? Hey there, Gen Xers. Welcome back to the Gen X Remix. Midlife, laughs, and next acts. I'm your host and fellow Gen Xer, Tabatha Jones. I'm a career advancement and leadership coach, the author of Promotion Ready in Three Months, and someone who's no stranger to the chaos of midlife. This podcast is for women in their prime navigating midlife transitions.
Building the careers and lives we want, and finding the humor in everything from hot flashes to rogue chin hairs. Whether you're here to laugh, find inspiration, or get that nudge you need to take your next big step. You're in exactly the right place. So let's dive in. At the time of this recording, we're just past mid December.
So it is time to talk about goals. How many times have you set a new year's resolution only to abandon it by February? Or if you're like me, let's be real by mid January, right? Here's the thing. Resolutions are kind of a waste of time. They tend to fail because they're usually really vague or overly ambitious.
A resolution might be vague in the way of somebody saying, I want to get healthier or it could be overly ambitious and I want to lose 50 pounds in three months. Neither one of those is really going to serve you or probably work if you've got my metabolism. A goal on the other hand is really specific. I want to get healthier and I will do that by walking 15 minutes every day starting today.
Resolutions are more about the what without defining the how. Where goals, especially the smart goals, they're action driven. They have plans attached to them. You can see your progress. And fun fact, I was doing a little research for this episode and saw that 80 percent of new year's resolutions fail by the second week of February.
Again, I think that number is higher and I think they fail a lot sooner because most of us just say, ah, screw it. I'm not doing that. So today ladies, we are ditching resolutions. We are focusing on goals and we're going to teach you how to get those goals on track and make them work for you. Now, I know for so many Gen X women, we already struggle with making ourselves a priority and goal setting can feel really overwhelming.
We're managing careers, usually managing what everybody else needs in their careers. We've got family, we've got everything else that life throws at us and it's. Literally no surprise that we set a big goal or have a big idea, and we just lose the energy that it takes to reach it. We also forget that we deserve to be a priority in our own lives.
I think about how many times I would get to maybe the new year or the end of a year, and I would think, man. How is it that I have not even taken a step toward this goal? It used to happen to me a lot more than I would like to admit, but it did. And we do it. We're so busy taking care of everyone and everything else that we keep sliding a little bit further back and back and back.
And then pretty soon a year, three years, five years pass. And we're like, how are we still sitting in the same spot? We're going to overcome that today. The truth is it's the problem isn't you. It's really your approach. We're going to get rid of resolutions that are too vague, unrealistic, or just don't fit into our lives that then leave us feeling guilty as shit.
Right? Like I feel so guilty or sometimes we'll just simply give up. Yeah, whatever. It's not even worth it. So today I'm going to share a simple, effective framework to help you set goals that you'll actually achieve. And we're going to use my triple P framework. So prioritize plan and pivot with smart goals to make sure your goals are not only meaningful, but that they are also doable.
And a little spoiler alert to help you crush these goals. I'm going to give you a free gift. So make sure you check the show notes at the end. It is my new career confidence playbook for women over 50. And I don't check ID. So if you're thinking I'm only 45, get it anyway. It is it. Packed with tools to help you just start aligning your goals with your career and your dreams.
And there are workbook pages. It is a lot of good stuff packed into this amazing free gift just for you. And then I'm also offering a limited number of new year jumpstart coaching packages, which is a three session mini package to help you set your SMART goals and create that roadmap to success. I'm offering that at a very special rate.
So details and how to book it will also be in the show notes. Do not miss this opportunity. Do not remember. Do not remember. How about for, don't forget you absolutely deserve to be a priority in your own life. So let's get this stuff going and get you where you want to be. So let's talk about the triple P framework and smart goals.
So triple P, where do we start? We start with prioritize, focusing on what really matters. Now that I've already told you, you are your number one priority for this exercise, we've got that out of the way. The next thing is asking yourself a quick question. What really matters to me in 2025? Is it advancing in your career?
