the best way to predict the future, is to create it. 

I didn’t have a terrible, dead-end job, but being laid off was probably one of the best things that’s ever happened to me, and it’s definitely the best thing to happen to me this past year. The day I was laid off changed the way I’m facing 2016 and I could not be more excited for the year to come.

I’ve learned so much in the last year – about myself, about my job, about being grown up – and I finally have a chance to soak it all in. I’ve always been ambitious, but I have never been quite this driven. I didn’t go home that day and eat ice cream and cry. I went home, re-organized my planner, turned on my laptop, and got to work. Being laid off has given me a unique opportunity at this stage in my life to step back and re-evaluate what I’ve been doing and where I want my career to go.

I’ve toyed around with the idea of going back to school to get a Master’s Degree in Business. Unfortunately, that costs a lot of money that I simply do not have. So I did some browsing and found a book called The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufmann and while it isn’t a degree, I’ve already learned quite a lot.

One thing Kaufmann discusses that I think is crucial not only to business but to life is about sticking to your goals, something that seems all too appropriate to discuss amidst everyone’s 2015 recaps and 2016 resolutions.

It’s no secret that writing your goals down where you can see them is a great way to help you achieve them, but it’s not always enough. One of the key points I took away from this chapter was on how to frame your goals.

It’s not enough to just say “In 2016, I want to lose weight,” because how will you know if you ever actually achieve it? Is one pound enough? What if you gain it back? You have to frame your goal in a concrete way, so that you know if and when you’ve accomplished it. If you want to lose weight, your goal shouldn’t just be that, but instead “I want to lose 30 pounds by December,” or “I want to fit into my old size 4 pants.”

I’ve never really been into New Years Resolutions. I’ve always thought they were dumb because no one ever sticks to them! Sure, gym memberships spike In January but attendance flumps in February. So, what’s the point?

But this year is different. More than any other year in my life, this year, I know what I want and how to get it. I have a list of goals, organized in four vague “goals” with mini goals and things I must do in order to feel like I’ve accomplished them.

In 2016, I will:

• Invest in myself.
• Take care of myself.
• Be more crafty.
• Be a boss.

Everything else, I figured out by reflecting on what I did in 2015 that worked for me, and what didn’t. What did I do that I loved, what should I be doing more of, and what was I doing that I should have stopped? Think about it. Think about where you’ve been and where you want to go.

The New Year is a time for reflection but more importantly, a time for planning. So figure out your goals! Write them down! We can’t get shit done by ourselves; accountability is key.

I’m making every year better than the last by being a better version of myself. Who’s with me?