Ready to make 2024 YOUR year? In this week’s episode, we are all about new beginnings and crushing those goals. Get ready for a complete transformation through some serious motivation.

First things first – what do you want to leave behind in 2024? Grab a journal, because we’re about to get serious and manifest our most amazing life! 

Tune in to hear how to let go of the past, make intentional changes, and create a brand new life for ourselves. 

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Make 2024 Your Year FREE GUIDE LINK: http://theerikacruz.com/free-guide 

Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

Episode Transcript:

Erika: Yeah, sometimes things magically happen like that. But usually we got to help the universe out, right? We do have to take inspired action. We do have to take action that’s aligned with what it is that we want. So whether it’s the show or the partner thing, there’s steps I need to take in order to get there.

Does that mean I’m going to reach the ultimate goal by this year? Who knows? Maybe I do, maybe I don’t, and it’s okay. Like either one is totally okay.

Welcome to the Chingona Revolution Podcast, where we will bring out your inner badass Latina, overcome self doubt, help you gain clarity, and pave your own path, all while leading with courage. I am your host, Latina coach and speaker, Erika Cruz.

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Erika: Welcome back to the show. I am excited to share this podcast episode with you, which is a re release from last year. And this episode is all about how to make next year your best year yet. So let me tell you how this even came about. I, we were approaching the end of the year last year and my clients inside of Courage Driven Latina were asking about just how to plan for the new year.

So I ended up coming up with a workshop for them. And in that workshop, it came with a ton of reflection questions of the existing year and then intention setting for the coming year. It, the purpose of this workshop was to help them create vision boards, but know what they wanted to put on the vision boards.

set intentions for the new year. It is very important that we reflect on the previous year. So this workshop was one of the most popular workshops that I’ve ever hosted for my clients. So I decided to make it a podcast episode. And this year we are bringing it back because this was probably the most shared and tagged episode that I’ve had since starting this podcast.

So we brought it back, but this time we are also hooking you up with. a downloadable worksheet so that you could follow along with the different prompts that I give you. You could print out the worksheet and you can actually answer inside of the worksheet and reflect on the questions that I have for you in each different section.

So in order to download, you can listen to this now if you’re driving and you can download it later or if you want to follow along, then go ahead and go down below to the show notes where you will find the link with this freebie. 

It is completely free. Just go down to the link below in the show notes and you will get a copy of the worksheet. And I cannot wait. To hear how this podcast episode lands with you, what intentions you’ve set, what you end up putting on your vision board and just making 2024 your year.

I mean, I feel like the 2023 flew by. I cannot believe it is about to be the next year. But I mean, time keeps going, right? Like time does not stop. It goes by at a blink of an eye. It goes by in a blink of an eye. So I hope that this podcast episode helps you set intentions and helps you just be more intentional for the coming year.

And be sure to tag me on Instagram or share any takeaways that you’ve got from this episode. And I am wishing you the most fabulous new year.

Let’s get into the episode.

Hello. Hello, friends. Welcome back to this week’s episode. Before we get into the podcast, let me read out today’s Apple podcast review. This one comes from Isabelle B., which says, favorite podcast. This podcast has been my favorite podcast by far. Erica gets me.

She definitely gives a lot of value in every single episode. The struggles she talks about are so relatable and it just shows me that I’m not the only one going through it. The episodes inspire me so much. She definitely makes me feel like it’s not too late to go after what I want. So happy I found this community full of inspiring Latinas.

Thank you so much, Isabel, for leaving that amazing review. And if you would like to Leave a review, please go to Apple Podcast Reviews and who knows, maybe I will read your review in one of the next episodes, but thank you all so much for the reviews and for the feedback. I read all of your messages, especially when you DM me, it might take me a little while to read the DMs, but I definitely see them and I appreciate you all so, so much.

Okay, let’s get into this week’s episode. This week, we’re talking all about four. Tips to help you step into your chingona self in 2023. So look, we’re at the end of a year. It’s very normal for people to start to plan ahead for the following year, especially because it’s a new beginning. For all of us, right, we all share this date as a new beginning, while something like a birth date is something that’s a little bit more exclusive to you, right?

