Sooooo 2020, in all its ‘covidity’, is ending. We are beginning a new year, which for many of us means, resolution time. “New tings, I’m going to sort out my life.” While many of us say that some other people wax bitter and salty, you know criticizing and judging: “Oh yea, here they come again with their new year’s resolutions and their vision boarding”. Here’s my thing folks, if it’s not for you, that’s fine, do you. If making resolutions work for other folks, even if they mess up, have missteps, fail to follow through, leave di people dem alone! Do what works for you an mine yuh business! If your plan is to actually have a plan or not have one, big up yourself either way.
If you are boarding the goal setting train, taxi or bus, run een and let’s go! Here are some elements I engage when doing my own goal setting:
- Year in review for the year that is ending (you may want to do have sub-sections e.g. professional, personal, family etc.)
- Shed baggage, make space, clear ground: what are you leaving in 2020, what/who are you releasing?
- Plans/goals/intentions/affirmations for 2021. (N.B. Using the right language and having the right mindset are important here.)
- How will you concretize your goals, objectives and resolutions for 2021? List(s), a planner, a vison board? I have been facilitating a vision board and goal-setting life coaching session for the last four or five years (it’s called Seeing Things, see what I did there? J Mi decide fi level-up and offer more multiple options for 2021, details in pic below).
- Fabian, what is this vision board of which you speak? A vision board is a visual representation of what you are affirming, claiming and working towards. My tip is always to make it as specific as possible so if you want a particular car, model/year and color then find a picture of the car that you want and put it on your vison board. Affirming being in a relationship or marriage? (This is always a fun and juicy part of the sessions!)
Weh yuh a pree?
There was one young man, who said that he always wakes up on his back and he lays in bed and looks up at the ceiling for a while. Guess where he put his vision board? He taped it on the ceiling over his bed. So every morning when he woke up he looked up at his vision board first thing for 15 - 30 minutes while lying in bed, setting his intentions for each day. He also put pics of it on his laptop, and phone screen. Guess what? Almost all of his goals manifested. No, it is not a magical or mystical thing. It’s about us showing up in our own lives and taking action. Being intentional. Here’s the deal sometimes the dream scares us, sometimes we talk ourselves out of it. ‘I don’t deserve this”. “I’m not connected enough or bright enough’. ‘I don’t have the money’. Money is a big thing that makes people say this can never happen. I rebuke it!
The reality is that if you are believing those things, thus giving them power over you, then you’re already defeated. Marcus Garvey said without confidence in self your already defeated twice in the race of life! So you’ve already defeated yourself before you start. Why bodda run when you already telling yuhself ‘I cyaa win’? What are you believing about yourself, your intentions and goals, your possibilities? This will determine whether you show up, persevere or give and retreat.
I want to touch on the crucial thing of following up and following through. a lot of us are only good at the talk, we are good at the big picture and wanting this and that. Action, not a bag a mout mi seh! ‘When the rubber hits the road’, who are you, who do you show up as? Are you following up and following through on the intentions you set? You want to go to the gym more but every morning when you get the alarm goes off you hit snooze ten times until it ends up being too late because if you go you will be late for work. Ooohh…and food, meck mi talk mi owna business: I love fry (yes, fry and not fried! Heee heee!) chicken, I am never going to stop eating fry chicken. That’s not a thing. However, I can eat it less, I can take off the skin sometimes. I can also drink less soda, for instance. Saints, Pepsi will always be present in my life but I can work on not drinking it every day, going periods without imbibing it. There are small and deliberate things that we can do that will lead us in the direction of our intentions and meeting our goals.
Here’s what I say: “What we water grows.” What are you watering or willing to water in your life? What are you focusing on or committing to? What are you nurturing? Some people say ‘Oh, I want a dog or puppy!’ But they’re almost never home so the dog is going to die of loneliness or the puppy is going to starve to death. Some people want pretty plants and flowers, though they should really get a cactus! We have to know who we are (or who we are choosing to be right now…that is a whole other blog or session!) then adjust the behavior to get the result/outcome we want. Are you ready to water your vision, your intentions?
Join me in affirming and claiming big tings for 2021, it will be so if you want it to be, it’s going to take work and effort. Some things will be easier than some, others will challenge and stretch you. Press on and push through. I have a quote (my original) that I made into a little social media meme/flyer, it says ‘To be our better selves today, we cannot be who we were yesterday.’ We have to show up as somebody different to get different, better outcomes. What are you going to do that’s different? How will you show up as your better self in 2021? How are you going to get the results you want because guess what, nothing is beyond you, but you have to believe that you have the power, the creativity, everything you need to manifest your desires. It’s all about manipulating and controlling the inner to get the results in the outer.
So hear weh mi a seh, New Year preements, meck wi pree big tallawah bodacious outcomes. Let’s commit to living intentionally, holding ourselves accountable, making those resolutions and visions bloom and flourish. Weh yuh seh?
By Fabian M. Thomas | Transformational Trainer/Facilitator; Life/Corporate Coach, Motivational Speaker
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