FIRST OF THE MONTH – SET YOUR GOALS, ADJUST YOUR MINDSET AND AIM FOR THE SKY
Here we are at the first of the month and quite frankly I can’t believe its June, how are we halfway through the year already?! Even though the last few months have felt quite slow (being in isolation)… for me it also feels as if they have gone really quick, all at the same time. I’m not sure if I am alone with that feeling, as it may be because, I have been working non-stop from home, looking after Joe who has been really ill with the coronavirus, introduced a new puppy to our home amongst a million other things… but for anyone else who thinks that the time has gone quick, I’m sure like me you can’t help but feel as if several months of your life have disappeared because you haven’t actually had the chance to live them to the fullest.
Anytime, my mind begins to feel like this, I quickly remind myself, that this is merely a part of life and to think about those who lived throughout the World Wars, where they lost years of their lives. Remembering this, is a quick reminder of just how privileged we are with the lives that we live today and honestly, missing a few months of our lives, living from the comfort and safety of our homes and sofa, really isn’t too bad.
Nevertheless, I always relish in the positives in starting a new month, as its a chance to look back on what you have done in the previous month, set your goals and identify the things you wish to do for the following month.
Start of the month rituals
Looking Back
Once you get into the habit of setting yourself mini goals each month, you will find that each month you don’t only have a list to write of what you would like to do, but the start of the month is also a chance to look back on what you have completed as well. It is also a chance to spend 5-10 mindful minutes looking back over your calendar and seeing what you got up to thinking about the happy times you experienced, a chance to re-live those memories. I find that we often go through life at lightning speed, that we are not always ‘present’ in these moments, taking them for granted. So I find that spending 10 mins each month just reflecting over these moments is such a beneficial thing to do as its the chance to relive these moments, bringing further life to those memories as well as allowing them to have a permanent stamp in your brain by you reinforcing them.
Looking Forward
Looking forward has so many benefits, realising that you (and only you) have approx. 30 days, to shape and do whatever your soul desires is an extremely powerful realisation and giving light to this opportunity and power that you have within yourself, is important.
Monthly To Do List
Each month I write a short list of things I wish to complete and achieve for the month. Sometimes, I will start writing the list in the previous month as ideas and thoughts spring to mind. The key thing when writing your list, is to make sure the goals are ‘bitesize’ and are manageable/achievable in that month. The point of your list is to actually complete the list and providing you positivity as and when you complete your goals. Therefore, if you were to create a list which contained a large number of items, all of which were long and lengthy tasks, then ultimately at the end of each month it is likely that you would not have achieved your goals and as the months go past, you would be left feeling disheartened and likely give up on the entire exercise.
When I first started creating monthly lists at the start of 2019, I would only add 2-3 small items on my list, making sure that they were achievable. As each month went on and I found that I was achieving the majority of my list and my new ‘monthly ritual’ had become an involuntary habit, I then started to increase the number of items that I would put on my list/place harder goals on the list.
Utilising Lists on your Phone
I used to be a big fan of carrying a Filofax around in my handbag. My diary, would house everything, from my personal/work schedule, to my shopping list and my work to do list. However, I find it much easier now (although it took a period of adapting) to keep my Monthly To Do List on my iPhone in the ‘Reminder’ List application, as it means I have my monthly list in the palm of my hand wherever I go. I can then add things to the list easily, as and when they come into my mind. It also allows me to be able to look at my lists whenever and wherever, which makes it a lot easier to keep on top of everything as well as spending spare minutes on my goal whenever I can. In the Reminder Application, you can helpfully create multiple lists, allowing you to start a list for the following month, as well as moving an items that you may have not completed from the previous month to your current month list.
Annual Goals
In addition to just creating a list to achieve your personal monthly goals, it works really well to help you achieve your larger goals for the year. The saying “A goal without a plan is just a wish” couldn’t be closer to the truth.
For me, at the start of any year, I write down the goals that I wish to achieve, however big or small. For the large goals, I then work out how to achieve that goal step-by step, month-by-month, working out what I need to do each month to achieve the annual goal. Adding each smaller goal to my ‘Monthly To Do list’ for each specific month in that year.
Slowly but surely, you will see your dream/large goal come into fruition with a lot less effort, than what it seemed to be at the start of your thought process.
Final Words
When trying to add something new to your routine and/or form a new habit, its important to make it as much of a pleasurable and positive experience as possible – bear this in mind when it comes to first setting your goals.
Also, remember what the purpose of your new monthly ritual is:
- a chance to relive the best moments of the previous month as well as learning from the experiences of that month, and
- to relish in the power that you have to make the choices you wish for your life moving forward.
When adding this new monthly ritual to your life, start small, keep the goals manageable and build on it gradually. Remembering to keep some of your goals focused on you and you only, as I am sure you have many other lists of things to complete for your family.
Keep your goals positive, ensuring there are no negative items on your list – acknowledging that the way you word your goals is important – keep them positive.
Don’t get disheartened by the goals that you don’t achieve, work out why you didn’t achieve that goal that month and learn from it. Then move the goal to the following month and minimise the amount of goals you have to achieve for that month.
As the months go on, building your monthly lists and spending time to reflect on your months, this whole exercise will begin to feel like second nature.
Lastly, as you work through your goals, embrace the feeling that achievement provides you and use this ritual as one of many things that you can include in your daily life to bring you a positive mindset.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish”
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry