This post is all about the 7 essential things to do before the new year to have the best 2023

The new year is quickly approaching, and we all feel the excitement of a fresh start, a new opportunity to accomplish our goals and build our dream life.

However, despite what many people think, starting a new year alone is not going to help you achieve your goals.

Success is not something that happens by chance or good luck. There is a process that comes before success because success is not something you wish for, it’s something you have to work for.

So with the new year upon us, my question to you is: are you ready for it?

If you have no idea how to prepare for the new year and looking to make 2023 your best year, you are in the right place, because today I want to share with you these 7 essential things you should do before the new year to become the best version of yourself and build your dream life!

6 things you need to avoid doing to have the best year

Before we start with the list of essential things to do before the new year, let’s go over some mistakes that you must avoid this 2023:

• Set unrealistic goals

With all the motivation that entering a new year brings, a mistake that most of us make is setting unrealistic and almost impossible goals that make us feel discouraged when we can’t accomplish them.

The negative impact that setting unrealistic goals has in our life is bigger than we think. Because when we fail to accomplish them, it affects our self-esteem and confidence. 

And so every time you try to set another goal all those past failures and mistakes will haunt you, making you doubt yourself (another mistake to avoid we will talk about).

A goal is about what you want to accomplish, not what you should do. 

It is incredibly important to asses your goals to determine whether they are attainable if you want to prepare for the new year. Are they measurable? Are they limited by time? What do you need to accomplish them?

Don’t forget to use the T.A.R.G.E.T. method to set your new years resolutions, which you can find how to do in this step-by-step guide!

• Lack accountability

If you are someone who finds it difficult to commit to yourself and hold yourself accountable, this tip is for you. 

Having someone to account for when setting goals is an incredibly useful method to avoid giving up and making excuses for yourself.

When choosing your accountability partner, make sure to avoid people who drain your energy and rather choose someone who will support and encourage you no matter what, especially when you are feeling down.

Don’t track or review your goals and action plan

Another huge mistake you should avoid this year is not tracking or reviewing your goals. A weekly or monthly review allows you to stay on target and turn excuses into opportunities. It allows you to assess your progress and adjust your action plan as you start moving toward your goal.

• Lack of planning

Failing to plan, is planning to fail- Benjamin Franklin.

A very important step most people forget when setting goals is creating an action plan on how to achieve them. 

Excellent planning is essential for success. Take your resolutions and create an action plan around them. Break them down into smaller chunks, and bite-sized goals that are manageable and easier to accomplish.

Successfully creating an action plan for your dream should be your priority if you are serious about achieving your goals and it’s something that will give you a sense of accomplishment and clarity as you slowly move toward the finish line.

• Lack self-discipline. 

Related to the previous tips we talk about accountability, self-discipline as essential when achieving your goals.

Many people believe that the fuel of dreams is motivation. But the truth is that motivation will, at most, only get you started. You should never rely on your motivation to help you achieve your dreams because as fast as it lights up, it dies down.

That’s where discipline comes in, and why it’s so important to master it. Here you will find 4 essential keys to mastering self-discipline once and for all.

• You doubt yourself

The mind plays a huge role in your life. Because no matter the facts, your abilities, your talent… if you are constantly doubting yourself, you will fail.

Do not let past failures control your future. Doubting yourself will only direct all your focus and attention toward negative thoughts. If you think you will fail, you most probably will.

It´s time to start changing those negative thoughts and start believing that you are capable and worthy of any goal and dream you want to achieve. Learn from your mistake and cherish every small victory because it drives you to aspire for bigger ones.

7 Essential things to do before the new year

So how do you prepare for the new year? What are the essential things you can do before the new year to ensure that crush your goals and achieve your dreams?

Create a reading list

If one of your new year’s resolutions goals is to read more books, then you can’t skip this step.

But even if it’s not, a reading list is something you need to consider if you want to have a productive new year. 

We all have a list of books we would like to read, whether it the list of “100 books you should read”, fiction books, or a master list of entrepreneur, financial, and self-help books, this is the moment to create that reading list and how you are going to achieve this goal.

Remember to have the T.A.R.G.E.T. method in mind when creating this list and your action plan.

Don’t say that you are going to read 50 books this year if you only managed to read 5 in the last one. A book a month for example is more manageable. 

Write down your goals, include them in your weekly schedule and get ready to start ticking those books off your reading list!

Set new years goals

Over the last years, there has been a little debate over if it is really worth it to set new years goals.

But how are going to build that dream life you keep imagining every morning if you don’t even know where you are headed or what you need to do to achieve it?

If you have doubts over whether or not to set new years goals here are 2 main reasons why setting new years resolutions is essential:

• It helps you become the person you want to be

Do you want to be the type of person who commits to a goal and looks forward to finishing it- and be happy when you actually do?

Creating a list of resolutions is a powerful and beautiful way to asses and establish what is important to you, clear your thoughts, and gain clarity and purpose.

• It makes you more optimistic

Having goals to move towards to gives a different meaning to life, it gives you a reason to wake up every moment and a reason to keep fighting. 

