The Stereotypical Time of "New Year, New Me"

In the week between Christmas and New Years, when everyone is talking about goals, I see two sides of the spectrum:

1. On one hand, there are the people who are really intense about goals and targets. They are logical and methodical in how they plan for the New Year.

2. On the other side of the spectrum, there are the people who barely made it through 2023 and emotionally don’t want to set goals for the New Year because it’s overwhelming.

BOTH groups of people are doing what’s best for them and I’m genuinely happy for them.

But what about everyone else in the middle? What about the people that had a good year and want to set goals, but have had a history of getting derailed or fizzling out by March?

This is who that post is for.

I’m going to share my tips for HOW I set goals for the New Year in a way that’s not overwhelming, is very tangible, and can adapt when life happens.

I’ll also share with you what my goals are. That way there’s some level of accountability for me ;)

For some context, in November of 2021, I set some goals for 2022 with a new perspective.

In the past I had set goals with the RESULT in mind, but this year was different.

My husband Taggart and I were wanting to start trying to have kids a year from then and I did NOT feel physically ready. So instead of making a goal to just “work out more”, I had to get serious on what that actually meant.

One day I’m sitting down on the couch in our 950 sqft apartment in downtown Salt Lake City and think, “Okay I need to be ready for child birth. That involves stamina and physical strength that I currently do not have. What in the world is going to motivate me to develop this in a way that will actually be fun and exciting?”

I immediately think back to high school...

I remember going up to my dad one day and asking if I could get a new phone (I had the Nokia brick phone that survived a 3 story fall onto concrete with barely a scratch to show for it). I wanted one of the smart phones I was seeing everywhere.

My dad pauses for a second, says he’ll talk to my mom and then get back to me.

The next day, my dad makes an announcement at the dinner table. He says,

“Okay if you want a new phone, and your sister can do this if she wants as well, you’re going to have to earn it. We’re not going to just hand you a new phone. The way you can earn it is by training for and completing 6 obstacle 5K races. We’ll do it as a family and at the end, once you complete a ‘finale’ task, then you can have a new phone.”

Silence.

I’m shocked. Wait what? I’m going to have to RUN for a new phone? How in the world is that related?

Part of me is surprised and then the other part isn’t at all. My parents are like this and the more I think about it, the more I get in board. And actually excited.

My sister and I agree and we get started.

About 6 months later we had completed our races: Color Run, Zombie Run, and the G.I. Dash to name just a few. My dad runs them all with my sister and I while my mom takes pictures and cheers us on.

The “finale” event my sister chooses is a half marathon. I'm not about to subject myself to more running so I choose a Go Ruck. 

This Go Ruck is a group event where you wear a weighted backpack and complete tasks as a team. I barely made the age cutoff being 16 so our drill sergeant-esque leader called me “High School”. I did push ups in freezing water, helped carry a telephone pole through the city, and army crawled up a hill, all while not letting my backpack touch the ground.

Let me tell you, by the time all the races and Go Ruck were done and I was handed a phone, I had a HUGE sense of pride for what I accomplished. And I REALLY valued that phone.

So flash forward to me sitting in my apartment and wondering how I could motivate myself to get in shape and ready for childbirth…

I think of these obstacle races.

How I had to develop stamina and endurance through running, but also strength for the obstacles.

So I did some research and signed up for a Spartan Race the next year.

Long story short, I ended up completing a Spartan Trifecta (3 races in one year; a 5K, 10K, and half marathon in Paris, France, on a ski resort in Utah, and the final one in Dallas Texas).

What happened because I trained for and completed these races? I was in the best shape of my life and was confident going into childbirth.

(And for the record, it worked. During labor, baby Charlotte had a chaotic entry into the world that required me to push her out fast. I pushed for 15 minutes and she was out, which the doctors say is rare for your first baby. I avoided a C-Section and forceps because of the strength I built to complete those races).

Because of this experience, I learned a few things about goal setting...

There are 3 components I've found that that make goal setting more effective:

1. Choose a “Life Category”

2. Assign a Value or Principle to that category

3. Create a Tangible Target (or "plan in which to deviate")

For example:

1. Life Category: Physical Health

2. Value or Principle: I want to feel confident in my strength going into child birth.

3. Tangible Target: Complete 3 Spartan Races 

The most important part of goal setting is #2 and most people miss that. What they focus on is #3 and then they get derailed when life happens.

When you assign a Value or Principle to a goal, then it matters less what the target is because it can change over time (hence the term my family says: Having a plan in which to deviate).

So there you have it! This is how I recommend setting goals if you want to start off the New Year strong and not get overwhelmed.

I’ll conclude with some of my goals for 2024.

(I would LOVE to hear what your goals are! DM me on Instagram to share and I’ll cheer you on!)

Andrea’s Goals for 2024:

Category: Physical

Principle: Building back stamina and strength after childbirth.

Tangible Target: Compete a half marathon

Category: Mental

Principle: Develop a new skill that’s fun and exciting, related to my hobbies.

Tangible Target: Get really good at food photography (watch YouTube videos, practice, and share my efforts online)

Category: Spiritual

Principle: Develop a closer relationship with God as I step into this new role of Mom.

Tangible Target: Read my scriptures and pray every day.

There you have it! Feel free to ask me how my goals are going throughout the year. It’ll keep me accountable!

Can’t wait to hear what your goals are!

See you next time :)