So maybe for you, you’re reflecting on a year prior or planning for the year ahead, but New Year is one of those days. Times that it really does become a fresh new start for so many of us. And plus all the talk about New Year’s resolutions and all of that. So it’s very normal for all of us to really think about the goals.

but there’s a couple of mistakes that I see when people try to make changes from one year to the next. And the first one is they fail to reflect. Upon the year prior so they don’t really take the time to ask themselves like what worked what didn’t work What do I want to call in in the future? And then the second thing is that they try to complete change Through motivation.

So they’re like, okay well next year I’m going to like it’s gonna be the year that I travel and I get fit and I set better boundaries and I do all these things And they just kind of expect to be motivated enough to go and do this. They feel they expect to be motivated enough to go to the gym every day or to eat clean every day.

And the reality is that what we actually need to be working on our habits as well as how we view ourselves rather than motivation, because we cannot rely on motivation. I’m coming to you the Saturday prior on Christmas Eve. Recording this podcast episode because I was waiting to feel motivated enough to do this.

And guess what? This is literally the final day that I could record this podcast episode to get it to my podcasting manager. I definitely procrastinated and I put it off. Geez. I don’t know. I put it off about four times this week. It was on my agenda of things to do, but I also had all these other things going on and we just cannot rely.

on motivation. Do you think I feel like working out consistently? Do you think I always feel like creating content? No, but I’ve developed enough habits and enough systems so that it’s a little easier for me to do it. So for example, my podcasting mic is always on my desk so that the setup is already there for me.

My Peloton is right by my desk. So everything is accessible. And easy to get to, but my point in all of that is simply that I can’t rely on motivation. I don’t always feel like doing things and you won’t always feel like doing things either. So those are just the two kind of things that come to mind with like what get in people’s way, but I actually hosted a workshop for all of my clients, all about planning for the new year.

It’s a four step workshop that I took them through. So what I suggest for this episode is that you grab a journal. If you’re driving, then just come back to it. You can still listen through, but if you’re in a place where you can sit down and actually write things down, I highly encourage that you, I highly encourage you to do that.

So maybe it’s even on your phone, on the notes app, or if you do have a notebook and a pen, I would recommend. I’m going to be doing that because you’ll want to maybe pause so that you can take time to write down some of the questions that I’m going to ask you and you’re going to want to really think about them.

And one of the things that I want to mention is that this, this set of questions and these steps aren’t something that you would only use for the new year. You can actually use this every quarter if you’d like. And I actually think it’s something that I’m going to implement in my own business and in my life.

Because things change and they don’t just change every year, they can change every few months. So I really do think that I’m going to implement this in my own life and business on a quarterly basis. With that being said, let’s get into the workshop. Step number one is reflect. Remember I mentioned at the beginning of this episode that one of the big mistakes I see is that people don’t take the time to reflect on the year prior.

So I’m going to read off some questions. On reflecting and the, the reason that reflecting is so important is because when we give ourselves the opportunity to reflect, we really get to see, okay, what worked in the year prior, what do I want to call more of into my life? What didn’t work? What needs to change?

And, you know, sometimes we get so hung up on like where we want to go that we don’t even recognize how far we’ve already come. And when you give yourself the opportunity to reflect, sometimes you’re like, Oh, wow, I actually did a lot more than I was getting giving myself credit for. So, step one is reflect.

And the first question that I have is how do you feel about this last year? So in this case, it would be, how do you feel about 2022? Go ahead and pause, take as much time as you need to write, and then come back. The second question is, What did you learn in 2022? Now, this can mean what kind of life lessons did you learn?

What kind of clarity did you gain? But it could also be what hobbies did you try? What books did you read? What courses did you take? What did you learn about other people? What did you fail at? What did you try and then maybe didn’t, it didn’t go well, but you still learn something from it. So this is not just limited to like life lessons or to anything like that.

Just what did you learn? Go ahead and pause and reflect on that.

The next question is, What do you want to leave behind in 2022? Now this can mean people. It can mean characteristics. It can mean habits. It can mean beliefs. It can mean so many, so many different things. What do you want to leave behind in 2022? Go ahead and pause and take the time to reflect. The next question is, what were the dominant thoughts?

that you had this year or in 2022. In other words, what did you spend a lot of time thinking about? Where was your brain power going in 2022? And these could be positive thoughts. They could be unhelpful thoughts. It’s just all we’re doing here is building awareness.

