Achieve Your New Year's Resolutions - Tips for Lasting Success

Happy New Year to my wine marketers and small business owner friends! I’m curious—are you planning on making any New Year’s Resolutions for 2023?

Maybe a word of the year to motivate your career and personal goals?  I am sticking with REFIGURE for the second year in a row because I don’t feel like I am done with it yet.

It is difficult to anticipate what the coming year will hold in such an unsteady economy, and with the pandemic still very much present (my husband has COVID for the second time right now, while I have continued to be negative for 3+ years).

As you look forward to your resolutions that will begin after the clock strikes twelve, perhaps you can reframe them as “future-casting,” or simply “goal-planning.” This is effectively dreaming up a road map for success and prosperity throughout not only this year, but beyond!

Can you guarantee that your New Year’s resolutions will become reality? No, or else we'd all be billionaires by now (take that, second-richest man in the world—for now)! But you can take steps to increase the likelihood of your goal-planning yielding positive results.

It may seem a bit daunting initially, but having an action plan in place will get your goals on track. Remember why setting realistic goals is essential to you reaching your dreams. That's the real motivator!

It's also a good idea to keep in mind that resolutions may need to be adjusted throughout the year, so stay flexible and be prepared for any potential surprises. 

With these tips, you're sure to have your most successful year yet! So, cheers to a great year and a glass of bubbly—here's to achieving all of your goals!

Here are a few tips for making your New Year's resolutions successful: 

Know the difference between short-term and long-term goals -  It is important to identify the difference between short-term and long-term goals when setting your New Year's resolutions. Short-term goals are those that can be accomplished in a shorter amount of time, while long-term goals may take longer to achieve.

By understanding this distinction, you can ensure that you set realistic goals—ones you can accomplish in the New Year. Additionally, setting both short-term and long-term goals can be beneficial for businesses, as it helps them to stay focused on what needs to be done in the present moment while also aiming for growth and development in the future. Having a mix of both types of goals can help businesses stay motivated throughout the year to achieve success.  

Create an action plan - This plan should include breaking down your large goals into smaller, more achievable steps and habits and assigning timelines and deadlines to each task. It is also important to have room for adjustments so you can remain flexible if the plan needs to be adjusted. By creating an action plan and keeping it realistic, wine marketers and small business owners can stay on track and reach their New Year's resolutions successfully.
Develop sustainable habits - It is critical to understand the difference between being consistent and being sustainable when it comes to your New Year resolutions. While I strive to remain consistent, it is ultimately essential that I develop healthy and lasting habits (i.e., sustainable habits).

As I've discovered, my energy will inevitably differ from day to day, meaning that if I'm too relentless with any given goal, it can quickly become too hard for me to sustain over time. So instead of being inflexible and pushing myself beyond what's practical, adjusting my objectives keeps me on track while also freeing me from exhaustion along the way.

On low-energy days, it's important to remember that you don't have to do the same amount of work that you usually do. It can be helpful to focus on activities that are low-intensity and require minimal physical or mental effort. Instead, try switching up your routine; do something that doesn’t require as much physical or mental energy, like listening to music or taking a walk.  

On the flip side, take advantage of high-energy days by focusing on your work and buckling down on your tasks. You may feel more motivated and able to tackle more challenging tasks. This could include working on a project or tackling something you’ve been putting off.

Examples of sustainable habits: 

For a goal of reading more: On a high-energy day, you could set the goal of reading for an hour. On a low-energy day, your goal can be to read for 15 minutes.

For movement (not just working out): On a high-energy day, plan a trip to the gym for a 45-minute high-intensity workout, and on a low-energy day, feel good about taking a 10-minute walk around the block. Because ALL movement is better than sitting at your desk all day. 

Another example for marketers looking to create habits to hit bigger-picture goals: On a high-energy day, set the goal of crossing off three big tasks for the entire day. On a low-energy day, your goal can be only to cross off one task and take a break.

No matter what type of day it is, don't forget to be kind to yourself. Remember that progress isn't always linear. 

Listen to your own body - This took me a long time to learn, but it’s important to listen to your body and recognize when it's time to take a break. By taking breaks to supplement your energy levels, you are creating habits that are consistent but also sustainable in the long-term.

Allow yourself some “me-time” - It's essential to remember the importance of taking care of yourself throughout the year. Setting time aside for yourself away from work or stressful situations can help you stay motivated and reach your New Year's resolutions successfully. Schedule some “me-time” throughout the year. This could mean taking a day off from work, going out with friends, or simply enjoying some alone time. 

