How To Set And Achieve Your 2021 Goals
“Resolutions” ~ the buzzword that appears at the dawn of every New Year! Many of us rediscover a renewed sense of trust in this word, as we set high targets and make promises to ourselves. After all, what better time to turn over a new leaf and get started on improving yourself than the start of a new month and a new year.
But, have you noticed that a few months into this prospective journey, and most of our “resolutions” are found wanting? That being said, I do support the desire to make new goals and lifestyle changes. So, if you do not want to be that person who hopes for things to miraculously work in your favour sans effort, but instead want to be the person who holds your ground no matter what life throws at you, then I believe that in these tips, you will find some wisdom to understand how to achieve your goals by having an action plan.
Personally, I am continually looking for ways to better my self-awareness and improve my personal growth. So, to help you get inspired and understand how to achieve your goals in 2021, I am sharing my own goals {resolutions} and how I plan on accomplishing them:
Never Lose Sight of Your Goals
A lot of us, who began so enthusiastically pursuing our goals in 2020, took a head blow with a pandemic torpedoing our plans. Nerve-wracking experiences will render you helpless at some point. How to achieve your goals amidst such letdowns is the real test of your character.
I do this by keeping a gratitude journal and treating myself to a daily dose of motivational content; be it articles, videos, or podcasts. As I love tuning in to accounts of successful people to appreciate how they can build upon what they love since it helps me replenish my mental and emotional energy levels that I find myself constantly drained of it. I highly recommend journaling and visualising to help you increase your focus and track your progress, as well.
Fill Your Knowledge Bank
I can go on for hours on topics that stir my interest, like boutique luxury properties that implement sustainable practices, or fashion brands that practice environmental sustainability, or a particular company’s journey towards gender equality… But I am aware that my knowledge in other important areas is lacking. That stops in 2021.
Staying on top of current affairs by reading the newspaper and watching world news, will be one of my priorities. I am also going to be sure-footed in 2021, with my renewed interest in book reading because many of them come with rare and time-tested wisdom for success in life. Remember that investing time in learning about the things you are interested in, plays a big part in realising how to achieve your goals. Additionally, it makes you live smarter.
Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle
You can tick a dozen boxes, but if you fail to tick this one, you will undo the pleasures of your efforts elsewhere. The proverbial “Health is Wealth” is only more accentuated when you make up your mind to take care of your body, physically and mentally, by implementing practices that will improve your relationship with yourself.
For me, this involves meditation, eating healthy, and working out the right way. I know it sounds like a “been there, tried that” list, but making healthy lifestyle changes that also focus on your mental health can really set you up for success daily.
Spend Quality Time with Family
For me, happiness lies in the intimate trifles of life. Unlike working out at the gym or reading a book, spending time with your family doesn’t return concrete benefits. But it translates into an enormous inner peace that lulls you to sleep better at night. This is the reason why I have made up my mind to cut back on my work-related travel in 2021 {ironically, the pandemic took care of that this past year}, and also ensure I do everything I can to be a better partner to Vikram.
The other key aspect that is sure to help you achieve your 2021 goals would be cutting back on mindless consumption ~ coffee dates, brunches, or movie nights with friends, partying at clubs, or even mindlessly watching Netflix ~ which also happens to be something I want to improve on.
Practice Sustainable Living
Perhaps not all the choices you have made in your life have reflected the values of longevity and sustainability, but from 2021 onward, it should. It might not be a technique that helps you learn how to achieve your goals in the New Year, but it’s the least you can do to ensure resources will be protected and maintained for future generations. Case in point: eco-friendly living. I have stopped using plastic bags and bottles entirely, and I shop more locally {visit the local farmers’ market} with recycled cloth bags of my own. Vikram and I take this a step further by ensuring that there is never a light on when we’re not in that room.
As there is always room for improvement, how about taking into account your fashion preferences? Have your choices been myopic? You can pave your way to responsible consumerism by supporting sustainably conscious brands; I intend to do the same. These lifestyle changes will help you reduce your carbon footprint and live mindfully, too.
To conclude: There is no magic formula to understanding how to achieve your goals. It requires you to summon multiple faculties and channelise them towards your action plan for getting there. As a result, you will not only have the ability to make them come true but have them translate positively into every aspect of your life!
With these goals in mind, I know 2021 is going to be my year of improvement and growth. What are your goals for the New Year?