The last question under reflect is, What are you grateful for in 2022? Again, this can be Experiences, people, new habits, new experiences, or lessons learned. And those are all the questions that I have under reflect. So with reflect, I really encourage you to take as much time and space as you need to reflect on the series of questions and prompts that I just provided.

Don’t rush it, it can feel like you just want to jump ahead to the new year, but I really think that your planning is going to be a lot more intentional if you take the time to reflect. The second step is dream. Now with dream, I really want you all To be unrealistic. I really want you to think back to, you know, when you were much younger and how you would dream things up and you almost felt like anything was possible.

I want you to go back to that in this dream section. I know that it’s, you’re thinking, okay, well, I’m planning for the year. So let me just be realistic because there’s only 12 months and you know, last year went However, it went so I shouldn’t over commit because then I’m going to feel like I failed or whatever.

So here’s what I want you to think about with the dream section. You don’t have to complete everything in the next year. Because you know, some of my dreams, I’ll actually share some of them with you all, but some of my dreams are having a physical show for this podcast, being in a studio where we have an audience where we make it really engaging and then film it all as well so that we could put it on YouTube or put it on some type of video format as well.

Is that going to happen next year? Who knows? It can or it can’t. But I can already begin to plan for it and I can already begin to set the steps up for it now. So just because I don’t reach the ultimate goal doesn’t mean I can’t reach the goals that are going to help me get to that ultimate goal. another goal that I have, which is a little vulnerable for me to share, uh, but I’m going to share it because I’ve always been totally honest with you all, but I’ve been single for pretty much all of 2020 and I’m sorry, 2022.

Wow. Look at me really just jumping back two years and it’s been intentional. And I began to date for the first time in a really long time in 2022, but it wasn’t something that I took. extremely seriously because I was traveling so much and I really wasn’t in one place for a long period of time. I wasn’t really in a stable environment so that I can, you know, really foster a deep relationship.

But I do think that one of the things that I’m calling in for 2023 is a committed long term relationship. So if I want to do that, does that mean I’m going to go like Meet my significant other and like my soulmate or, you know, you fill in whatever the blank you want, or as my mom would say, mi media naranja, which means like my other half of the orange or whatever, which I mean, we’re, we’re all complete people.

We don’t need somebody else to complete us, but you know, that, that’s just a Mexican saying that my mom would say, so do I have control over? if I meet the right person or not in 2023? No, not really. But I can at least help the universe out by being willing to go on dates and by being willing to meet people.

And then when I do meet somebody I like by being able to But I would love to be able to openly communicate about how I feel and maybe like what my needs are, rather than allowing my own trauma to creep up or self sabotage to come in and for me just to want to run. So the reason that I’m sharing these two things is because we sometimes just assume that by creating some goal, it’s just going to happen if it’s meant for us.

And the reality is like. Yeah, sometimes things magically happen like that, but usually we got to help the universe out, right? We do have to take inspired action. We do have to take action that’s aligned with what it is that we want. So whether it’s the show or the partner thing, there’s steps I need to take in order to get there.

Does that mean I’m going to reach the ultimate goal by this year? Who knows? Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. And it’s okay. Like either one is totally okay. And maybe I’ll even throw out a bigger one. Like one day I want to be on Jay Shetty’s podcast. Is that going to happen in 2023? Probably not y’all. Like probably not, but I would love to be a guest on his podcast or to have him.

on this podcast, that would also be great. I do feel though that there’s just still a long way for me to go and I’m going to start that journey. I’m going to start going there. So when I tell you be unrealistic, trust me y’all, the best thing you can do is be unrealistic with your longterm goals. The only thing that you should be realistic with is what you’re going to get done today, how much time you need to get ready, right?

You know, like. What can you realistically accomplish this week? That’s where we really need to be realistic so that we don’t put too much on our plate and stress ourselves out. But when it comes to the long term goals, dream freaking big, dream big. 

Pitbull says like, reach for the moon because, you know, if you don’t make it, at least you’ll like hit the stars or something like that, which it pretty much means, yeah, make ambitious goals. Because even if you don’t get to the ultimate goal, you’ll get close. to it. And to be honest, y’all, I mean, if you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I am the epitome of unrealistic dreams coming true.

Who would have thought that Kat Del Carmen and I would be on the front page of the New York Times? Two Latinas that left jobs to go create their own businesses on the front of the New York Times, all because Gigi at the First Gen Mentor gave my name to like one of the reporters at the New York Times.