By allowing yourself this much-needed break and relaxation, you can ensure that you have the energy and enthusiasm needed to make your New Year's resolutions a reality. 

Stay focused and don't give up - It's natural to experience failure or setbacks throughout the year. However, it is important to remember that our New Year's resolutions are goals in the long-term. Even when faced with unexpected challenges, we must remain focused on the big picture and not give up.

Plan ways to stay motivated - Stay motivated by rewarding yourself for reaching milestones, or create reminders that keep you on track with your resolutions. This will help you remain focused and keep chugging when things get tough. For example, you could set a goal to exercise regularly and then reward yourself with a massage or a new workout outfit every time you reach a certain number of workouts. Or, you could create a daily reminder on your phone to review your resolutions and visualize your progress, which can help keep you motivated and focused on your goals.

Celebrate successes and learn from failures - We should celebrate both successes and failures when we make New Year's resolutions. Celebrating our successes provides motivation, while learning from our failures keeps us pliable and constantly evolving. By taking the time to reflect on the progress we’ve made, we can remain focused and excited about what is yet to come.

Get the right tools - Finally, small businesses’ success relies on having the right tools. Investing in the resources needed to make your resolutions come true can be key for long-term success. Whether it’s investing in software for better tracking or simply purchasing more supplies, having the right resources in place can bring you closer to reaching your goals.

We ALL have a lot to juggle throughout the year. By setting realistic goals, creating an action plan, allowing yourself some “me-time,” and staying focused, you can confidently head in the direction of your resolutions in 2023.

Choose Your Word of the Year for Motivation & Focus in 2023

Hey marketers! As we enter the new year, it's time to start setting some goals and making some resolutions. But let's be real, it's easy to get excited about the new year and all the possibilities it brings, but it can be tough to stay motivated and actually achieve those goals. That's where the concept of a "word of the year" comes in.

A word of the year is a single word that serves as a guiding principle or theme for the year ahead. It can be a powerful tool for focusing your efforts and staying motivated throughout the year. By choosing a word of the year and incorporating it into your daily routine and decision-making process, you can set yourself up for success in the coming year.

I’ve created several over the past 10 years, though — funny enough — I didn’t for 2020, which is fine, because, as we all know, the world turned upside down with the pandemic (and my cancer treatments).

For me, the word "refigure" has been particularly meaningful in the past year.

It's all about recalculating, rearranging, and adapting in order to improve and optimize. As a marketer, I've found that refiguring my approach to various tasks and challenges has helped me stay flexible and adaptable in the face of change. And you know what? I'm sticking with it for another year. I don't feel like I'm done with it yet, and I believe it still has a lot of value and relevance for me as I continue to grow and develop in my career.

But what if you're not sure what word of the year to choose? No worries, here are a few steps you can take to find the right word for you:

1. Reflect on your values and priorities: What's most important to you in your personal and professional life? Consider choosing a word that aligns with your values and priorities and will help you stay focused on what matters most to you.

2. Look for words that inspire and motivate you: Choose a word that resonates with you and makes you feel energized and motivated. You might want to consider words that relate to growth, creativity, or resilience, for example.

3. Consider your goals for the year: What are your goals for the coming year? Think about which words can help you achieve those goals and keep you motivated and focused along the way.

4. Experiment with different words: Don't be afraid to try out different words and see how they feel. You might find that a particular word doesn't work for you, or that you need to switch to a different word as the year progresses.

Once you've chosen your word of the year, here are a few tips for incorporating it into your daily routine and decision-making process:

1. Set specific goals and action steps: Use your word of the year to guide your goal-setting and planning process. Consider how your word can help you achieve your goals and what specific action steps you need to take to get there.

2. Use your word as a reminder: Place your word of the year in a visible location, like on your desk or in your planner so that you can see it every day. You can also set reminders on your phone or use a daily planner to help keep you on track.

3. Share your word with others: Consider sharing your word of the year with your colleagues, friends, or social media followers. This can help you stay accountable to your goals and get support and encouragement from others. By sharing your word of the year with others, you can also inspire them to set their own goals and choose their own words of the year, which can create a sense of community and accountability.

4. Use your word as a filter: When faced with decisions or challenges, ask yourself how your word of the year can help guide your actions. For example, if your word is "resilience," you might ask yourself how you can approach a situation with determination and perseverance.

5. Seek out opportunities to practice your word: Look for opportunities to put your word of the year into action. For example, if your word is "innovation," you might seek out new projects or initiatives that allow you to be creative and try out new ideas.

