in the long run. You need to decide exactly why you are setting the goal in order for it to be relevant. A time-bound goal is one that has an end date. You cannot know if a goal has been reached if you don’t set a time limit for it. Don’t just say you are going to do something. You need to also say how much, when, and for how long. An example of a good SMART goal is walking for an hour five days per week while consuming no more than 1,300 calories per day in order to lose 20 pounds in 30 days. Can you make your own SMART goal? What goals do you want to set for yourself? I set a goal to learn another language by dedicating an hour every day for six months. At that time, I will re-evaluate my progress and set another goal for the next 6 months. Drop a comment and let us know what goals you have set for the next week, for the next month, for the year of 2024. I have set multiple goals in January, including goals for weight loss, bible reading, prayer time, and business growth. You see, you don’t have to set just one goal at a time. People talk about setting a new year’s resolution, but that implies you can only set one goal. Well, I am here to tell you that you can set as many goals as you need. My only suggestion is that you make each of them SMART.