Your 2020 Vision for 2020

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We often reflect on the past year and mourn chances we didn’t take or connections we didn’t make. Instead of looking longingly backwards, perhaps 2020 is a good year to develop your vision for the future so that it’s…well…20/20!

Review your goals: Short and long-term:
Are your everyday activities helping you to accomplish your short-term goals? Are you working on meaningful projects? Make sure at least some of your daily activities help you to accomplish your short-term goals, and that those short-term goals can build to let you accomplish larger goals and objectives.
But don't be a slave to your goals. It's okay to change directions and shift deadlines. January is a great time revaluate. Are your long-term goals from six months ago still relevant to you today?
It can be helpful to write down your goals using pen and paper, and then hang them in a place where you can see them. This acts as a visual prompt to remind you and inspire you during the day-to-day grind.

Nurture relationships:
Sometimes friendships and family relationships get placed on the backburner when we're busy. Are there If there friends and relatives in your contacts list who you haven’t spoken with lately? Use this season to catch-up, reconnect, and nurture the relationships that matter.

Request a planning meeting:
It could be with your boss, or your partner! When you think about the next year — do you see yourself staying at the same job? If so, do you want to be considered for promotion or a transfer? Would you like to plan a big trip with your partner, or start a family?

With your boss you might mention projects you’d like to lead, qualifications you'd like to study for.
With your partner you might want to talk about joining a gym together, planning a safari, or taking up ballroom dancing.
These discussions are useful in both your work and your private life. They can help you understand points of dissatisfaction in your work or relationship and give you the clarity you need to explore
a change.

Invest in yourself:
There’s a difference between being comfortable and being complacent. Try stepping out of your comfort zone and take an online course, sign up with the Open University or night classes at college. Try out a yoga class or a massage, or simply go away with a friend or a partner to a spa for a few days.

Reflect on lessons learned:
January is not all about new beginnings. It's nice to think about all you accomplished during 2019. What did you learn? What did you achieve? A lot probably happened in the past 12 months, but life moves so fast that too often we don’t take time to reflect on all we’ve learned. Take note of your discoveries and think about ways you can apply those lessons with intention as you move into the new year.
By Anne McCarthy