Who would have known that something like this could have happened? Who would have known that I would have ended up interviewing Luis Fonsi on TikTok live at the end of 2020 when I was just starting my business? I was just starting to create content. You never know what kind of things can happen. But being open to having big dreams allows you to energetically be available for these things.

I know I totally went on a long tangent there. So if you have your pen and paper, get ready because now we’re actually going to start talking about the step number two, which is dream. First question I have is what would make this upcoming year the best year yet? Again, be unrealistic. Just what would make it the best year yet?

Throw whatever comes to mind on your paper.

The second question is what are your financial goals for this upcoming year? be very specific. So you know, what are your financial goals for 2023? Is it pay off 50, 000 in debt? Is it invest 10, 000? Is it Take my mom on a trip to Hawaii. Be very specific about the financial goals that you have coming up.

Even if this means, so for example, take my mom on a trip to Hawaii. How much is that going to cost? How much do you actually need to save up? Do a little bit of research because sometimes these goals feel so far away. And this is where our logical mind can actually really help. And some strategy and action can actually really help.

Because imagine if you looked it up and you were like, wow, you know what, between flights, our hotel and the estimated food costs, I actually need about 3, 000. So if I need 3, 000 for this trip. How much do you need to save every month to be able to do this by the month you want to do it? Right? Like there’s ways that we can really break down these goals that feel so overwhelming and actually make them feel more realistic even though at the beginning they felt unrealistic.

Go ahead and pause and go ahead and write down what your financial goals are for this upcoming year. Next, what are your career or business goals for 2023? Again, be super specific. Do you want a specific raise? Do you want to start a business? And here’s the thing, if you are looking to like start a business, you may not have a bunch of clarity.

So you’re like, okay, Erica, how in the world am I going to be specific about this? Well, be specific about how you feel. feel. Be specific about what your days look like. Be specific about what this business allows you to do. Be specific about who it is that you’re helping. Be specific where you can. And I would say overall focus on the feeling.

The next question is what are your wellness goals for 2023? Again, be specific. Are you looking to maybe eat plant based two days a week? Are you looking to drop 20 pounds? Are you looking to make going to a specific workout class or to yoga a habit? Do you want to go four times a week? What are your wellness goals in a very specific manner?

Because if we just say, I want to go to the gym more or I want to lose weight or I want to eat better. Okay, well, what does it mean? I’m going to give you some time to write

and I just want to remind you that you can pause at any moment so that you can write these things down. The next question is what are your travel goals this year? You all know how much I love traveling so I had to include that one. Next, next goal. Next question is what are your healing or spiritual goals in 2023?

Again, be specific.

What are your learning goals in 2023? If you know that you want to read more, for example, well, how many books do you want to read? What books do you want to read? What type of books do you want to read? If you want to take an online course, how many online courses do you want to take? How many days a week do you want to dedicate to that?

Can you add that to your calendar? This is what I mean about being specific because it’s really easy. It’s kind of like, you know, when you’re out. With friends and you’re like having dinner and you’re having such a good time and we’re like, yeah We should do this again and you just all agree that you should do it again But you never actually decide like when and where and how you’re gonna meet up again And then it just never happens and then it goes another year goes by and then they’re you know It’s it’s the new year and then you’re like, oh man The last time I saw this person was on New Year’s and like I’m barely gonna see them again And then, you know, it’s just like this cycle, but if you are hanging out with people and somebody says, all right, when are you free next?

And then you actually pick a date and you pick where you might go. Then you have something on paper, not on paper, but you have something specific and something more tangible. This actually happened with my good friends and I, my friends from college, we have this group chat called Berkeley Babes, and we’d been talking about hanging out and it just kind of like kept falling through.

And then finally. the, the last time that we were all messaging, I believe it was Norma that reached out to the group and was like, Hey, are we still meeting this week? And I was like, yep, you know, this day works best for me. And I immediately made reservations. And then my cousin Brenda stepped in and she also made reservations and we all finally got sushi one day, but it took about six months and it was all because we were not being specific about when we were free, when we could meet and, you know, sometimes group texts can just kind of.

It’s brought up and then you’re not specific. So this is why I’m asking you all to be very, very specific. So again, the question was, what are your learning goals? Be specific.

