Fall is the New New Year

It’s no secret that my favourite time of year is fall. But outside of the scarves, warm drinks, and colourful trees, there is so much more to my love of Fall.

I find after a summer of fun and indulgence, Fall is a time to settle back into routine and structure. With that change in mindset, I find myself revisiting goals that I have for myself. I find that Fall is the time that we can look at them with a bit of renewal after the fun of Summer. Honestly, I think it’s better than January 1st because our goals are a) coming from a place of structure and routine, and b) we’re at a place in the year that everyone else is getting back into the swing of things, so it isn’t hard to find the solutions we need. I also find that it is easier to get started on goal setting when the days are still longer than they are in January.

So, what does a Fall New Year look like?

Challenge Yourself!

• Challenge the ideas you have about yourself and your success
• What do you REALLY want? Less stress? More fun? More time for friends?
• Finding your “why” is probably the most important step.
• You can return to your “why” whenever you feel discouraged or face setbacks.

Create A Good Mindset

• Creating a Growth Mindset in your life is important to goal setting and self-improvement.
• Growth Mindset allows you to think in terms of your life being a constant act of learning, rather than having a finite ending to learning and goals.
• Creating this mindset allows you to think of each setback as an opportunity for learning and can help you avoid quitting if goals don’t go the way you hoped.

Goal Setting

• The first priority is to set some goals. What would you like to achieve by next summer? Better balance? More mindfulness? To learn to Salsa? Write them down.
• Create SMART goals. They will be...
• Specific (What is it you want?)
• Measurable (How will you know you’ve achieved it?)
• Achievable (Set your sights high enough for challenge, but no so high that you can’t reach your goal)
• Relevant (Why is this important to you?)
• Time-sensitive (What is your deadline?)
• When in doubt, just start with a list—maybe it’s a bucket list—and narrow it down from there.

Recognize Your Roadblocks

• Be true to yourself--if you hate mornings, don't plan to exercise then just because you "should". Find time to work on your goals when you're happy and motivated.
• Finding the chaos to be too much? Try to lift some stress by preparing things beforehand and making lists/using a planner. Plan your meals, prep what you can, prepare projects before their deadlines, etc. 
• Have a close friend or family member motivate you through your struggles. Let them know that you often quit two weeks into new goals and have them check in with you, for example. 
• Be true to who you are, and structure your goals around who that person is.

Find things that you’re truly passionate about and spend some time thinking about what you want and WHY. And as always, if you need some guidance and support, give us a call and book an appointment! We’ll have you on your way in no time.
 
-Kendra