Welcome to the new year! A new month! Q1! Although I place more emphasis on the winter solstice, I like the fresh feeling of a new calendar year. Especially by the end of the holiday fog, I welcome the gear shift that January 1st brings to the collective. This year I have the self-employed luxury of slowly coming out of my shell to clean house and fully prepare myself to return to work. I’ve been picking away at little things like organizing our front closet and pantry, cleaning the fridge, wiping out bathroom drawers, vacuuming the furniture, etc. As we enter the depths of winter, preparing for indoor living, I’m feeling called to make my cozy new house feel as much like a sanctuary as possible.
With my reflecting and visioning work behind me (it’s not too late though!), the first week of the new year feels more practical and less mystical, so I use this time for goal setting. I started this process two years ago when I was halfway through my nutrition program and wanted to start making solid moves toward starting my business. Goal setting is much more effective and tangible when it’s connected to a larger picture, which is why I like taking a layered approach. I came to the purpose, priorities, and goals method through the book Business Mastery by Cherie M. Sohnen-Moe (which has an incredibly weird and amazing cover). It starts with defining your purpose - no big deal lol - identifying major priorities, and then creating goals that align with the specific priorities.
Purpose serves as the context for your goals so that they don’t feel like chores, or ‘shoulds’, purpose connects your goals to the bigger picture. It can seem intimidating to define your purpose, but it should be very general - it’s a direction, or path, if you will - not a destination or something to be completed. Purpose is also subject to change based on where you might be at in your life and where you are headed, it can be shifting, or more refined. When I go about this work, I set general goals and career goals, so I work with two purposes, but the two are closely related:
Purpose: Living a life of self-expression
Career Purpose: My career is a source of joy and prosperity
Priorities are ‘statements of intention that are connected with values’. They are not all-encompassing like a purpose, and not as specific as goals. They serve as the in-between where you make choices or draw boundaries that support your overall purpose.
Priorities:
I am creative in all that I do
I am devoted to my practice
I live in support of my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health
Career Priorities:
I’m creative in my work
My career is fulfilling and provides me with the income that I desire
I have variety in my work and day-to-day
I continue to expand my knowledge and skills
Goals are the specific things, tasks, events, or experiences that you can objectively know when you’ve achieved them. Effective goals are: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timelined, enthusiastic, and rewarding (SMARTER). I always set goals in the present tense and use the pronoun ‘I’ to personalize the work. I do my goal setting work in living documents so that I can continue to build, reflect, and remain accountable but once I’ve solidified them, I put pen to paper in my journal to send it out into the world. Writing goals out is a powerful process that I find makes things feel more real.
Goals:
I write morning pages
I move and meditate daily
I will not drink alcohol for 30 days
I will complete my 6-week gut/liver protocol
Career Goals:
I have three new clients per month
I promote my offerings three times per week
I write my newsletter weekly
I develop one recipe per month
I dedicate 5 hours a week to content creation
I read one professional development book per month
I offer one public/in-person offering per quarter (food activation, workshop, collaboration)
I like to do this work every three months to check in at each quarter and readjust where necessary. It also feels impossibly overwhelming to map out goals for the entire year - who knows what will happen or where we will be even 6 months down the line? I used to think that goal setting was something for the type-a or the uptight, but I’ve since reframed it as the means to turning dreams into reality. When we commit, and take action, there is truly no stopping us. What are some of your goals for the next three months? Drop them in the comments, I want to know! Let’s encourage each other in this process.
This month at The Kitchen Table will be all about setting ourselves up for a supportive start to the new year as we deep dive into habits, routine, meal planning and preparing for whole food cooking and eating at home. See you next week! XO
Love this! Very helpful in making a daunting new year challenge feel approachable and exciting.
Love thisssss! Inspiring me to do the same as I launch my first business this year. Happy NY! <3