Is it improving your health or strengthening, strengthening relationships? Is it focusing on building more financial security? Is it turning your side hustle into your dream job? What really matters to you? What is it you want to get done and accomplish in the new year? Then we want to turn it into a smart goal.
We often will set a smart goal for a business objective so that we can convey it to our team and tie it back to the bigger goal of the company. Our leaders will set a smart goal for us, or if you were like me in your career, we set it for yourself and then turn it over. Right. But we want to make sure that goal is smart so that you have something to march toward.
And as a reminder, smart means specific, defining exactly what you want to achieve. It's measurable. So you can track your progress with clear metrics or even dates on your calendar, hint, hint. It's achievable. So that means that it is definitely realistic. It is relevant. So it's aligned with your long term priorities and it's time bound.
There's a deadline. There's a date you're marching toward to keep you motivated.
Then we're going to go into the second P. Which is plan. This is where we break our goals down into really just little bite sized pieces, because big goals can feel really overwhelming and it's a lot easier to give up when it feels overwhelming. So we're going to break them into smaller actionable steps.
So for example, if your goal is to achieve a promotion in 2025, you might want to order a copy of my book promotion ready in three months. And start taking action. It's laid out there for you, literally everything you need to do over a three month period to start standing out as promotion ready. Or maybe you want to start by uncovering your unique value and scheduling a conversation with a leader at your company within the next 30 days, start thinking about how you can break down those action steps.
If you want to lose 20 pounds by June, for example, again, with my metabolism, I don't think that's possible, but whatever you do, you, if that's your goal, I hope it works for you. You might want to start by walking 15 minutes a day, starting today and build up maybe in 30 days, then you're at 30 or 40 minutes.
If you're ready to turn your side hustle into your dream job, what are the steps you can take? I did that myself when I had started my coaching business on the side in 2017, I started mapping out. Okay. When do I want to leave? What does that look like? How do I get there? There are small steps that you can take.
So it doesn't feel so overwhelming and a pro tip for you You know, I'm a calendar management nag. You can call me whatever you want, pick the name, but calendar management is where it's at. Use your calendar to set time for each of those steps and block time to take that action. You're not going to create goals because you've got them on sticky notes, all over, all over the place.
Sticky notes suck. They're pretty, they're cute. I kind of like them, but I never use them because they suck. They get everywhere. They become super overwhelming. They fall off of wherever they belong. That's not how we manage and organize our lives. Ladies. We need the calendar. I don't care if it's a Google calendar, an Apple calendar, a paper calendar.
You do you, but I want you to write these dates and steps into your calendar. And, you know, thinking about this, let's go back to kind of my, my turning my side hustle into my dream job. You all know, I love coaching. It's my favorite thing to do and helping women really get to where they want to be. So what I started doing was documenting my goal and it was originally leave my corporate job and launch my coaching business full time in 2020.
Well, step one, talk to my husband about the goal. I gave him a couple of years notice. Step two, I research and hire a business coach to help me map out my full plan. Now, for anyone who's thinking of doing this, feel free to reach out to me. I've got some, some great things that can help you save a boatload of money as you're working on this process.
And I have some really great contacts that can help you. Step three for me was conducting my market research. Step four was planning my exit and so forth. The dates were on my calendar and there was time on my calendar to work on these things. Now the result, I didn't leave in 2020 as planned because we all know what happened in March of 2020, right?
But I was able to adjust and implement my plan in April of 2021. And that leads me to my third P, which is pivot, be flexible. When life happens, we don't just give up. We pivot life is unpredictable and that's perfectly fine, but building flexibility into your goals really can help you stay on track. You don't need to throw it away.
You just need to recalculate a little. So maybe, you know, I'm saving money to go to Paris in June. Maybe I missed my savings goal one month. It's okay. I can adjust it next month and save a little bit more. Maybe I'll do one less dinner out or I'll, uh, I want to say maybe not order anything on prime, but again, I'm not a liar, so I'm not going to do that.
