More Than Resolutions

Setting goals at the beginning of each year instills a sense of renewal and excitement. As you begin to envision the year ahead, many feel eager to explore new places, generate big ideas or simply start fresh. National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach Brandy Hickman helps build success plans for clients to hit the goals they’re aiming to achieve, breaking those goals into smaller actionable steps. She says the number one thing that will help you stay motivated to keep working toward your goals is a community of support. “We think we can do it on our own,” she says. “I find having a group of about two or three people that are supporting them through that whole process is really important.” Whether it’s family members, friends or a health coach, having a support system can help prevent self-doubt and shift your mindset. They can provide a positive sounding board for exchanging and exploring ideas.

Building mental strength is another key to standing firm in your goals. Just like we go to the gym and build our physical strength, Hickman says, we need to build our mental strength as well. “And we don’t just walk into the gym in week one and we’re in shape—it takes a lot of time,” she says. Negative thoughts often creep in, holding us back from achieving our goals, which is why building mental strength is essential to combating those thoughts.

Hickman also recommends her clients track their time each day. Being honest with yourself about what is standing in between you and your goals can be the difference maker. “If I want to exercise every morning before I go to work, yet I am grabbing my phone and scrolling through social media, and I am there for 45 minutes and then I don’t have time to work out, then I’m not spending my time in the way that I want to meet my goals,” she says. At the beginning of each year, Hickman has her clients write down what they value most—health, time with family, etc.—and encourages them to regularly review how they’re spending their time to ensure it aligns with those values.

Hickman notes that only 20–30% of people who set New Year’s resolutions actually follow through. We’ve gathered some tips and practices from the 417 Magazine staff and friends of 417 to help you stay committed to your goals and stay on track throughout the entire year.

Try It Yourself

Take a page from our book with these ideas on how staffers and local community members celebrate the new year and set themselves up for success with their goal setting.

25 Goals in 2025

What’s better than meeting one goal? Meeting 25 goals! Last year, 417 Managing Editor and Biz 417 Editor Dori Grinder adopted a process coined by author Gretchen Rubin to set 24 goals in 2024. Rubin recommends dividing goals into nine categories: energy (exercise and sleep), productivity (focus, work, progress), relationships, recharging, order, purpose, mindful consumption (eating, drinking, spending, scrolling), mindful investment (save, support, experience) and creativity. “For some reason, 24 goals seemed more doable than just one goal,” Grinder says. “I’ve not had the best luck with holding on to resolutions in the past, therefore I just stopped setting them. However, I like the idea of a to-do list as a way to improve areas of my life, or do more of something I enjoy.”

To set her goals, Grinder made a quick list of things she wanted to accomplish that year—everything from renewing her passport to having weekly family game nights to connecting with old friends or colleagues. When making a list of your own, document it in the way that works best for you—write it on paper and pin it to your fridge, create a scrapbook-style collage and frame it or simply add it to your Notes app and refer to it frequently. “This is a great approach for someone like me who enjoys marking items off their to-do list,” Grinder says. “I really liked being able to group goals into the nine categories that I believe are a good approach to finding balance in life.”

Family New Year’s Goals Printable

To engage the whole family, 417 Magazine Publisher Logan Aguirre uses a New Year’s Goals printable at the end of each year to reflect on the past and look forward. Having a tangible way to track progress toward shared goals can be helpful. She, her husband and their two children each fill out their own sheet.

The left side of the printout includes space to add favorite memories, what you’re grateful for, a hard lesson learned and something you’re proud of to reflect on the last year. The rest of the page is dedicated to looking ahead, leaving space to dream about places you want to visit, what you want to get better at, ways to volunteer or help others and new things you want to try. “It’s a great practice for putting things out there,” Aguirre says. “Learning that at a younger age—the power of putting it in your mind and writing it down.”

We created a version of this printable that you can use. The printable allows space to set goals that are very much in reach. They don’t always have to be a big, daunting idea that creates pressure throughout the year. “It’s more about experiences over things,” Aguirre says. “We’re all about spending our time on experiences rather than having a lot of cool technology and toys, and that is really the spirit of this.”

Color Your Progress

Kirk Elmquist, executive director of the Branson/Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District and friend of 417 Magazine, uses a habit-tracking coloring sheet to track good habits each day. In 2024, he set a goal to get outside every day of the year. On his coloring sheet, he color-coded each day based on his activities: blue for walking, pink for golfing, green for yard work, black for swimming or time at the lake and orange for hunting. “It created a self-accountability to committing to a day-to-day movement plan,” Elmquist says. We created our own version of this that you can print and use.

The Five Minute Journal

If your main goal for the year is to slow down and appreciate what you have, consider trying The Five Minute Journal. Time is of the essence, and dedicating just five minutes each morning and evening for self-reflection can help change your daily mindset. In the morning, the journal prompts you to list three things you’re grateful for, three ways to make the day great and a daily affirmation. In the evening, you can reflect on three highlights of your day and one lesson learned. Returning to the journal at the end of the day allows you to examine how you felt that morning, helping you come full circle with your emotions and refocus on the good in each day.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Partnering with someone you trust to meet your goals can make all the difference. 417 Magazine Art Director Jordan Dykstra and her husband set aside time at the beginning of each year to plan their goals, including budgeting, travel, house projects and mental and physical goals. They go over their weekly commitments to ensure they’re making time for each other and not over committing themselves each week. “We were really struggling to stay on top of things with both of us working full time, pursuing hobbies outside of work, keeping up with friends, balancing family and just trying to keep up with everyday adult things,” Dykstra says. “Since we started our meetings, we both are on the same page for the year and know what goals we are working towards as a unit.”

To hold themselves and each other accountable, they have monthly check-ins to review their progress and make any adjustments. “It ends up being a great time for us to touch base and just spend quality time with each other,” Dykstra says.