And most importantly it makes you optimistic. Optimistic for a different type of life, hopeful about a better future, one that makes you smile every time you think about it.

Optimism motivates you to take positive actions that impact your life and change it for the better.

Your goals serve as a standard for monitoring, evaluating, and guiding your actions throughout the year. Never underestimate the power setting new years resolutions has.

Set spiritual, professional, financial, and personal growth goals. However, deciding and setting these goals is only half of the task.

The second half, which is something that most people forget about or aren’t even aware of, is how you set those goals because the way you do them highly influences if you are going to succeed in achieving them or not.

If you are confused about how you should set your new years resolutions, here you will find a complete step-by-step guide on to set yourself up for success when writing your goals.

How to prepare for the new year by improving your knowledge and skills

As the billionaire, Warren Buffet said: “The more you learn, the more you earn”.

You have come to where you are with the knowledge you have, but to climb further, to achieve more (whether that’s money, a better job position, or relationships…) you need to make improving your skills and knowledge a priority.

To achieve your goals in this fast-paced world, you need to constantly expand your knowledge, skills, experience and keep challenging yourself.

So use this moment to reflect on your goals. What kind of knowledge/skills do you need to acquire to achieve? What areas of your life could you educate yourself more on to help you crush your goals this year?

How do plan to acquire this knowledge? By reading books, taking courses, seminars…? Make a list of them and create a plan to invest in your education this 2023.

Determine your why

As we said before, motivation is not the best thing to rely on when achieving your goals. Which is why it’s important to master self-discipline. However, one thing you should have very clear before starting to pursue a goal is why you are doing it in the first place.

You need to have a strong why to achieve your goals. Life isn’t always easy and you will encounter difficulties, setbacks, and roadblocks that will make you question every action and make you want to quit.

To endure these difficulties you need to have something powerful inside of you, pulling you up, and getting you back on your feet every time you fail.

So what is your driving force for achieving your new year goals? Take a look at your resolutions and write out the reason for achieving those goals you dream so much about.

Create your 2023 Vision Board

The fifth way to prepare for the new year is to create your 2023 vision board.

Vision boards are a visual tool to help you create and build the reality of your dreams. Basically, vision boards consist of a series of images that represent our dreams and goals. 

They help us in the process of manifesting and attracting by, when keeping it in a visible place, motivating and reminding us of our objectives and aspirations.

Vision boards are an incredibly powerful manifestation technique that is a must once you have finished setting your New Years resolutions.

Check out this ultimate guide to create your 2023 dream board!

How to prepare for the new year by creating an evaluation plan

Linked to the point we said before about making the mistake of not tracking and evaluating your goals, I want you to take this moment to create an evaluation plan.

As Peter Drucker, a management guru said: “If you can’t measure it, then you can’t manage it”.

Distractions, setbacks, disappointments, and competition are normal in life. You need to maintain your concentration and focus on achieving your goals. 

And one of the best ways you can do this is by crafting an evaluation plan to keep you on track.

Here are some key questions to help you draft your evaluation plan:

• What different phases can your goals be divided into?
• What are the priorities of each phase?
• When do you need to get started on different phases of the goal?
• When do you expect to complete each phase?
• Who’s responsible for meeting each deadline?
• Who will monitor the evaluation process to see whether corrections are needed?
• What will you consider a successful result?
• What measure will you use to track your progress on each phase (money made, customers reached, analytics, numbers…)?
• Are some data already available that you can use to track this goal? 
• What tools will you use to evaluate your progress (spreadsheet, app, accountability partner…)?

Prepare yourself for failures and mistakes before the new year.

Preparing for failure and mistakes is not a bad thing to do when figuring out how to prepare for the new year. Prepare for them. Prepare for factors out of your control that may impact you and your goal.

But more than preparing yourself for failure, what I want you to do is change your mindset around the word failure.

In today’s society, failures and mistakes are seen as bad things, something to be ashamed of, something to hide from the eyes of others.

However, to achieve something you have never done before, you will have to do things you have never done before. And it’s okay to be bad at something new.

Yes, read that again, it’s okay to be bad at something new, it’s okay to make mistakes and fail. Because that is how you learn and those failures and teachings are the ones that are going to make you succeed.

So embrace your mistakes, don’t ignore them, and try to understand why they happened, what you can learn from them and how to not repeat those mistakes in the future.

It can hurt to see something you put all your effort in fail, but just because it didn’t work out doesn’t mean should you quit. Simply review your strategy and keep going.

 Doing this mindset shift will not only help you succeed but will also make you fearless and strategic when achieving your goals.

Final thoughts on things to do before the new year 

With the emotion of the new year, it is easy to get carried away and become overwhelmed by everything you want to accomplish. However, you can achieve anything you set for yourself with the proper organization and planning. 

I hope the tips and steps in this blog post on things to do before the new year will help you with this previous and incredibly important step.

Don’t feel pressured to do every step on this list, focus on the ones that resonate the most with you and chose the areas of your life that need the most attention.

Remember to believe in yourself and that you are worthy of even your deepest desire!

What are your new year rituals? I´d love to read you in the comments!