But you know what I'm saying? Finding some flexibility so that I can pivot and still hit my goal. The same comes with the health situation, right? Maybe you miss a workout or 10. I don't know. I think I've missed about 15 this month. That's okay. Let the guilt go and pick it back up. You can get it back on track.
And a pro tip for this topic, you don't have to wait until Monday to start again. You can start anytime you want. Today's a, what is today? Today's Monday. No, I guess I could start on a Monday, but you can start literally anytime. You don't have to wait until a Sunday or a Monday. It doesn't have to be the beginning of the week.
Just pick up where you're at. And like I said, being flexible means you don't feel like you have to give up because you missed a deliverable. It's a simple recalculation like GPS. When you miss a turn, it just redirects you to another route. It's okay. And I share this in my book. I say it a lot. Progress over perfection wins every time.
So any small step forward is going to get you to the finish line. Now, one thing to help you as you're diving into this and getting ready to dig into the three P's is as you're making your plan, think about backing into dates. That's an option, right? So if I know I'm going to use my vacation in June, I'm, I planned this great trip to Paris, Jackie at wet and wild vacations, uh, sorry, wet and wild adventures has done all of the planning for me, I'm set I'm in June.
So now I think about, okay, I've got that June date on my calendar. Now, what do I need to have done a week before that? Well, I need to have all my shopping done, and I need to have things starting to get into a suitcase. I need to know my passport is ready. I need to have all of my things ready. When I say my passport is ready, I mean it's like, out of its secret hiding place and ready to go, so I don't forget it.
A week before that, what do I need to do? I need to make sure that my husband knows the dog care program and what she needs. I need to make sure that if she needs a drop in dog walker or whatever needs to happen, that that is scheduled. I need to make sure that, you know, whatever bills are paid before I go.
Then if I come back another week, what do I need to do? And just getting those dates in. The same works with the same process will work with any goal. So if it's your career goal, right? I want to be promoted by December of 2025. Great. What do I need to have done November of 2025? Well, ladies, your resume needs to be updated.
You need to be practicing and preparing for job interviews. What do you need to do the month before that? Well, you need to make sure that you've got a really strong set of sponsors that are already speaking your name in rooms where conversations are happening about upcoming opportunities. How do you do that?
Well, a couple months before that, you need to be having informational interviews. How do you prepare for that? Well, before that you need to make sure you're clear on your unique value. So as you make that plan, think about backing into dates and setting that timeline up so that you're set up for success.
So just a quick recap of the triple P framework with smart goals. This is your roadmap for crushing your 2025 goals. Prioritize what matters most plan, small, actionable steps, and pivot when life throws you curve balls. Always make sure that your goals are smart because vague goals lead to vague results.
So as we come into the new year, this is your blank slate. This is your opportunity to figure out what it is that you want to prioritize yourself and to start making it happen. So again, whether you want to advance your career, take the leap into entrepreneurship. Build your business, whatever it is, you have the power to create the life you want.
You just need to get out of your own way and go get it. You've got the framework. Let's make it happen. Now, if you're ready to kickstart 2025 with confidence, be sure to download my free gift, the free, the career confidence playbook for women over 50. The link is in the show notes. And remember, I'm offering a limited number of new year jumpstart sessions.
So you get three coaching sessions for a special rate of 500. And those sessions will help set your SMART goals and create the roadmap to achieve them. The booking details will be in the show notes. Don't wait. Those will go fast. So my last question for you for today is what is your big goal for 2025?
I'll include my email in the show notes, and I would love for you to send me your goals so that I can help cheer you on from out here in sunny California. I wish you all a fabulous day, and I cannot wait to see what your big goals are for the new year. Let me know what questions you have, and don't forget to leave us a five star review on Apple.
Have a wonderful day.
