Plan For Success in 2018

It’s a new year, FreshYacht Insider!  2018 is here, and with this fresh start, it’s a great time to take a few minutes to think about last year and set some goals for the year ahead.

So whether your goal is to get hired on a yacht this year, or you still need to finish school or finalize other commitments before launching your new career, here are a few things to consider as you’re creating your 2018 vision!

1. What Worked In 2017 and What Needs to Change?

Before you set concrete goals, think about the overall experience you’re trying to have, what’s already serving you in your life, and how you might be able make changes in the areas that matter.

Do some brainstorming about what’s working and what’s not, writing down habits, desires, dislikes, relationships, anything that crosses your mind. Just get them on paper for now!

2. Think About Your Foundation

This could be financial, educational, community -- but the truth is, we’re each supported by the foundation we create.

Maybe 2018 is your year for focusing on saving money, so you can pay off your debts and start your yachting career debt free.

Perhaps you’re good on the money front, but you need to resolve a family situation.

Or possibly, it’s your health that needs a reboot this year, and you can spend some time focused on eating well and exercising, so you’re strong and capable when you show up for training and onboard work.

Just like we did above, jot down a few thoughts on what’s strongest in your life, and what needs the most attention.

3. Create Your Vision

Now that you’ve finished the first two steps, look at your lists, and focus on the things you want to change and improve.

This is your short list of potential goals and resolutions for 2018.

See what resonates with you the most, and create your vision or goal statement for 2018. It might look something like:

• Develop a healthy eating habit that results in a stronger body and healthier mind

Or perhaps, it’s something like:

• Get serious about my superyacht career by saving extra funds for the first six months of 2018.
• Take the How To Get A Job On A Superyacht Course, then enroll in STCW.

Whatever your vision is, it’s going to be unique to you.

Make sure it’s big enough to merit an entire year of effort - that’s a lot of time, so don’t sell yourself short. But also, be kind to yourself and give yourself some breathing room.

This is why vision statements and goals like the above examples tend to work better than “Go to the gym 6 days a week.”

4. Get Specific

Wait, didn’t we just tell you to pick a broad vision statement? Indeed, we did.

But now that you have that vision in mind, it’s time to get specific about HOW you’ll get there.

Look at the year in chunks -- perhaps quarterly, or even monthly.

If your goal is to save $3600 in a year, that means you need to save $900 each quarter.

That’s only $300/month. Saving $3600 may sound impossible, but when you look at $300 each month, that’s much more achievable.

So, what’s your plan? Maybe you’ll skip happy hour two weeks a month, pack your own lunch 3 days a week, and earn some extra money by watching your neighbor’s dogs for a weekend.

The details are up to you, but by breaking it down into monthly goals, you’ll know where you stand and feel like your goals are achievable.

5. Execute Your Plan

Now that you’ve got your vision in place and you’ve created your specific plan, it’s time to set yourself up for success.

A University of Washington Study found that two of the best ways to stay on track with a goal were to;

•  have strategies to deal with getting off track
• and to be diligent about tracking your progress.

So how will you monitor your activity?

Maybe the best way for you is a journal, or an excel spreadsheet, or an app that will check in with you each day.

Perhaps you buy some fun stickers and place one on the calendar for each day that you meet the mark.

There are so many tools out there, so it’s just about finding the right one for you! And don’t tell yourself that you need a fancy or expensive tracking system to succeed.

Many people meet their goals with a cheap notebook and a pencil!

Finally, have a fall-back strategy. There will be months you miss the mark, or when life throws something unexpected your way. Plan for this in advance!

Maybe this means taking a day in January and cooking a few extra meals to throw in the freezer.

Then, during that crazy week in March when you have zero time to prepare your lunch, you don’t have to throw in the towel on meeting your savings or health goal that month -- raid the freezer for those extra meals, and you’ll be set.

The other part of the puzzle taking the long view.

If you completely miss your goals in March, and you only save $100 that month, for instance, don’t throw it all out the window.

Look at what happened and why it happened, and then start over in April.

You’ve still got lots of year left ahead of you, so don’t let one or two missteps take you completely off course.

6. Share Your Strategy

We’d love to hear about what YOUR goals are for 2018, and how your vision is propelling you forward. What techniques have you found that help you succeed?

What challenges are crossing your path? Share your stories here, or on our Facebook account, and cheer each other on!