6. Reflect on your progress: Periodically check in with yourself and reflect on how your word of the year has helped you stay motivated and on track. Consider what has worked well and what you might need to adjust in order to continue making progress toward your goals.

Choosing a word of the year is like the ultimate New Year's resolution. It's your way to set goals for yourself and stay motivated throughout the year. So pick something that resonates with you, whether it's about growth, creativity, resilience or whatever else speaks to you. And if you don't stick with this one-word resolution? Well, there's always next year! 

And remember, be flexible and adaptable – you might need to adjust your goals as the year goes on. I know I have, especially over these past few years. 

Struggling to Achieve Your Goals? Here's How to Overcome Common Excuses

You know that part in romcoms when the protagonist explains their feelings to a friend and lists all the reasons why they can't be with the potential love interest? Then the friend looks at them pointedly and says, "Excuses are like butts–everyone's got one, and they all stink."

Maybe I just made that up... But the idea is the same,  and it applies to goal-setting and achieving your dreams too.

We all make up excuses, and they're usually pretty stinkin' bad. 

While some of those reasons might be valid, more often than not, they're just a way to talk ourselves out of doing something that we're afraid of or uncertain about.

But the good news is that once you recognize your excuses for what they are, you can start to overcome them by figuring out how your current habits are slowing you down, so you can change them and start making progress toward your goals.

What’s stopping you from hitting your goals?

Do you ever ask yourself this question? I often tell myself that I can't get up from my desk because I have to focus on my projects, and I simply DON’T have the time to waste…because I already wasted too much by going down a rabbit hole on TikTok. Oops… 

If you're anything like me, you've probably set many goals in your life. (I have even taken a vacation with my husband to plan out my yearly goals). You may have a long list for this year or even just for today. Awesome—you are on the right track! Whoo-hoo!

But how often do you actually hit them?

It's important to remember that many things can stop us from hitting our goals, even if we really WANT to achieve them. These obstacles might be internal or external excuses we tell ourselves, and they might be conscious or subconscious, but they definitely exist.

Knowing Your “Why” Behind Your Goals

While it's important to have clearly defined goals, it's just as important (if not more so) to know your WHY behind those goals. 

Why do you want to achieve that specific goal? What will accomplishing it mean for you and your life? 

Answering these questions can inspire and motivate you to work harder toward achieving your objectives. Whatever our goals are, we should be able to answer “why does it matter?” when coming up with the steps for reaching them.
And that's just how we work—so don’t feel guilty about your motivation, whatever it is. For example, losing weight because you want to look good is your right as a human being. But also think about why it’s important to you to look good, and what that means for your life.

Reflecting on your goals and the reasons behind them provides clarity that can help you stay focused and committed, even when the going gets tough.

Common Excuses for Not Achieving Your Goals

In addition to knowing why you want to hit your goals, it’s also important to understand what your potential roadblocks are. One thing I recently tried was writing down my "excuses" for not creating the habits that lead me to my goals. You know, the things that guide you toward being your best self, like going to the gym, disconnecting from technology, getting a good night's sleep, or eating a healthy breakfast. 

I recently found myself back in the habit of forgetting to get up and eat lunch because I was so busy working on my computer. I was also finding myself ordering DoorDash because I (or my husband) didn't make the time to prepare the ingredients for dinner.

Sounds familiar?? I figured a few of you could relate. But being aware of what holds us back is the first step to overcoming these obstacles and creating new habits.

So, I’ll ask again: What's stopping you from reaching your goals?

Without further ado… Here’s my list of the top excuses we tell ourselves (and what to do about it):

1. I don’t have enough time

This is a big one for most of us. There are always tasks that need to get done, and when we are trying to accomplish one thing, it feels like the other things fall by the wayside. 

Break down your goals into smaller tasks and then make a plan for them. How are you going to get them done?

Some of my favorite tools are Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and Trello. All three allow me to color code different areas that I'm working on so I can visually see what needs focus at that moment.

2. I’m too tired.

This is one of the hardest excuses to overcome because it requires that we get out of our comfort zones and change our actions. Here are a few things that can help you make the adjustments needed to keep on going:

* Take a break. I know—your first thought may be that you don’t have the time to do this. But often, when we feel overwhelmed by the amount on our plate, one of the best things we can do is take a break. Go for a walk, get outside, get some fresh air and clear your mind. This will help your body re-energize. You'll be surprised by just how helpful this can be!