What are some things I have learned this past year?
I think we can all agree that 2020 was a strange one – full of unexpected happenings, plenty of unknowns, and some really hard goodbyes. Beyond all of that, 2020 taught me so much and showed me that I have a whole lot to be thankful for.
Happy New Year, Tanya! May 2021 be a happy and healthy one! ✨
Thank you so much, Aakanksha! I hope the new year brings you lots of happiness and smiles!
Ohhh – this is awesome! Love all these resolutions!
Hope your 2021 is full of health and happiness, big adventures, and lots of smiles! ❤️
Thank you, Sazia! Hope your New Year is a great one, too!
A good intention nurtures your consciousness and has the power to significantly raise your awareness…
So thankful to have (virtually) met you this year! I hope your coming year is full of happiness, joyous smiles, and yummy treats!
You’re the best! Have a great 2021!
Awesome content here, Tanya! Such a great start to 2021 – loving all these amazing captures, too! Many blessings to you in the new year!
Happy New Year, Ajay! And, thank you for your continued support.
You’ve always deserved the best!! Just because you’re you! 🙂
My thoughts: Though tomorrow won’t magically change who I am within minutes… But between a constructed beginning, I believe in celebrating acknowledgments of personal growth and areas lacking focus to continue this path of self-improvement…
p.s. Making sure I can share this with friends that could benefit (they will, thank you) and saving this so that I can come back to it and remember it!
Ahhh love this, I’m excited for you!
Always full of wonderful things to say you are, Tanya. Thank you so much for this! 2021 feels like the first page of a new school book… Although I’m not one for resolutions – I definitely like to reflect and plan forward.
Cheers to the New Year, cheers to what we learned from the previous one, cheers to you! ✨✨✨
Such heartfelt wishes and appreciation, Manisha! Truly treasured.
Yes, loving this!!
In 2020 ~ I learned to take a chance on my aspirations, be excited about the smaller milestones in my day (like making my bed or eating a meal), and cherish what I thought I despised (spending time alone, being okay with having nothing on my agenda and creating genuine, deeper connections…) I’m excited to embark on this journey with you! ❤️
Hear, hear! I’ve personally learned that small changes can make all the difference…
Exactly what I intend to do this year!
Here are my 7 Virtues to Deepen in 2021 ~
1. Spend less yet enjoy more.
2. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
3. Exercise intensely every morning.
4. Get really, really good at your work.
5. Become the kindest person you know.
6. Speak words of optimism.
Thank you for your suggestions for my readers, Subhransu. 🙂
Wow, I really relate to this!
I’ve recently started to disconnect from my electronics for at least an hour a day & be more intentional with that time… Whether that means walking outside, meditating, journaling, or reading a book. It’s quality time with myself without a ‘renegade’ in the back. 🙂
Always make time to appreciate your blessings, and reorganize your priorities.
2020 challenged us in new ways and changed many of our lives irreversibly. It asked us to stand strong – and strong we’ve been! Despite it all, we rose above all and rode triumphantly into the New Year!
Cheers to a beautiful glorious year ahead of us, and remember, the next 361 days define the year beyond that!
Yes! Step out of your comfort zone and dare to create bigger, bolder goals this year!
Starting the year right with these very nourishing insights… 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to pen & share this, Tanya.
Though restrictions are slowly lifting, it’s going to be a long process to get back to where we all were before. Just a reminder that your feelings are valid, and don’t let others be clouded by their own judgment to dictate how you should feel…
Thank you very much for such lovely words, Neha.
So much love for you, beautiful! ❤️ Here’s to a year filled with awesome music, amazing people, and nothing short of love. Cheers!
** So glad to be connected to you on here, and thankful for our friendship!
Thank you so much, Maumita! I appreciate all the love and support you have given me.
Love this! ❤️ My new year goals are to challenge myself to create (new) healthy dishes, to positively influence my family to take charge of their health, to learn to play chess so that I can play with my son, and to organize everything in my house! Ha!
I hope this year brings all of us a lot more positivity and joy than 2020! Here’s to New Beginnings! (I hope all your dreams come true, and you travel again – Tanya!)
Absolutely! Every monument is built twice… First in the minds and then in reality. Plan your 2021 monument now!
There is some HEAVY GLORY on this blog right here! I love you, girl!
