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Welcome 2023 With Reflection, Goals, and a Splash of Olive Oil

From one-way missions to Mars to autonomous cars and other ground-breaking innovative technological advancements, 2023 is set to be a year like no other. While the world spins anew, it’s essential to take a pause and reflect on your past accomplishments while setting realistic goals for the coming year.

From politicians and business leaders to everyday social media users, the practice of reflection and goal setting has grown tremendously in recent years. Notable figures such as Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, Barack Obama, and Mark Zuckerberg have all publicly discussed the importance of reflecting on their personal or professional growth each year.

So, if you haven’t already, here’s a quick 4-part framework to guide you in reflecting and setting new goals across areas such as: Health, Relationships, Career and Finance.

Health

Health is a top priority when reflecting and setting goals. As we all learned in the pandemic, you must focus on both your mental and physical well-being – this includes regular exercise, good nutrition, enough sleep, and quality time with friends and family. It’s important to ask yourself if there are habits you would like to break or form?

Cooking and eating food that is nourishing to your body will help ensure you stay energized, focused and motivated. Olive oil as an ingredient is an optimal part in achieving better health. Chocked full of healthy fats and antioxidants, olive oil offers a number of health benefits, such as reducing inflammation and improving heart health. Remember not all oils are created equal. Look for healthy cold-pressed virgin or extra-virgin oils made from top-quality olives harvested within 24 hours of crushing which are stored in dark bottles or tins to protect it from light and oxidation. Such oils retain their flavor and nutrition (beneficial compounds, including antioxidants and polyphenols).

Relationships

Reflecting on relationships can be difficult but taking the time to do so is beneficial. From family to friends, romantic partners, or colleagues, having strong relationships with people is key to leading a happier and more fulfilled life. Taking the time to consider how you interacted with family, friends, and partners throughout this past year provides guidance for the next. Were there moments when you could have been more present or communicated better? Being mindful of these relationships is valuable for moving into 2023 to have closer connections that help boost your confidence in yourself, give you moral support when you need it, and push you forward when faced with challenging situations.

Career

Assessing your career can be an empowering exercise. When exploring your goals for the upcoming year, consider what’s important to you and align this with achievable objectives. Whether it’s striving for a promotion at work or learning new skills in your field, take the time to review what you are passionate about and plan out how to get there. Investing in yourself is one of the most rewarding investments you can make – research courses, mentors, and training that will help support your career development.

Finances

Finally, it’s important to review your finances and set achievable objectives for the coming year. Taking stock of where money was spent and saved last year gives you a barometer to consider changes you might make in 2023. Set goals that are realistic by researching what is involved in achieving them. You can start by looking at where your money is going each month and identify areas where you want to make change – from saving on certain items to diversifying your income streams to have more financial resources. A couple of important areas everyone should plan for include ensuring you have an emergency fund in place and planning for your long-term financial goals. You never know when a rainy day will come!

By taking the time to reflect and set goals for the new year, you are taking an important step towards designing your life and having a successful 2023. So why not give yourself this gift today?

To help guide your reflection process, there are many useful resources available such as journaling templates, reflection worksheets and goal-setting checklists. Using these tools can help you gain clarity on what you want for 2023 and provide a roadmap for how to get there. Here we provide a few to get you started!

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