* Get enough sleep. This is important for me because when I sleep poorly, it leaves my body feeling exhausted the next day. And my quality of sleep is impacted by my actions - like drinking more than two glasses of wine or pints of beer or eating too much cheese/carbs. So here are some tips to help you get more rest: 1) Have a consistent bedtime, 2) Don’t eat late at night (you will have to work on this with me), and 3) Turn off all electronic devices in your room (yes, even your phone), 4) Dedicating time to work out, 5) Understanding that while we like it or not, alcohol does have an impact on quality of sleep. Moderation is key.

3. I don’t have the motivation. 

This is another difficult one that usually goes hand-in-hand with being tired or not having the time to do something, but there are tricks you can lean on to motivate yourself anew. 

* Ask your friends for help. Messaging a friend or client and asking if they have time for a quick chat can help me feel energized about completing my work on time. Even if we don't talk for a long time, it's great to have someone who is there to support you.

* Set a reward system. I love doing this with myself; I know that once I finish something at work, then I can do something that makes me happy! That may be going out with my family or having a glass of wine after a long day. This can be the perfect motivator for pressing on when it feels like I have no reason to do something.

At the end of the day, you need to remember why you are doing what you're doing and keep pushing through your frustrations. It won't be easy, but if you can focus on the positive impact that your goals will bring, nothing should stop you from accomplishing them!

We all have our own excuses for not going after what we want to achieve. Maybe we say we don't have enough time, or that we're too tired—but now that you can identify some of the most common excuses we tell ourselves, you can overcome them. With a little bit of effort, you can change your habits and start achieving your goals.

Download my Goal Planning Worksheet if you feel like you are struggling with your goals for your business (it even has a section dedicated to tackling excuses for achieving your goals!).

Word of the Year: Embrace 2021

The beginning of each year may be an imagery date for a fresh start because let’s be honest -- nothing is really going to change much just because the year changes. What I do like about this time is that normally, Rye is home with us for a bit over the holidays and then he goes back to school. That acts as a natural start to kicking the year off with new intentions.

This month, he is still at home with us, and we aren’t really sure when he will go back (note: he was going back to his preschool during my cancer treatments and up until the COVID number started to spike here in the Bay Area in early-ish December). 

This next year - 2021 - continues to hold a lot of uncertainty. That is a given. There is so much black space where our normal beginning of the year goals and New Year’s resolutions ought to be…

But, you know what?

When you think about it, every goal or resolution is actually set with a little bit of uncertainty about what the future is going to look like. Obviously, we are much more aware of that uncertainty right now, what with curveballs like new strains of COVID popping up across the globe. 

But, whether you have kids at home or feel paralyzed by not being able to find a job, there are small things you can do to start working on your goals, regardless of the future being foggier than usual. This isn’t about jumping in headfirst and hustling (read: burning out). This year should be about taking slow, actionable steps to get you further than where you are right now. 

Basically, set the bar low in 2021.

My Word of the Year for 2021

I didn’t set a word of the year in 2020. Looking back, that totally seems fitting since everything was ever-changing, both personally and on a larger scale. Looking back on a journal entry in late December 2019, I was floating the idea of SAVOR. I never followed up, however, with posting about it on social media or here on my own blog—so, blog post or it didn’t happen, or whatever the phrase is… 

So, as I said, 2021 may be totally different, but I am ready to embrace the uncertainty. 

Originally I was thinking of a couple of alternative words: heal and resilience. But the longer I spent with either word, the more I realized that neither were quite right. They both seemed to focus on the negative like 2021 was going to be all about overcoming obstacles. Neither word felt like it contained any nuance, and I want to do more than simply heal or overcome. 

I want to embrace everything that life might throw at me (either with COVID cases increasing and Rye having to stay away from his preschool longer or with whatever happens next with my tumor—which I should know more about next steps in March).

That’s it! The word embrace is a great word of the year for me as we move into 2021. 

Embrace defined: /əmˈbrās/ noun 1. an act of accepting or supporting something willingly or enthusiastically.

Here’s how I want to apply my new word of the year, “embrace,” in 2021:

• Embracing the moment. (Yeah, it feels cheesy to write.) Rye will be home with us again, and I will be with him most of the time with Jeff helping each day (full disclosure: Rye went back to preschool with smaller classes back in June 2019 during my treatments, and he came back home full-time with us in mid-December once cases began to rise AND I had enough energy to take care of him). 

• Embracing my lighter workload. Right now I am focused on taking fewer gigs with higher checks. I am at the point in my career where I should be doing that anyway, but I want to be more intentional with this. This also includes embracing my various side businesses, like my Etsy shop and RECIPE FOR INSTAGRAM classes that make money even while I sleep.