Sending good vibes for a year of hard work, taking risks, throwing out the rulebook, and doing things YOUR way!
It’s been that kind of a year… Whip that hair back and forth like willow!
Whheeewwwwww! Here’s to another year, 360 new days, 360 new chances!
By the way, my New Year’s resolutions are to eat healthy – as my diet is terrible! Smile more, just because. Face my anxiety triggers head-on, and work on my confidence in making new friends and socializing!
Thank you for reading through and appreciating, Shruti! I wish you happiness and success in 2021!
Welcome 2021!! Excited to create new memories with evolved people, relationships & most importantly, an evolved me!
I hope you saw the New Year in with fun and frivolity, Tanya, and look forward to whatever it may bring. No matter how challenging, you (we) are up for it!
To hope, strength, and happiness!
My one wish for everyone is PEACE. Remember PEACE is Patience, Empathy, Acceptance, Courage, and Ethics. Life is too short to be bitter, to give up on your dreams, or to doubt what you are capable of.
Wishing you and yours a prosperous, healthy, and amazing New Year! I know I am so ready to take on 2021!
Here’s to growth and self-awareness… May 2021 be a year filled with hope and constant kindness, Krithika.
Beautiful! Hope is contagious, maybe you all will like the scent too! 🙂
Bidding goodbye to 2020 and starting this year on a good note… Letting go of all the hardships, pain, sorrow, ups and downs, good and bad memories… And inviting a new day, a new beginning!
It’s a new year, so why not approach it with a fresh new perspective? 🙂
What a way to kickstart the year! Begin again. Fresh start. Clean slate.
I would like to add a point as well. ‘Gilded Minimalism’ isn’t about having more or less, but about being more intentional with what you bring into your home and life while focusing on that which adds quality, beauty, and joy.
Happy new year 2021, Madhu! Embrace your new life chapter with a new perspective!
Oh – what a beautiful and sensitive soul you are, Tanya.
One of the things I learned last year was to not take anyone or anything for granted. And, after a year of appreciating the smaller things in 2020, my resolutions are going to reflect that this year! The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all… ❤️
Thank you so much, Shantanu. My heart is dancing with joy!
Witnessed the end of 2020 and the birth of 2021… and glad for the perspective of a midnight clear.
2020 definitely helped me with a few personal things including some character building, but overall, I’m not sad to see it go. May we each rise to the challenge that such rare clarity brings.
I love being inspired by others…
Beautiful photos, and couldn’t agree more with this!
This YEAR, I’m striving for progress over perfection. Growth isn’t linear. You won’t be perfect 100% of the time, you’re human. So, when you feel disappointed in yourself, acknowledge it and say I’m going to keep going from where I’m at right now.
On that note, a very happy new year to everyone here. I hope we grow tremendously this year!
…a fresh slate has never been more appealing.
Aahh – that “first month of the year, let’s get sh** done” energy!
This year, one thing that changes is my definition of self-love. This year, self-love becomes more about discipline and determination rather than binge-watching and burgers/biryani. This year I teach myself the importance of recognising my patterns and breaking them. Amen!
Hello New Year! Cheers to new beginnings!
Love all your goals. I may have to copy them… 🙂
On a side note: Let’s face this new world face on – while ~
– Fighting to make it a better place.
– Focusing on positivity while calling out injustice.
– Valuing people that value us and our time.
– Prioritizing humanity.
2021 intentions task!
This is such a gorgeous blog! ❤️
I love setting goals in any form – lists, destinations, bucket lists (the *list* goes on… Wow, I’m on fire!).
Like many, I struggle with actually completing bigger goals, so my New Year’s resolutions always remain simple and small (and easy to remember). One thing is for sure – there is no such thing as ‘New Year, New Me’ – you need to work with what you’ve got, and your personality.
Awww, love this! Happy new year, my lovely!
Tanya, this is just divine! As things have slowed down, I’ve learned that it’s the best time to ‘make time’ for what makes you happy.
For me, I’m happiest with my little family and cutting out the things that don’t make me feel good. Beyond that, I now have space to think about what I want beyond children. My New Year’s resolution is to use my free time more effectively so that I can see progress over time (I love working towards something with an end goal). I am also going to actively reduce the waste I produce and work on some permanent eco swaps that I’ve been meaning to do but not acted on. 🙂
Thank you, friend! Sending hugs and hopes for a better 2021!