Erika:  The next question, which is actually pretty tied to the example that I gave previously, is what are your networking and community goals? For 2023, be specific. Are you looking for maybe more entrepreneur friends? Are you looking for more people who read? Are you looking to meet people who are investors because eventually you want to start a business?

Are you looking for other moms? Are you looking for people who have a similar background? Are you looking to do informational interviews with people? Be specific. What are your networking and community goals? And I can tell you that this is literally the most important thing in my business, my community.

Without my community, I would not have a business, not just because of my clients, but my friends, my friends who have my back, my friends who I can go to whenever I’m in my own head about my business, my friends who keep me motivated, who understand what I’m looking to do in my business, who validate me because, you know, sometimes our family and our friends, they’re not the best people because they don’t know where we’re going.

They don’t understand what we’re doing, right? So really take the time. What are your networking and community goals? Is there someone in your life who’s maybe a little toxic that you need to set better boundaries around? Take your time to write that one down. Go ahead and pause and unpause when you’re done writing.

Next question is what are your relationship goals? Be specific, right? So remember the example that I gave earlier, I’ll just tell you a little bit of, of mine. some of my relationship goals are one, I want to like be more in my niece and nephew’s life. So what does that look like for me? Well, it means if I’m not living in Southern California, it means going at least once a month or every other month, which I’ve already began to take the steps to because, to do because, Southwest had this promo going on where they’re all, they offered a companion pass, which means like when one person flies, the other person flies for free.

And they had a specific requirement a few months ago and then they give it, they give you companion pass for January all the way through March, I believe. So my mom and I will have companion pass, meaning that we can buy flights and get one for free. So that means going to Southern California for us is actually going to be really, really easy.

And I also have set aside a budget for this. You know, if I know that I want to go see them and if I know that maybe I want to stay in a hotel or an Airbnb while I’m there, well, let’s Let’s save some money for it.

 And the other one that I shared is a meaningful relationship, right? So if I know that my relationship goals are to be in a committed relationship, that doesn’t mean I’m going to literally stay at home every single weekend and not do anything social or anything fun.

But instead I’m going to probably Work on myself, reflect on what it is that I liked about past relationships, what I didn’t like, gain clarity about who I am and what it is that I’m looking for in a partner, gain clarity on what my non negotiables are, do fun things, go out to places where I really enjoy the specific activity that I’m doing because, I mean, ultimately I think we would like to do fun activities with our partner, so it means I’m not going to go to like A bar and go meet, go try to meet someone.

But it does mean like, Hey, maybe I’ll go to some type of like, I don’t know, conference or self development workshop. Or if I do dating apps, like I’m very strategic about what it is that I’m looking for. So pretty much I’m sharing all of this to say that we got to help the universe out. I know I’ve said this so many times, but I can’t tell you how many times people say they want one thing and then they don’t really take the action that would lead to that.

So again, that question was, what are your relationship goals? Be specific.

That concludes step number two, which is dream. If there are any additional questions that you’d like to add that maybe I didn’t add, feel free to add them y’all. This is your life. This is your planning session. Step number three is a very important one. Step number three is identity. This one is, this is the piece that I feel like is missing.

from a lot of people’s yearly plans. Like, it’s why a lot of plans don’t work and I mentioned it at the beginning as well. If you want to know a little bit more about, like, identity work, I recommend checking out The episode that I did with Liz Fernandez about how, like, we could all use identity work. So, the thing about identity is, like, that’s how we see ourselves and how we show up, and that is just as important as the last two steps.

So, the first question in identity is, who do you need to become to make these goals a reality? So, you just listed out all of these different goals, and you were very specific about what you wanted. But who do you need to become in order for these goals to become a reality? Do you need to improve your self talk?

Do you need to work on your mindset? Do you need to? Do you need to view yourself differently? Do you need to give yourself a little bit more compassion or more self love? Because the way that we see ourselves and like who we become influences everything, everything else. So go ahead and write down the first thing that comes to mind.

There’s no right or wrong answers. And I will see you back for the next question. The next question is how does this version of yourself act, dress, and think? So just to give you all a little bit more context, sometimes I ask myself. What would 1, 000, 000 Erica do in this situation? Especially when I’m making business decisions and I’m really like stressed out about something.