• Embracing the fact that I have to stretch for 20 minutes EVERY MORNING just to feel normal. My bones/muscles were apparently weakened by radiation, so I need to eat healthily and stretch (e.g., yoga) to have the energy to keep up with Rye.

• Embracing whatever happens next when it comes to my cancer. I will know more sometime in March about whether the tumor is gone, and then I will talk about the next steps with my doctors. There are a few options, some much scarier than others—but whatever happens, my stage 4 anal cancer is not the end of me.

• I will continue to embrace who I am and understand that my moods and desires are fluid. Right now, I want soft and soothing colors around me whereas I usually want bright, playful colors, so you will probably see more of the color sage in things like my new logo (at the top) as opposed to a bright teal. And that is okay; as long as there are some elements that are recognizable, the colors of my website can change!

• Embracing that my goals will be smaller this year. I am not looking to lose weight. I am just looking to maintain and stay healthy. I am not looking to make six figures. I am just looking to help my family's finances. And IF I do extra credit for my goals, even better.  I will also continue to use my favorite day planner and rock out every small task.

• Embracing my failures. This is a big one because I am an Enneagram Type 3w2, which is a nice way of saying “overachiever” (learn more about my Enneagram and how to find yours). I have always put my “worth” into my work, and this past year has been so hard because I couldn’t work as much as I wanted. So, this year I am embracing whatever happens in my business.

• … On that note, I am embracing some changes in my business and focusing on a pretty exciting project that doesn’t have to do with wine OR food! More details to come later this spring. :) 

I want to hear from you: what is your “word of the year,” and what do you plan on embracing this year?

Why Taking a Step Back from My Business Actually Strengthened My Career Aspirations

I’ve been a small business owner for almost 12 years, and 99% of my business comes from referrals (i.e., people I know recommended me to someone else, etc.), which meant that I never had to go out of my way to find clients.

How that happened was simply dumb luck, what with my being one of the first social media marketers in Sonoma County, practicing what I preach on social media by engaging, sharing contacts, and of course trying to do a good job with my clients so they would recommend me to others. 

This was, however, a double-edged sword. Not having to explicitly search for new clients meant that I never had to struggle with this particular area of my business. I’m thankful for that, but learning new skills, like building a client base, is also necessary—especially when you find yourself losing many of them to a pandemic. 

Taking a Step Back, and Losing Work Because of a Pandemic and Cancer

After experiencing a loss of work due to the pandemic and my cancer treatments, I had time to take a step back and really figure out what I want to do with my life. 

As much struggle as I’ve had in the past few months with cancer treatments, I’ve also been able to learn from it and reshape basically everything about my daily life. I have had to put an even bigger emphasis on getting my energy back after being bedridden, so my focus has been on moving and eating healthily (even more so than when I first started my health journey a few years ago).  

This is a good reminder that you don’t have to go through a pandemic or cancer treatments for you to take a step back from your business life and really look critically at what you want to do next. The idea of giving yourself permission to stop for a minute is such a hard one to internalize though.

When you’re trudging through day-to-day life, sometimes it’s hard to even realize that maybe you should take a step back, and even having someone give you that permission is what you need. So this blog post is me giving you permission to try to reset for 2021. 

Action Items for Taking a Step Back and Figuring Out Your Next Steps: 

1. Take a look at what you’re doing now, or at what you were doing before you had to take a step back. Ask yourself if you are/were excited to get up and work. Write down any thoughts that pop into your head. 

2. Pay attention to that energy. What made you excited? What drained your energy? Spend a minute every day writing down what the best part of your day was and what you can work on in the future (I am obsessed with my Panda Day Planner, and it actually asks you these questions in the daily review section). After doing it for a few weeks, you’ll notice some trends. 

3. Write those trends down, and start thinking of ways to incorporate what you love into your career (this may involve getting a new position, starting your own business, or pivoting your role at your company). Just as importantly, think of how you can outsource certain tasks to stop doing the things you hate (read my article for the North Bay Business Journal on social media outsourcing ideas and more).

4. From there, try to look at all of the ways you can get to your goal of doing what you love. Some ideas include: 

   1. Networking within that industry and talking to people who are in that position already.

   2. Getting a LinkedIn Premium account so you can see all of the job offers.

   3. Taking classes or studying relevant topics in that industry so you can be better prepared for a job.

5. Get some momentum and jump back into what you love. What I’ve found is that a lot of my inspiration comes when I am taking a walk or cycling on my indoor exercise bike. It doesn’t come from staring at a screen.

