Pick something you could realistically achieve, that has a positive effect on you or the people around you. “I want to spend more time with my family and less time at work.” “I want to start a journal.” “I want to try meditation.” Make the goal as specific as possible. “I want to be home for dinner every night.” “I want to write in a journal every day about my thoughts and things going on in my life.” “I want to meditate every morning before work.” To keep yourself motivated, think about why this goal is so important to you. “I miss being with my kids and my spouse. Spending time with them helps me feel less stressed and more connected.” “I want to think more deeply about the things I’m going through. Journaling will help me sort out my thoughts and figure out what I want.” “I don’t like feeling rushed and stressed out first thing in the morning. I want to meditate to calm myself down and help myself be more productive throughout the day.” Break the goal down into short-term steps. “First, I’ll talk to my supervisor about adjusting my hours. Then I’ll start experimenting to see exactly what time I need to leave to get home in time for dinner, with adjustments for traffic.” “First, I’ll buy a journal. Then I’ll give myself a week to try specific times of day to write, like right when I get up or before I go to sleep, to see what works best. After I decide, I’ll start by writing once every other day, then work up to once a day.” “I’ll try different meditation apps or online videos to see what teachers and methods I like best. I’ll start moving my wakeup time up by five minutes a day to give myself time to meditate. I’ll increase my meditation time a little bit each day until I get to a comfortable amount.” Hold yourself accountable for completing each step. “It’s intimidating to talk to my supervisor about this, but if I explain it, he’ll understand. I have to try, otherwise I won’t achieve my goal.” “It’s tiring to think through everything I did today and write about it, but if I don’t do it today, I might not do it tomorrow, and I’ll fall short of my goal.” “It’s hard to wake up early in the morning, but it’s worth it when I know I get to connect with myself and start a new day with a set of strong intentions.”