Make New Year's Goals Fun and Attainable

It has been less than a week since we welcomed in the first day of 2010, yet I’m already feeling behind on my resolutions for the year – probably because I haven’t made any resolutions! After giving it some thought, I realized that I’m not much of a New Year’s Resolutions type of a girl. I’m more of a goal-setting chic who likes to set a goal and then make all sorts of plans to reach that goal.

So, I sat down to think of some goals for the year. This year, I thought, I want my goals to be different – not your typical lose weight, or get in shape goals that everyone does. I want my goals to be:

A. Fun – They need to be ones that I would actually enjoy reaching. I have a colleague who’s email signature says…

Put Eat Chocolate on your list of things to do every day. At least you know you’ll get one thing done.

Now that’s fun!!

B. Realistic – We all know what happens when you set unrealistic goals. The reality ends up being that you don’t accomplish them. For instance:

Goal 1: Move to France = Fun, but unrealistic.
Goal 2: Read books by French authors = Fun and realistic √

C. Manageable – I wanted to be sure not to make too many goals. When you make too many goals, you’re bound to renege on some of them.

With these three guidelines in mind, I have set the following goals for 2010…

Bistro Chic’s Fun, Realistic, and Manageable Goals for 2010

Drink more wine – I have never been a huge wine drinker, although my husband really enjoys his vino. But with all of its health benefits and the fact that it goes with all different foods, I think this is one goal I can accomplish. Besides, what could be more French than drinking wine?
Dress to impress – As Mireille Guiliano says, it is important for women to establish their brand in the business world. This means dressing to impress and using your brand image as an asset. And, since I’m trying for a promotion this year, I think it’s important to dress for the role I want to fill.
Attend one event a month – When Scott and I lived in the city, we attended at least one event per month, if not per week. Now that we’re in the ‘burbs, with kids to boot, it’s a little more difficult. But, this year, I really want to make an effort to attend or participate in more cultural and social activities. This could be as simple as going to the movies or as involved as taking a day trip to explore a new city.
Make the most out of travel – Right now, I have 8 trips planned for the coming year, 6 of which are for business. As I mentioned in last year’s post about how to take a mini-break on a dime, these trips will be a great opportunity to see several major cities around the US and even Canada! The fact that most of these trips are for business is just icing on the cake – I’ll get to see a few sites, eat some great food, and not have to pay for a thing!
Make more time for me – Although my husband would probably disagree, not a week goes by without me wishing I had more time for myself. With two blogs, two kids, a husband, and a full-time job, spending quality me time seems to fall by the wayside. If I had more time – or when I finally make time – for myself, I will read books set in Europe, listen to classical music, get a massage, or just visit with old friends. Whatever I choose to do, this year I will do it more often and enjoy every minute.