Personal Goal Setting Process for the New Year: A Science-Based Approach

Embracing the New Year with Intention

• 💡 The start of a new year offers a feeling of possibility and a blank slate, but it's important to release pressure around traditional resolutions.
• ✅ Goals and resolutions can be set at any time of year that feels right; there's no obligation to adhere to the calendar.
• ⚠️ If the current circumstances are challenging, the goal can simply be to hang on day by day.

The Science and Benefits of Goal Setting

• ✍️ Research indicates a significant benefit to writing down goals, making them more likely to be achieved.
• 🧠 The brain benefits from setting both short-term and long-term goals, with short-term goals serving as steps toward larger visions.
• 🎯 While specific, measurable, and time-bound goals are scientifically effective, they are not always necessary for personal goal setting.

Jessica's Personal Goal Setting Process

• 📝 The process begins by reflecting on the previous year in a journal, acknowledging memories, achievements, and lessons learned, even from difficult times.
• 🌟 A powerful step is identifying a word or feeling for the year ahead, focusing on internal states and desired life experiences rather than just achievements.
• 🎯 Goals are then typically divided into three categories: family/relationships, personal/health, and business, ensuring alignment with the chosen word or feeling for the year.

Dreaming Big and Setting Long-Term Visions

• 🚀 It's crucial to allow yourself to dream and write down long-term visions, even if the path to achieving them is unclear.
• ✨ Believing in these dreams and putting them out into the universe increases their possibility, as demonstrated by personal experiences like finding a desired home.
• 💖 These long-term visions can apply to various aspects of life, including health, relationships, career, and personal well-being.

Structuring Goals and Staying Accountable

• 🗓️ For specific numerical goals, break them down into quarterly targets to make them manageable and track progress.
• 🔄 Regularly reassess goals at the end of each quarter, adjusting them based on new insights or changing circumstances without self-criticism.
• 📌 Keeping chosen words, feelings, or goals visible (e.g., on a corkboard, mirror, or wallet) serves as a constant reminder and accountability tool.

The Unlimited Program and New Year Challenge

• 🎉 The Jessica Valant Pilates Unlimited program offers a 3-week New Year's challenge with a theme of celebration, focusing on mindset and consistent movement.
• 🚫 The challenge does not have goals related to weight loss or before/after pictures, emphasizing self-celebration and strength.
• 🎁 Unlimited membership provides access to workouts, journal prompts, live sessions, a supportive community, and a wealth of other resources, including a free app and recipe library.