Plan Your Best Year ever! (My Goal Setting Guide)

GOAL SETTING Guide

(Use this guide to reflect and journal out your goals and desires for the New Year—seriously, get your journal out and start writing)

• 1) Set reasonable, do-able goals for yourself.

LESS is often MORE. If your goal is something BIG, break it down into small, clearly achievable steps. Be very clear how you’re going to get from where you’re currently at, to where you want to go (example: “I want to eat healthier in 2026”. That is a BIG, vague goal. A smaller, clearly achievable step could be “I am going to drink 1 smoothie every day” OR “I am going to drink 50oz of water daily”.). Be CLEAR. Be DO-ABLE.

• 2) Be certain your goals are YOURS.

Often times people fail at achieving their goals because they don’t even love their goals to begin with. Don’t set a goal to go to the gym if you don’t like the gym. Set a goal that is YOU. There are as many paths to achieving any goal as there are people. If you want to lose weight/get fit you can do that without ever stepping foot inside a gym. Answer “what do I WANT?”—not what is everyone else doing….

• 3) BE EXCITED about your goals—like REALLY excited about them.

If “eating more fruits and vegetables” doesn’t thrill you, news flash: you’re not going to do it. So what goal could you set that you genuinely look forward to doing? *Along the same lines, it’s not very effective to set goals because you’re afraid of the alternative (for example: not wanting what you think could happen if you DON’T eat more fruits or vegetables). Habits stick when they are authentic. Setting goals you don’t truly want, or out of fear for what you think will happen if you DON’T do a thing is not a creative, empowered place to goal set from. Set goals from your authenticity.

• 4) Put it on the calendar/set a deadline or timeframe for completion.

Let’s be honest, the years pass quickly. And if we’re not super intentional about doing the things we want, they often just don’t happen….for a really long time...or ever. Every year I get a big calendar with the whole year at a glance and every December and January I spend time mapping out the things I want to do for the year (family trips, date nights, bucketlist items, concerts, retreats, events, etc.) Don’t just say “I want to swim with dolphins” , or “I want to get that certification” and vaguely hope it will happen. Pick a date. Put it on the calendar. And make it happen. 

*The year at a glance calendar I use (pictured above) is a product of one of my mentor's Jesse Itzler. You can get your own here: The Big A## Calendar ** That link will give you 10% off your order--seriously, I love this tool for making my goals and dreams a reality!

GOAL CATEGORIES:

Everyone has areas of their lives that are most meaningful to them. Set goals that move you closer to the things that matter most to you. Some of my personal goal categories are:

*Health*, *Business/Career*, *Personal Development*, & *Relationships (family, friends, business)*

Every year I write out several goals or new habits I want to develop in each of these areas of my life. For example, in 2026 I want to be more intentional about 1:1 time with my husband, so we’re doing date nights more regularly. And, like point 4 above says, I have them on the calendar—for the next 4 months already (as of January 3rd), because I know if I’m not intentional, it just won’t happen.

My advice: pick 4-5 areas of your life that matter most to you, and write down 2-4 things you’d like to improve/grow in/or accomplish this year.

MISOGI: Your YEAR defining event:

Your Misogi is THE thing that will define your year. The thing that, when you look back on 2026, you’ll think “Oh that was the year I did __”. It’s also the thing that will stretch you, perhaps even scare you. The Bucketlist item you’ve been dreaming up for years.

Examples:

Running a marathon. Having a baby. Taking that dream trip. Starting a podcast. Writing a book. Geting certified in something you’ve always wanted to do. A silent retreat. Throw yourself the birthday party of the century. Etc.

The options are as limitless and as unique as you are….just DO IT! So what do you want to look back on 2026 and think “yeah; that was epic”. ? (you’re journaling all this out still, right?!)

Quarterly winning habits/new skill:

I also like to set goals for every new season of the year: spring, summer, fall & winter—these can be based off the seasons, or they can be….whatever.

For example, this winter I’m learning how to make sourdough bread for my family. And in the summer I want to get a jump rope and get really good at jump roping while I hangout with my kids outside. Learning new skills is not only good for your brain and longevity, it also just keeps us excited about life—which is good for our health and happiness! Life is full of endless opportunities. There are SO many things to learn, places to go, and things to do. Stay curious. Stay adaptive. Stay learning!

Other ideas could be:

Learning a new language (this will probably take you longer than a few months ;)), learning to play ping-pong, joining a pickleball league, taking surfing lessons, joining a summer community garden, learning to grow sprouts, taking piano lessons, etc.

Again, the options are limitless and should be whatever it is that genuinely excites you. What new thing have you been wanting to learn? It can be truly the smallest thing, or something much bigger. Decide. Put it on your calendar, and do it!

EXECUTING GOALS:

• 1) WRITE them down!

Studies have shown that those who write their goals down, achieve their goals with a far greater frequency than those who simply keep their goals in their brain. So get them on paper!

• 2) Read them daily!

Put your goals somewhere you can see them. Put them up on your bathroom mirror. Read them daily in your journal. Put them on your nightstand. Keep them at the forefront of your mind; this helps give them life!

• 3) Do something every day to bring you closer to achieving your goals….even if it’s just reading your goals every day. Just. Do. Something.
• 4) Set a date, put it on the calendar, and make the time to make it happen!

Sometimes (often times?) goals just don’t get achieved because life...happens. This is about being super intentional. And if you feel you don’t have time, maybe it’s time for another habit to go. Decreasing screen time usually frees up a lot of time for many people.

Ultimately, there’s no one, single right method for….anything. I’m just sharing what works for me. What has helped me achieve goals both big and small over the years. What keeps me excited about life. What has created memories I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. AND what keeps me feeling like ME in the midst of a season of life where babies and kids can naturally take priority.

I hope this inspires you to set some goals and intentions for this year that truly light you up….and, maybe even more importantly, that you actually achieve!

All my love to you!

~Olivia