How to Kickstart Your Best Year Yet: 14 Real-World Strategies for 2024
Here's a no-nonsense guide on how to
Welcome to 2024!!, a year full of potential and opportunity. If you're in your 20s, 30s or 40s, you know that life can be a juggling act between career ambitions, family life, personal growth, and the quest for balance.
Forget about New Year's resolutions that fizzle out by spring. It’s time for meaningful, sustainable change. In this post, we delve into 14 realistic and impactful strategies tailored for our dynamic stage of life. From mastering mornings amidst hectic schedules to setting goals that resonate with where you are right now, these strategies are all about making your year truly remarkable.
Whether you're climbing the career ladder, nurturing a family, or redefining your personal goals, these insights are your roadmap to a fulfilling year. So grab your favorite coffee, find a comfy spot, and let’s explore how to make 2024 a year of achievement, balance, and personal triumph. Are you ready to elevate your year? Let's embark on this journey together! ,it's about making real changes that stick.
#1 Talk the Talk of Winners
Eliminate the poor man's language from your vocabulary. And I know, you know what I'm talking about.
Changing how you talk can change how you think. Ever heard of 'fake it till you make it'? Well, there's some truth to it. . I used to always say things like, “I can’t afford that,” or “I’m just not lucky.” I flipped and switched the script to say, “How can I afford that?” and “Let’s make my own luck.” “I got this!” This small change shifted my mindset and, surprisingly, my outcomes, my outlook on life; So, welcome back to taking full ownership of your life. Take ownership of everything you expose yourself too. Take ownership of your thoughts, your environments, your decisions and belief systems.You got this…
#2 Morning Rituals That Actually Work/ Build a Morning routine
Forget those complicated 5 AM routines. Let's keep it simple. Take a past client of mine, Julia, a busy mom and entrepreneur. She starts her day with a 10-minute meditation, prayer, stretch, and a healthy breakfast. That’s it. But this small routine gave her the clarity and energy to tackle her chaotic day confidently, successfully, and mogressively..lol. Every good practice starts small, and starts with a solid foundation. You have everything you need already, the answers to build a solid morning routine lies within you, but you gotta learn more about you. Download my Free ebook, I’ll put the link in the show notes.
#3 Micro Goals lead to Major Wins
Big goals are overwhelming. Break them down. I wanted to get fit. Instead of aiming to hit the gym every day, I started with 20 minutes of exercise at home each day. It’s all about those baby steps. My boy Izzy, (Israel Perez) a fitness and mindset coach says,...”I would say starts with easy wins, for some people just showing up at the gym is a win regardless of how long they stay. Make it your point to show up for yourself and accumulate those small wins. If you are not an active person even the smallest amount of exercise will benefit you. Don’t worry about the results and focus on the execution and the consistency first.” I challenge you to run a mile once a week, you can’t run a mile, walk a mile. You can’t walk a mile, walk 2 laps. You can’t walk 2 laps. Walk to the corner and back. Regardless of what you think, that's a win. But now you know the road map or cheat codes to building a solid foundation. You got this.
#4 Be Your Own Cheerleader - Self talk empowerment is vital.
Remember help comes only after you start helping yourself first.
You don’t need a life coach. You need to be your own motivator. I used to be super critical of myself. I changed my approach and started celebrating small wins, like finishing a report on time. self-encouragement leads to a spike in confidence and better performance at work, at home, and in my personal life.. Just by talking to myself in a more positive way, it empowered me, because after learning more about myself I knew exactly what I needed to tell myself in the present moment. Attach a reward to every goal you set! You’re convincing and conditioning your mind to focus on the reward, rather than the negative. In the long term, When you get confronted with a bigger goal or obstacle your mind will think about the reward and build natural confidence and motivation leading to courage. Think about this question, where does courage come from, before or after an obstacle?
#5 Plan It Out - From Days to Years
Planning doesn’t have to be boring or rigid. Look at Tom, a freelancer and college student I mentored a couple years back. He sets weekly goals (like pitching to five clients) and long-term goals (like buying a house in three years). This roadmap keeps him focused and excited about the future. He stopped living day to day because he had a purpose and a new why or mission in life. Here's a quote that helped me along my journey, “Be stingy on your long term goals, but be flexible on the journey getting there” don’t get upset when things don’t go your way, it's part of life. It's a test, life is testing your progress, like pop quiz or check on learning. A higher power is like, “coach mogressive is doing pretty good” lets test him on growth and transformation journey. Let's see if he's ready for the next level in life.
#6 Find Your 'Why'
Your 'Why' is your secret weapon. It’s what keeps you going when things get tough. I was reading an article about this girl named Emma who wanted to lose weight but kept failing until she focused on her 'Why' – and she found her why or reason– to be healthy for her kids. That motivation made all the difference. Why? Because she wanted to set an example, be the role model, and to have the energy and strength to take them outdoors, camping, and road trip adventures. Be like emma.
