Goal Setting
Start the Year Grounded, Focused, and Energised
January isn’t about reinventing yourself overnight—it’s about setting a strong, realistic foundation for the year ahead. This guide helps you create goals that support your wellbeing, align with your values, and actually stick.
Begin with reflection, not pressure
Before setting new goals, take a moment to look back.
Ask yourself:
- What worked well for me last year?
- What drained my energy?
- When did I feel most like myself?
- What am I proud of, even if it felt small?
Thrive Tip: Growth starts with awareness. Reflection turns experience into understanding
Choose alignment over ambition
Instead of asking “What should I achieve?”, ask:
- What do I want more of this year?
- What matters most at the moment in my life?
- What does thriving look like for me?
Your goals should support your health, relationships, and sense of purpose—not compete with them.
Set fewer, more meaningful goals
More goals don’t equal more progress. Focus on 3–5 priorities, across key areas such as:
- Career or learning
- Health and energy
- Relationships
- Personal growth
- Finances or lifestyle
For each goal, define:
- Why it matters
- What success looks like
- How it supports your wellbeing
Break goals into simple, achievable steps
Big goals thrive on small actions.
Instead of thinking: “Get healthier this year.”
Think:
- I will walk for 10 minutes after lunch, 3 days a week
- Add one vegetable to dinner
- Go to bed 20 minutes earlier
Thrive Tip: Consistency beats intensity. Small wins build confidence.
Plan for energy, not just time
A thriving goal respects your energy levels.
Ask:
- When do I have the most focus?
- What support or boundaries do I need?
- What might get in the way—and how can I plan for it?
Design goals that work with your life, not against it.
Build in flexibility
Progress is rarely linear. January motivation will ebb and flow—and that’s normal.
When things don’t go as planned:
- Adjust the goal, don’t abandon it
- Treat setbacks as lessons, not failure
- Celebrate effort, not just outcomes
Define how you’ll check in
Thriving goals evolve.
Choose a simple checklist:
- Weekly: “What went well? What felt hard?”
- Monthly: “Is this goal still serving me?”
Reflection keeps goals alive and relevant.
End with an intention
Alongside your goals, set one word or intention for the year (e.g., confidence, healthy, calm, etc
Let it guide your decisions when things feel busy or uncertain.
Remember
January is a beginning—not a test.
Goals are tools to support your life, not measures of your worth.
Start gently. Stay curious.
Build a year that helps you thrive.
Vision boards
I have included a step-by-step guide that will help you create a Vision board. This board will keep you focused on your dreams, goals, and desires.
A vision board is a visual collage that displays images, words, and symbols representing your goals, dreams, and values. It is designed to make your intentions visible and emotionally meaningful, helping you to stay focused and motivated. It is a meaningful expression of your goals and dreams. It helps you stay inspired. You can move through each day with focused intention.
Seeing your intentions in front of you every day helps focus the mind. It channels energy to attract your dreams. This triggers a process that reprograms your subconscious mind.
How do Vision Boards work?
- When you consistently visualise an outcome, the brain starts to read it as a memory and not just a desire
- You start to subconsciously adapt your behaviour by making the intention more likely to be achieved
- Instead of focusing on the images, literally, you pay attention to the feeling they provoke in you
Below is an example of a vision board. You can make it whatever resonates with you
A step-by-step guide to creating a Vision Board:
Ask yourself:
- What do I really want and/or need?
- Take some time to really visualise the things that are important to you at this time. Take a blank sheet of paper. Write down everything that comes to mind about your ideal life.
- Things that seem impossible to achieve should also be included
- Now prioritise the things on your list and write beside each one why you want to achieve it. Try to limit it to 5-10 ideas
- Choose photos, cards, words, or images that clearly symbolise your goal:
- These can be cuttings from magazines, newspapers, or you can draw or write things that have meaning to you
- Select whatever it is that resonates with you
- Use a corkboard or a large piece of paper to attach your items:
- Try not to clutter the board too much, as this will distract you from your intentions
- Placement:
- Choose a location where you will see it regularly
- This is crucial as you want to visualise them consciously and subconsciously regularly
- How to use it:
- Stare at it. What is calling your attention today?
- Look at the words and pictures, reflect on what they mean, and pay attention to every detail
- Imagine your life when that specific goal is a reality and how it makes you feel. Where are you? Who are you with?
- Create a story, imagine what is happening around you. The more you engage the senses, the stronger the neural pathways and connections will be
- Take a deep breath, hold it to a count of four, and slowly release.
Images trigger emotion faster than words. Emotion strengthens memory and commitment. Seeing your desired future makes the effort feel meaningful. This helps you stay motivated during setbacks. Wishing you success in all your dreams, goals, and desires for 2026
Lynne x
Where focus goes, energy flows!
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