Reflection and Setting Intentions: Navigating the Overwhelm of a New Year

As the clock strikes midnight and we say goodbye to another year, something magical happens. It feels like we get a fresh start, a blank canvas to paint our future on but the idea of setting goals can often make us feel more like there's a weight on our shoulders than a breath of fresh air. With all the hustle and change around us, the thought of taking on yet another goal feels like a mountain we’re not sure we can climb.

I know that feeling all too well. I remember when the new year would come around I would find find myself buried under the weight of making goals. Usually I had no clear roadmap on how to get there but I’d set these lofty, top-down targets because what's wrong with dreaming big, right? But without breaking down these big dreams, they just became overwhelming and I felt like I was spinning my wheels most of the time. 

That was until I had a mentor who sat me down in her office one morning and gave me a piece of advice. She had been in the business for over three decades and she told me that instead of focusing on the "what" I wanted to achieve, I needed to start focusing on the “why”  instead. I needed to identify why this goal was important to me and once I was clear on why it was important then we started to work backwards, step-by-step, from that big vision to the small daily steps.

Shifting from What to Why

Imagine standing at the top of a mountain, looking out over the vast landscape. You can see the peak you want to reach, but all you see below you is an endless stretch of terrain. That’s how big goals used to feel to me, totally intimidating and distant.

But when I was taught to think of the outcome first: Where do I want to be at the end of the year? What would make me proud? What would make me feel like I had achieved something? Once I had that answer, I could start breaking the journey down—month by month, day by day.

For me, the idea of hitting a big number felt like standing at that mountain peak, knowing the climb would be grueling and having no idea what it would really take to get there. But when I broke it down monthly and into the daily contacts that I needed to make in order to get to the outcome, it suddenly didn’t feel so impossible. It felt doable.

I began to see the small steps. Like stepping stones on the path to the summit, each little action added up, giving me a sense of momentum that I could feel in my bones. That daily focus on what I could do now instead of what I had to do later allowed me to inch closer to my goal every single day.

The Power of Writing It Down: Seeing Your Goals Come to Life

Now, I can’t emphasize this enough: there is something magical about committing your goals to paper. At first, I kept my goals in my head - figuring I could just keep track of them mentally. But then I realized: the power isn’t just in thinking about them. It’s in seeing them.

So I made it a habit to write my goals down. I took it a step further and created a visual board above my desk. Every day, I looked up and saw the things I was working toward—bright, bold, tangible. It reminded me that what I was doing had purpose. Every email, every call, every task was taking me one step closer to that vision.

Seeing my goals on that board kept the overwhelm at bay. I could breathe easier knowing that I was taking small, intentional steps toward something meaningful.

The Big Lesson: Break It Down, Or Go Back to the Drawing Board

Here’s the key takeaway from all of this: If you can’t break your goal into bite-sized pieces, it’s not attainable. It’s like trying to climb a mountain with no clear trail. You’ll get lost, frustrated, and burned out.

But when you can break that big goal into smaller, clear steps, it becomes doable. And more than that—it becomes exciting. The small wins you collect along the way fuel your momentum, and before you know it, you’re standing at the top of that mountain, looking down at everything you’ve accomplished.

So, this year, when you set your goals, take a moment to reflect: What would you be proud of at the end of the year? And then, instead of focusing on how far away that goal is, break it down. Month by month. Week by week. Day by day.

Put it on paper. Create a visual reminder. And then take a deep breath because 2025 is your year to actually achieve those big targets, step-by step.

-Heather