2013 Intention-setting and Goal-mapping: A 3-Step Process

Happy Holidays!

What a year it’s been. This past Friday I sat down with big paper and pink pen and did some intention-setting and goal mapping for 2013. I do this every year in my personal life but after taking Marie Forleo’s B-School this summer, it was a first for my business.

It felt good. Cleansing, really. A way to get everything that floats around in my head on a daily basis (and let me tell you it’s a brain-ful), out on paper.

If you’ve never done it, I highly recommend it.

More powerful than making resolutions.

A lot came up emotionally for me as I thought about how my life has changed since just a few years ago.

Walk with me down memory lane for a sec:

:: I’ve alluded to this before but in 2008 I hit my emotional rock bottom. I was going through one of the worst breakups of my dating history, the company I was working for had just been acquired and my career was at a standstill. To deal with it all, I partied too hard and ate cake for dinner. Some weekends I would sit alone on my sofa for hours staring at the TV. By the end of that year, I set an intention not to continue living that way. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I knew I had to make some changes ::

In 2009, my life changed forever, and it’s only gotten better since:

• I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. After putting it off for five years. YES, FIVE YEARS! I took a leap of faith. I said F it to all the excuses I’d been giving myself: I couldn’t afford it, didn’t have the time, my parents wouldn’t approve of a career as a health coach.
• As I lived more inspired, I started this blog as a way to inspire and educate others; potential clients were coming to me asking if we could work together.
• I met the man of my dreams and with him have cultivated the relationship I’ve always wanted with a partner.
• As I’ve continued to pour my passion and energy into my business as a wellness coach, this year I finally left my unfulfilling corporate job.

I’m not saying all this to paint a picture of a perfect life. Nothing and nobody is perfect. But what I hope is clear is this:

A simple intention gave me the strength to let go of what kept me stuck and make my dreams reality. Click here to Tweet it!

As the year comes to an end, here’s my 3-step process for intention-setting and goal-mapping. It’s nothing scientific but it works for me. Make it your own!

1. Brainstorm your intentions for the year ahead. Think, broad, general statements. Like Travel more, be fit, make money, etc. Write everything down and don’t hold back. These are your hopes and dreams. Nothing is off limits.

2. On a new sheet of paper, spell out specific goals associated with each of your intentions. These can be things like get a promotion, visit Australia, run a marathon. These should be specific and actionable. Assign a deadline to each.

3. On a calendar or in a spreadsheet or Word doc, break down each goal by individual tasks it will take to accomplish each  and assign dates to those tasks. You may want to color coordinate or group goals and tasks by topic. That’s up to you. I even go so far as to include dates of events, vacations, races, etc that I want to attend.

It sounds super-anal but by the end you’ll have an organized action plan for the direction you’re going in 2013. You only get one life. Live it with intention.

By the way, I have a $1000 IIN scholarship to give away from December 26 – 31. If you’re interested, contact me or let me know in the comments below. I also give a special gift to anyone who lets IIN know I (Marissa Vicario) inspired you to enroll. Contact me for more details. 

Also in the comments, please share your intentions with me for next year. I’d love to support you! 

With warmest wishes for a healthy, happy and inspired 2013.

xoxo

Marissa