Loving Life

How to Set Goals (and complete them!)

January, the time of resolutions gone by the wayside, and binge watching Netflix in your Pjs on the couch. (And if that was your New Years Resolution, you do you- that sounds awesome.)

But a lot of us had more grandiose ideas about what 2018 could bring us. Whether it was a goal to lose weight, save more money, spend more time with family; any goal you may have set can still be a reality for you!

Here’s how:

You may have heard of SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Meaning your goal must be more specific than “eat healthier”, instead try “eat veggies with two meals each day”. Then they must be measurable, you have to be able to see your results or progress! Even if your progress is just a little check mark off of your to-do list for the day, seeing your results propels you forward and motivates you to keep going.

Then there is attainable and realistic, and I’ll suggest you take these steps lightly. Fearing your goals are unattainable, or unrealistic, will stop you from trying! Now I’m not saying your goals should be “Gain 1,000 new blog followers by tomorrow” because while it is specific, it’s not something you can control. It’s not impossible, but it is unlikely and if you don’t set yourself up with easier goals to meet you’ll be disappointed and quit. Don’t let fear get in your way of dreaming big, but go easy on yourself, great stuff takes time!

And that time is very important. You also don’t want to let “someday” get in your way. If you want something tell yourself when you’ll have it by. Maybe you won’t have 1,000 new followers tomorrow, but maybe by three months from now you could!

Now that you have a goal that is SMART, here is how we’ll achieve it.

I’ll use a money saving goal as an example.

The Goal: I want to save $1,000.00 in the next 60 days.

It is Specific, save $1,000.00, it is measurable, $1,000.00. It is achievable and realistic, and timely, 60 days. So now we’ll break it down into To-Do’s.

The Goal: I want to save $1,000.00 in the next 60 days. To do this I need to _______.

When making your to-do list, don’t worry about a specific order of things yet, we’ll get to that next. Just list everything you can think of that you need to do in order to meet your goal.

  • Save all change
  • Set up automatic transfers to Savings Account
  • Cut coupons to save at the store
  • Look online for rebates
  • Cash the check from Mom
  • Cancel the Hulu subscription
  • Clean the car for change
  • Look in-between the couch cushions
  • Sign up to be an uber driver, etc.

Great list! Now let’s put them in an order. None of the to-do’s above really NEED to be done in a specific order whereas other goals and to-do lists may require one item be done before you can start another. But for our example it still might help you hit those goals! For instance, maybe you cash the check first to use cash when you take your coupons to the store. Then you save the change from your shopping visit. Or maybe you want to cancel Hulu before the 5th when the next automatic payment comes out. You probably want to clean your car before you sign up to start driving for Lyft or Uber. Put your to-do’s in an order that makes sense and jump on it!

It’s very important to do a brain dump of all of the to-do’s BEFORE you try to put them in order, trust me. When you concentrate only on what needs to be done instead of WHEN it needs to be done, you’ll come up with so much more to help you. You’d hate to miss something!

Finally, don’t forget to keep yourself posted on your progress! Celebrate your victories and you’ll have more to celebrate!

Until next time, wishing you all positive motivation to meet those goals, sugar, and savings,

Taylor

xoxo

Make 2017 Your Year of “NO!”

Hello Lovely Savers!

I want to let you in on a little secret of mine… I am the WORST at saying “no”. I am always guilty of spreading myself too thin, running here and there to try to do everything for everyone- and let me tell you, it’s awful. Often times I’d get so stressed out by trying to do everything perfectly for everyone, that I’d miss out on things, get sick, and then disappoint people anyway. It is not a reasonable lifestyle to live for other people. Nice? Sure. Noble? Maybe. Crazy? Definitely.

And that extends into work. In 2016 I had to make the hardest choice I’d ever had to make career wise, I quit my job. And no, not just a job, a job I loved. Why on earth would I give up on a job I loved? Here’s the truth, and this is the first time I am coming clean about it, I was tired.

I was tired of working part-time, after years of being promised more and more hours.

I was tired of insubstantial pay, which I had agreed to, hoping that it would make my trek to full-time faster. I was tired of being underutilized and under-appreciated, I was tired of being treated like I was only 22. Even though, yes, I was only 22.

I wasn’t tired of the work! But as time went on, and more of my efforts were unnoticed or undermined by others in the organization, I had to decide. Once I realized that the organization had no interest in changing how I was used, I had to say “no”. And suddenly, I wasn’t just underutilized, I was selfish. I was selfish because I wanted “things handed to me”, and when I was made to feel selfish, I did. Not only did I believe it, I saw it.

I wasn’t doing my best work, why should I? If I wasn’t going to be their priority, why should they be mine? One day I looked at my computer, realized how messed up that mentality was, and sent in my two weeks.

I told everyone it was because I was going to run my own company, which I was doing on the side, and which was true in part. But that wasn’t why I left, and I still felt so selfish on the inside that I was too embarrassed to say “I wasn’t going anywhere where I was, and I had to think about myself”. It was as if by saying that, I would be admitting that they were right, that I WAS selfish. Now several months later, I am able (if only just barely) to say THAT IS NOT OK.

You have to take care of yourself! I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “you can’t pour from an empty cup”, and 2016 was my year to see how true that is. You should not feel selfish for saying “no”, and any organization or person who calls you selfish for that, should probably take a good long look in the mirror.

This year, in 2017, say “no”. Put your foot down! Do what you have to do so that you can be your best self, because when you feel like you are doing your best work- you are. Tired of credit card debt? Say NO to using that card. Tired of spending too much money out at restaurants with your friends? Say NO and suggest a night in, or god-forbid take some time for yourself (personally still working on that one). Tired of your job? SAY NO! Go find one that makes you feel like you matter and that your work makes an impact! In 2017, ‘No’ is NOT a bad word.

Sugar and Savings,

XOXO

Taylor