Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday surrounded by loved ones. For me, I had a great holiday season with my kids all home, my mom and sisters, etc. After missing a full family Christmas because of the years of the pandemic and the winter storm last year, this was a long time coming! My heart is full and I am excited to embark on the adventures of 2024!

One of the things that I love to do at the beginning of a New Year is crack open a new journal and goal planner!

The beginning of a new year often brings a sense of renewal, a chance to start fresh, and an opportunity to set new goals and intentions. There's something magical about cracking open a new journal and planner with the pristine pages waiting to be filled, the blank canvas that holds the promise of organizing thoughts, plans, and dreams for the upcoming months. It's the excitement of new beginnings and the potential for both personal and professional growth.

Another thing that I like to do is look ahead to next New Year's Eve. What does this look like? Who am I? What accomplishments have I made? Have I stuck with the healthy habits that I wanted to incorporate? What relationships have made my heart full? Am I happy in my workplace? Who do I want to be in one year's time?

Visualizing one year ahead and then looking back to the year can help you with your plan. How did you get there? What goals did you have to set and achieve? What were the daily habits?

As an example, if it is a financial goal. What is the goal? Visualize and also write it down as if it is already happening. Then assess all the things that you have to do to make that happen. Break it down into quarterly goals, then take it even further and create daily goals.

Is it a health goal? Perhaps there is a hill that you would like to hike. What do you have to do to be able to conquer that hill?

Perhaps you want to be running a successful perio program in your practice. Can you take the lead? What does this look like for your practice? How does this feel to you knowing that the team and client communication and acceptance of treatment have never been better? What do you have to do to get there to make this happen?

If we don't set goals, see, and believe in the future, or live with intention and with purpose, we may find that next year will look like the previous year, and that's no fun! Before we know it we are doing the same thing over and over.

I started diving into goal setting over 10 years ago and it is amazing the things that can happen when you have a plan and you live with intention.

I journaled when I was young and then skipped a bunch of years and am now back at it. It is amazing to look back at all the things I did as a child and young adult. Journaling is something that helps you get to where you want to be. It is also a way to remember loved ones and where they are at, at this particular time. It is a testament of time! There might be days filled with triumphs and achievements, while others may hold challenges and lessons. Yet, through it all, the journal remains a steadfast companion—a record of personal evolution and a testament to resilience and determination.

Tracking is a key part of implementing change. I have printed off a 30-Day Tracker for this month and with that will write down all the key elements that are part of my goals. It is a one page, at-a-glance reminder as to where I am with respect to my goals. Please email info@rdhu.ca for a copy!

Happy journaling, planning, tracking and creating in this New Year! Here's to a great 2024!

Thank you for your support and for reading!

Have a great week!

Kathleen

Kathleen Bokrossy, RDH ~ President