If you’re looking for any extra help coming up with goals for 2021, I have two video training sessions coming up in January that will provide some clarity and action items for the upcoming year. I’m keeping the classes small so we can learn from each other, so please sign up right away!

Social Media Goal Planning Video Training for Wine/Food Marketers on Tuesday, January 12th from 3 PM-4:30 PM PT. Sign up here!

Goal Planning Video Training for Tech Employees on Thursday, January 14th from 3 PM-4:30 PM PT. Sign up here! I am excited to host this training with my engineering management husband, Jeff Bull. :)

So, Are We Setting Goals For 2021?

As we look to 2021, there are some things to be excited about: come January 20th, Joe Biden will be our president, and his administration will be the one in charge of getting the COVID-19 vaccine to the masses. And that definitely makes me feel reassured that recovery is somewhere in our future. 

We still don’t know what life will look like post-COVID, but I’m excited to not be scared to leave my house every day. More importantly, I am excited to travel and to help out my friends who own businesses in the hospitality industry in Sonoma, Napa County, etc.  

Goal planning, a.k.a. predicting the future 

When it comes to goals—or New Year’s resolutions, as some people (not me) call them—they can be hard to set when you can’t predict what the future looks like. You may still be playing catchup on goals and plans that were screwed up at the beginning of this year. 

2020 threw two very large wrenches in the wheels of my yearly goals: in March, I lost some of my biggest gigs due to the coronavirus shutting down the hospitality industry and in-person meetings. And then I found out I had cancer over the summer, went through a month and a half of treatments, and took a lot longer than expected (well, at least what I expected) to recover.

I went from taking the BART into downtown Oakland twice a week, networking with new connections in the tech industry here in the Bay Area, consulting with new brands each month, and writing one to three articles a week for different publications—to almost nothing. 

I started off 2020 with a few really big goals that I was excited about, including a new opportunity I was just starting. In addition to my career goals, I also had goals for creating new connections in my new home in the East Bay and continuing my health journey.

The only goal I actually accomplished was staying at the same weight I was in December 2019 (learn more about my goals for health post-kid). Granted, my husband’s love for baking sourdough while in quarantine ensured I gained some weight, and then being bedridden and not eating much due to cancer treatments ensured I lost it, so I’m not necessarily calling my weight neutrality a win. 

Changing up my goals based on reality, not arbitrary numbers and dates 

For the past month or so, setting goals has helped me to recover from cancer treatments. For me, it was about feeling better and not having the same muscle aches I always did when I started moving around. And I am ever a fan of setting small, obtainable goals. In fact, my Panda day planner is one of the best tools I have used for keeping on top of my goals.

My goal of feeling better started with creating daily tasks that I knew would add up—I started with one walk around the block, and now it is one hike each day, and stretching, and eating very healthily. 

These are definitely different from New Year's resolutions. Small monthly, weekly, or daily goals give me something to be excited about. Read more about how I spent an entire weekend creating goals with my husband in San Diego… Ahhh.. remember travel! I definitely am excited to travel again.

I mean, we all need something to be excited about... 

Action items for creating small goals for 2021: 

1. First, start off by taking a look back at 2020. If you haven’t already, allow yourself grace if you didn’t hit some goals. Focus on any positives, and remind yourself that not hitting your goals in 2020 was not your fault. 

2. Focus on one to three months of 2021. What are the small things you want to accomplish that impact potentially bigger goals? Usually, winter is a planning stage for many businesses, so take extra time to plan ahead for content creation and get a lead magnet up on your website to increase your email list. 

3. Write down the main (small) goal and then create small, actionable tasks that you need to take to get to that goal. 

4. Make sure to add some deadlines, and potential rewards if you hit that deadline. 

2021’s goals don’t have to contain profound, life-changing expectations. I don’t know what is in store for me, so I’m not focusing on the long-term—I’m focusing on what I can do to revitalize my career after the setbacks I faced in 2020. 

Just remember --- It's okay to center next year's goals on rebuilding what this year has turned upside down. And BTW, my husband and I decided to create a video session on helping people with setting goals for 2021, so please join us!

Social Media Goal Planning Video Training for Wine/Food Marketers on Tuesday, January 12th from 3 PM -4:30 PM PT. Sign up here!

Goal Planning Video Training for Tech Employees on Thursday, January 14th from 3 PM -4:30 PM PT. Sign up here!