#7 Know What Sets You Off (and What Calms You Down)
How well do you know yourself, do you know your stressors, resistors, indicators, or motivators
I used to get super stressed with deadlines from the military to college. I learned that a 15-minute walk outside, on the beach, for a drive, calms me down - clears my mind, and shifts my mind. Identifying your stress triggers and relievers is a game-changer for your mental health. Now you're in control, not reactive to the world, outside noises or distraction. No more guessing how you feel. Or telling yourself, “What do I feel like doing” don’t work off your emotions, let your emotions work for you. #emotionalIntelligence
#8 A Vision Board That’s More Than Just Pretty Pictures
Make a vision board that means something. Are you working at a meaningless job, just there to collect the paycheck? make a vision board with career goals. Seeing those goals every day will help you stay focused and guide you on landing your dream job. Did you know by simply writing down your goals on paper you naturally increase your chances of obtaining them by 42%. What does your dream job look like? Write it down. Research and write down who you want to work for, maybe you want to work for yourself? How much do you want to get paid, what service or product do you want to sell? What type of people do you want to work with, or help? Put all of this together on your vision board. Here’s one of my goal breakdown formulas.
#9 Role Models Aren’t Just for Kids.
I’m telling you right now, you need to have multiple role models for the various aspects of your life. Let's focus on personal and professional role models. In your personal life: get a role model for one of your hobbies, passions, community or side hustles. For your professional or career life, have a role model for the professional person you want to become. One way I select a career role model is based on my weaknesses. I ask myself, what am I weak at or unfamiliar with? I know I have great business ethics, how about marketing, oh yeah, selling my services, pitching to investors, board members, or local leaders.
Having a role model can guide your path. We all need and can use role models.
#10 Write Down Your Mission for 2024
Your mission statement is your personal motto. Take this mission statement for example, “Be brave, be kind, kick-ass, repeat.” This simple statement reminds me everyday of who I want to be, every day. Or how I wanna feel that day. And guess where I wrote this down at, on my vision board. A personal mission statement is a statement that defines your values, who you are, and how you define success.
You can use this statement as a guide when working and making decisions as it can help you determine which choices align with your goals and values the best.
Consider limiting it to 30 or 40 words so the statement is concise and easy to remember.
This also makes it easier to reference frequently or include on job application materials, or as an inspirational message in your workspace.
Having a mission statement can help motivate you and make you more efficient.
Creating a statement that clearly outlines your values and goals makes it more likely that you will work towards achieving these goals.
Sharing your mission statement with employers and colleagues can also be a good way to build stronger relationships as it helps your colleagues and managers get to know you and your values better.
#11 Reading: Your Secret Weapon for Success
Reading isn’t just for “nerds”. It’s for winners. Read for 30 minutes every morning, during lunch, on your break, before bed. Read a book based on your role models, someone or something who has exactly what you want, How did they achieve their goals, what obstacles did they encounter, how did they overcome them. What or who inspired them to keep going. Reading is another tool in your arsenal of learning new things and staying ahead in every aspect of your life. Step away or step outside your comfort zone and ignore what everyone else is doing. This is where your personal why kicks in. .Give yourself the time you need.
#12 Podcasts: Wisdom on the Go
Some of us are visual learners, some of us are audio learners, some are hands-on learners. This goes back to learning about you, how do you retain information best. This is part of my course foundation, I uncover and learn how you learn best throughout my courses. So I know the best possible way to transfer new knowledge and information to you effectively, efficiently, and confidently. Not only that. But the knowledge will be with you forever.
Podcasts can be life-changing. listen to motivational podcasts while on your commute to or from work, listen to the radio or your favorite songs only after listening to a podcast, use this as a goal and reward now.. It turns dead time into learning time.
#13 Videos: Seeing is Believing
Videos can teach you almost anything. Like Kevin, an old college friend of mine at grad school, who learned graphic design on the side through YouTube tutorials. Free education, anyone? And guess what, that side hustle, turned into his main source of income. But this opens up for you to see that the old way of going to school to make money has changed. Take advantage of the internet, we all have it, but it requires self discipline. Instead of getting distracted with meaningless videos, watch some inspiring, motivating, free thinking. So you can inject that knowledge into your daily, weekly, and everyday life.
#14 Journaling: Your Personal Therapist
Journaling can be powerful. Writing down every night, 3 things that went great today, 3 things that didn’t go so well today, and 3 improvements we can make for tomorrow or the following week. Writing each night gives you clarity and peace. I call it a mental dump. Just by writing down all those thoughts that are noodling up there in your head free up new room for new future ideas. How can you think about your future, if your thoughts are so caught up in the moment.
Implementing these steps in 2024 might just be the game-changer you hear, feel, or see in order to wake you up!. They’re simple, effective, and proven to work. Give them a try, and watch how your year transforms! Check out my free 5 minute brain stimulating exercises. I’ll add the link below.
