I love the idea of starting a new year fresh. Especially after the year I just had. Between you and me, I couldn’t be more excited to kiss 2022 goodbye. While I’m especially excited for goal setting this year, this ain’t my first rodeo. I’ve always had to be decent at goal setting as a freelancer. It’s the only way to get anything done when you work for yourself. While I didn’t always possess the follow-up skills, I’ve learned them over time. My goals aren’t just professional though. They’re personal too.

A Theme for Next Year

I like to start most years with a theme. Over Christmas, my family and I made a game of asking each other what our themes are for next year. After much deliberation, I decided my theme would be fresh - like a fresh start. But then I changed my mind. My theme for next year will be FUN. That’s what I’m really craving, and it feels more tangible. I had a tough year, where life got real serious. It was probably the least fun year of my life actually, so that’s what I’m craving right now. I’m looking forward to a spontaneous, lighthearted 2023. What’s your theme? Let me know in the comments below.

Summarizing the Previous Year

Every year, I ask myself what important milestones happened last year. Where did I go, what did I do, and what did I accomplish? This also usually includes what I’d like to do differently - whether it be break bad habits or mindsets I want to let go. This part is fun to do as a couple. Ryan and I had a little awards ceremony on New Years Eve where we summarized our favorites from 2022. These included experiences, discoveries, meals, and shows.

Lastly, I like to ponder my intended theme for the previous year. And what was it actually? Often my actual theme isn’t the same as my intended theme, but that’s the beauty of life. It always surprises you.

My Perfect Day in the Life Vision

This is my north star. I like to think about the perfect day in my future life where I’ve accomplished everything I want. As I get older, I’ve come to realize this vision is not a destination. It’s a moving target. And I think that’s a good thing. My ideal day is never too far in the future - maybe 1-3 years. At the start of every year, I make a habit of writing out this day in great detail, and adjusting a few times a year. It’s crazy, because my ideal day in the life when I was 28, actually happened when I was 33. I’ve learned everything takes longer than you think, so I try not to take this vision too seriously. I try to maintain an ‘it will happen when it happens’ mindset, while still keeping my eye on the prize.

Rate Your Life Areas

This is something I started doing in my late 20s. You set parameters for your life and rank each area on a scale of 1 to 10. This strategy is helpful if you feel confused as to what your goals should be, or if you don’t know how to narrow them down. What your parameters are is completely up to you. Years ago, I listened to an episode of the Chalene Johnson Show podcast, where she named the ten areas below as ones to focus on. This stuck with me ever since, so I’ve listed them out here:

• Love

• Friendships

• Environment

• Physical Health

• Mental Health

• Spiritual

• Fun

• Personal Growth

• Career

• Finances

What I’ve found is that there are certain areas of my life that have been consistently solid, while others always need extra attention.

3x3 Big Goals

When I was younger, I made the common mistake of setting too many goals. Rookie move. I would set so many goals, I’d never accomplish any of them because I was too overwhelmed. Now I like to stick to three goals in my personal life and three in my professional to focus on. And they don’t need to be that big. Progress is progress. You can ALWAYS add more goals as the year goes on, but it’s incredibly defeating to subtract goals. This approach goes well with my 3x3 daily to-do list, because I can use that list to make sure I’m always chipping away at my bigger goals. And I make sure these bigger goals align with my theme. If they don’t align, maybe I’m focusing on the wrong things.

Regular Check-Ins

The hardest piece of all this is accountability. Throughout the year, I have to hold myself accountable to my goals or else they’ll never get done. Usually, my big goals consist of many smaller goals I need to accomplish, so I try to stay on track. Here, it can be helpful to use a planning tool. That might be a journal, or even an accountability buddy/coach. My favorite tool lately has been the The Best Year Journal by Intelligent Change. I love this journal, because it gets to the root of what would motivate you to achieve your goals through intentions and rewards. Most of the strategies I’ve mentioned above are included in the journal, making goal setting easy.

My Goals for Next Year

So now you know my theme for next year is fun. What exactly does that mean? I’m still figuring it out. However, in my art I think it means more experimentation. I can see more pieces with an element of fantasy or humor in my future. I see fun, quirky patterns. Maybe at last finishing my first children’s book. Maybe painting on something weird. Overall, it’s about focusing less on the business aspect of my art, and more on the art itself. I have this recent obsession with becoming ambidextrous, which is a fun goal. I want to be able to paint with both hands (not at the same time, but alternating), because imagine the productivity as an artist! I could just switch hands when one gets tired.

In my personal life, it looks like wasting time and not taking everything so seriously. I typically start the year with a 30 day series, but this year I said no thanks. It didn’t sound fun to me, so it will have to wait. To me, fun also sounds like more bright colors in my life. As a neutrals girl, this is totally out of my wheelhouse, but I think it would be good for me. I also see bold lipstick, quirky braids, glitter nails, and punchy playlists being part of my 2023. I’d also like to take some spontaneous trips this year. I’m craving more spontaneity in every part of my life actually, and less thinking. If you were to ask me what fun smells like, I’d say a fresh pair of jelly shoes because I loved them so much as a kid. I might just buy an adult sized pair this year to reconnect with my inner child.

So what are your 2023 goals? Let me know in the comments below!