20/20 Vision for 2020

2020! Just the number of the year is inspirational. The saying may be that “Hindsight is 20/20”, but I’m saying that this year I am going to have 20/20 vision to see my 2020 goals clearly through to the end. That brings me to the word I have chosen to encompass everything that I want to do in the year 2020, and the word I have chosen for 2020 is…

Committed!

Why did I chose the word “committed?” A commitment seems permanent. I’m not flirting with these goals. I am not dating them. I am COMMITTED to achieving them. I want to see my goals clearly through to the end. In 2020 I am committed to my goals, my family, and to God. Everything that I am hoping to accomplish this year falls into those 3 categories.

20/20 Vision

Some of the most common goals that people have are related to health (fitness, diet, weight), finances (debt or savings), relationships, and careers or education. But simply saying to yourself that you have a goal isn’t going to get you any closer to achieving it. I’ve put together a list of things people can do to have 20/20 vision on their goals this year. Taking these steps puts you on the road to success for the things you want to accomplish!

What is influencing you?

As a society we are greatly influenced by social media. My doctor’s office stopped subscribing to magazines because no one reads them anymore while they’re in the waiting room. Everyone looks at their phone instead. So what are you looking at? If you are on Instagram take a look at what accounts you are following that may be counterproductive to your goals. For example, are you trying to save money, but you follow a slew of fashion and travel accounts? (Swipe up usually means spending money!) Are you trying to lose weight, but you follow cooking accounts? (Even healthy cooking accounts will make you hungry looking at them!) Sometimes there are even accounts that appear to be “savings” accounts that actually get you to spend money. (Hello, I know that magazine subscription was only $5, but I wouldn’t have bought it if I wasn’t following that “savings” account.)

Here is what I recommend: 1. Go through your “Following” tab and unfollow any account that can derail your goals. 2. Seek out new accounts to follow that will be motivating and encouraging. Then do the same thing for your other social media accounts. Now every time you get on social media you are going to be encouraged instead of tempted.

Learn everything you can!

No matter what your goals are for this year, there is always knowledge that can help you get closer to them. I recommend finding some podcasts and books that are related to your goals. I love using Google Podcasts. I turn them on in the car or I run them through my Bluetooth speaker in my house. Whether I am driving, cooking, or cleaning, I am listening to podcasts that are related to my goals.

I am a self-diagnosed Bibliophile. I adore books. But I have a really, really hard time with non-fiction books. I don’t love them like I do fiction. My solution to this is listening to audio books. You can get them for free from your library or listen to them on an app. If your goals are to travel more, to get in shape, to garden, to save money….ANYTHING….there is a book out there that can help you. Podcasts and books are a huge recommendation from me.

Who is supporting you?

I am going to go out on a limb here and say something crazy. “You don’t need a tribe.” What?! I know, not a popular thing to say these days. Not with all that “find your tribe” stuff going around. Don’t get me wrong, a support group is phenomenal. A club or group of people with similar goals is a gift like no other. But you don’t NEED a squad or a tribe. What you need is one person that will help you stay positive and focused. Maybe that person is a spouse, a parent, a friend, or a coach. But don’t feel like you can’t accomplish your goals because you don’t have 20 people cheering you on. Remember, people tend to belittle things they don’t understand. And most people aren’t going to understand YOUR goals.

Do you have a plan?

Okay, so you have a goal. You know what you want to do. Now what? The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. The only way to achieve your goals is one step at a time. You need to figure out what those steps are. Are you switching jobs? What are the steps that need to happen in order to do so? Do you want to lose weight? What are the things you need to do each day or each week in order to make that happen? Traveling to Europe for the first time…what do you need to do first, second, third?

Instead of just writing a list of goals, I encourage you to make plans. Not only will this help you see what you need to do, in the end it will help you to see how far you’ve come. Cross those steps off as you accomplish them!

Be gentle with yourself.

One step forward, two steps back? Not really. Sometimes we’re taking giant steps and sometimes we are taking baby steps. As long as you are moving forward you are going to accomplish your goals. Celebrate those baby steps!

You can do this! If you have more tips that would be helpful to others, feel free to comment below so I can add them here.