How many times have you set goals that you never accomplish by the end of the year? I can see you nodding your head. If you need help achieving your goals, and you do not have the funds to buy expensive goal setting programs, then the book, Your Best Year Yet by Jinny Ditzler is a very viable option for you.
I first came across Your Best Year Yet by Jinny Ditzler a few years ago. I remember taking the time to answer the 10 questions, out of which my 10 goals emerged in the form of a one-page plan.
The book is about:
“Starting to believe in yourself again and becoming much tougher in the face of life’s biggest challenges. The approach helps you to use your commonsense and intelligence in new ways to create a happier life for yourself.”
Jinny Ditzler is a leading expert on goal setting and personal development. The book is designed to help readers set and achieve their personal and professional goals in a way that is both practical and actionable.
The book begins by guiding readers through the goal-setting process, including identifying and prioritizing their values and setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals. It also provides strategies for overcoming obstacles and staying motivated, as well as tips for celebrating and reflecting on progress.
Overall, Your Best Year Yet is a valuable resource for anyone looking to make the most of their potential and achieve their goals in the coming year. Its clear and concise guidance, along with numerous exercises and tools, make it a practical and actionable guide for setting and achieving personal and professional goals.
The Goal-Setting Process
In Your Best Year Yet, Ditzler emphasizes the importance of identifying and prioritizing your values as the foundation for setting goals. By understanding what is most important to you, you can ensure that your goals align with your values and are more likely to be meaningful and motivating.
The book also stresses the importance of setting SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. This helps to ensure that your goals are clear and achievable, rather than vague or overly ambitious.
In addition, the book advises breaking down large goals into smaller, more manageable steps. This can help to make the goal seem more achievable and can also help you track your progress along the way.
Overcoming Obstacles and Staying Motivated
One of the keys to achieving your goals is staying on track and overcoming any setbacks that may arise. In Your Best Year Yet, Ditzler offers a variety of strategies for doing so, including setting small, achievable goals, finding a support system, and creating a positive mindset.
The book also provides tips for staying motivated and focused, such as setting deadlines, rewarding yourself for progress, and finding sources of inspiration.
Finally, the book highlights the importance of accountability in the goal-setting process. This can involve enlisting the help of a coach or mentor, finding an accountability partner, or simply sharing your goals with others.
Celebrating and Reflecting on Your Progress
Ditzler emphasizes the importance of celebrating small wins and milestones as you work towards your goals. This can help to keep you motivated and can also serve as a reminder of how far you have come.
The book also advises reflecting on your progress and learning from your experiences. This can help you identify what has been working well and what may need to be adjusted in order to achieve your ultimate goal.
Below, you'll find my thoughts on Your Best Year Yet, and to follow the process outlined in the book, you have to invest the time to answer the 10 questions.
Initial Thoughts on Your Best Year Yet by Jinny Ditzler
I used the process in Your Best Year Yet for several years. The thing is this, sometimes you find a process that works, but later you try other processes and forget about the original ones. There are many good goal setting programs to choose from.
I decided to revisit the process in Your Best Year Yet for this coming year. The book is divided into three sections.
- One: Learn the principles.
- Two: 10 Chapters for each of the questions and some context.
- Three: Time to answer the questions and produce your one-page plan.
What is Your Best Year Yet by Jinny Ditzler About?
In her book, Your Best Year Yet!: Ten Questions for Making the Next Twelve Months Your Most Successful Ever, Jinny Ditzler asks 10 tough questions for us to answer to have our best year. 2022 is just around the corner, and it’s the start of a new year. So take the next few days to answer Ditzler’s 10 questions to develop your plan of what you’d like to achieve in the upcoming 12 months.
To get the most from the exercise, it's important to answer the 10 questions since they build on each other. And do not be too hard on yourself. I'm always amazed by how much I accomplish, when I think that I have done poorly. I like this process because it looks at what you did well, and what you didn't do so well. I find the process very uplifting.
As someone who has gone through this process a few times, I recommend that you set aside three hours of undisturbed time to answer the questions. I found this uninterrupted time made the process go faster. If you cannot block off that much time, do the best you can. I'm simply mentioning what worked well for me.
Have you read?
10 Questions to Answer
- What did I accomplish over the past 12 months?
- What were my biggest disappointments?
- What did I learn?
- How do I limit myself, and how can I stop?
- What are my personal values?
- What roles do I play in my life? (Father, wife, teacher, student, writer, consultant and so on)
- Which role is my major focus for the next 12 months?
- What are my goals for the next year?
- What are my top 10 goals for the next year?
- How can I make sure that I achieve them?
Michael Hyatt Webinar on Having Your Best Year Ever
A few years ago, I attended the webinar, 7 Steps for Taking Control of 2017 that Michael Hyatt led. It was filled with lots of rich information. But what I appreciated most of all, was grouping two to three goals for each quarter. This ensures that you spread out your goals, so you do not experience feelings of overwhelm. I just did that for my goals.
He also recommended that you should place your goals in an area where you can see them. He reviews his goals every day. And that's something that I had never done in the past. Place your goals in a place where you'll see them every day. The goals you create, should be in your discomfort zone, because that's where greatness takes place. Recently, I read 0.1%: Join The Club of The Richest, Healthiest, Happiest by Simeon Ivanov.
In the book, Ivanov mentions SMURT (Specific, Measurable, Unrealistic, Resourceful, Time-based) goals and I like that because others talk about SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based) goals. Which do you prefer, SMURT or SMART goals? I definitely prefer to go after SMURT goals because they make me push myself to step into my potential.
Back to Michael Hyatt's webinar, he emphasized that you are a whole person, therefore, your 10 goals MUST cover all aspects of your life. That means, all your goals are not all work-related. Think about leisure, health, financial, relationship, and so on. And that's important to the process in Your Best Year Yet. By the way, Michael Hyatt wrote Your Best Year Ever.
Final Thoughts on Your Best Year Yet by Jinny Ditzler
In Your Best Year Yet, Jinny Ditzler provides a practical and actionable guide for setting and achieving personal and professional goals. The book covers key aspects of the goal-setting process, including identifying and prioritizing values, setting SMART goals, and breaking down large goals into smaller steps. It also offers strategies for overcoming obstacles and staying motivated, as well as tips for celebrating and reflecting on progress.
Overall, the book provides valuable insights and tools for anyone looking to make the most of their potential and achieve their goals. We encourage readers to consider adding Your Best Year Yet to their reading list and to use the strategies outlined in the book to set and achieve their own goals. We also invite readers to share their own goal-setting strategies in the comments.
As I mentioned already, to gain the most from the exercise in Your Best Year Yet by Jinny Ditzler, set aside three hours of undisturbed time. That’s how long it usually takes me to answer all the questions. It is a worthwhile process for planning.
What I recommend is that you try a few goal setting processes to see which one you love the best. Choose the process that you'll actually use. Or what's the point?
Next Steps
- Buy and Read Your Best Year Yet by Jinny Ditzler
- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
- Join the Art of Learning Membership Site
If you want access to Bookish Note Your Best Year Yet by Jinny Ditzler, which has more information than the above summary, please consider joining my membership site, the Art of Learning.
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First published in 2013.