I ask myself, yeah, like what would 1, 000, 000 Erica do? Or if it’s, if it’s a life thing, right? And I have to have a difficult conversation with someone, I ask myself. What would the most confident version of Erika do here? Or what would the most courageous version of Erika do here? So, whenever I ask, you know, like, Who do you need to become to make these goals a reality?

Is it like, do you need to become confident? Do you need to become more, vocal about your needs? Do you need to have more self compassion? And that little question is a great filter before making any decisions. So, the next question is, How does this version of yourself Act, dress, and think. And this question of how does this version of yourself act, question, act, dress, and think is something that I come back to a lot when I am going to a conference or where I’m going to be in a space where I want to feel good.

I just kind of ask myself like, okay, how would the most confident version of myself dress? What would she be wearing? Or how would the most ambitious version, version of myself do her makeup? And I almost filter my life choices and decisions through these questions. I’ll give you some time to write down.

How does this version of yourself act, dress, and think?

The next question is what thoughts do you need to practice on a daily basis? So I really, if you’re my client, then I hear, I’m kind of referring to the self coaching model that we go through where we come up with intentional thoughts for you. And usually I’ve given you all some, some thoughts to practice.

If you’re not my client, I essentially want you to think about what are the affirmations that I need to work on, on a daily basis in order to become this version. So maybe, an affirmation could be, I am worthy of abundance and everything that is meant for me is going to make its way to me. Or it could be something along the lines of, everything’s always working out for me, or I create my own reality, or I am worthy.

I am loved. I am powerful. I mean, hey, you fill in the blanks. If any of those resonate with you, please feel free to take them. The next question is, who do you need to surround yourself with to make this a reality? So who, what does your circle need to look like in order for you to make these goals a reality in order for you to show up at this as this version of yourself?

Go ahead and take the time to write and I’ll see you back for the next question. Next question is, what actions do you need to take on a daily basis in order to make these goals a reality? And, hey, the action could be as simple as like, I gotta get eight hours of sleep or seven hours of sleep, or I have to honestly drink more water, or I have to meditate a little bit more, or I really need to take the time to journal and reflect and do these things because if I meditate on a daily basis, I’m just going to be calmer, I’m going to be more aware of my thoughts.

I’m going to be able to take action towards my goals because I’m in the present moment more instead of worrying about the past or the future. So it doesn’t have to be crazy actions. I kind of mean from this question, what, what are the habits that you really need to take on in order for you to reach these goals?

I’ll give you a second to write and I’ll see you back for step number four.

Okay, so the last step is plan. People typically start with plan. That’s when they, you know, they just go straight into the planning phase. But without the first Step number three, I don’t know that it would be that beneficial, right? Without having really taken the time to reflect, to dream, and to work on your identity.

I don’t think that the planning is as powerful. So step number four, plan. The first thing that I want you to do is create a vision board that includes all of your goals and your overall Feelings about these goals. You can decide if you want to do a physical vision board or a digital one. There’s so many cool ones on YouTube.

So many cool videos on YouTube with how to create a vision board. There’s so many vision board parties going on right now. So there’s just a lot of value in being able to visually see these goals. On something, on something tangible, but the coolest part about vision boards is that there’s things on my vision board from 2020 because my 2020 vision board is still up and I haven’t fully updated it, but I look over and most of the things are completed, but not everything.

Everything’s not completed. Like for example, Jay Shetty being on his podcast, I literally have a little cutout of my name on his. podcast. I like mocked it up in Canva. It’s actually really cool. And that hasn’t happened, but I’m going to keep that up there. And remember your, your vision boards and your planning and your dreams, they’re not time bound.

You know, it doesn’t have to happen in the next year. So take the pressure off. But what’s really cool about vision boards is going back and being able to see like, Oh man, that was on my vision board from 2019 or from 2020 or from 2022. So I am a huge proponent of vision boards. The second step for planning, or I’m sorry, the, the second tip that I have for you under the plan step, which is the fourth step, would be break each goal into mini steps.

So all of those goals that you have, remember how I gave the example of like taking my mom to Hawaii and we did the research? That’s what I mean about the mini steps. Like, okay, how much money do I need to save every month in order to be able to take my mom? to Hawaii in November for her birthday. I’m just using an example.

That’s not when my mom’s birthday is. My mom is a cancer. Her birthday is in July. And let me tell you, sometimes this woman be in her feels, but when I’m in my feels, she has no sympathy for me. It is, it’s freaking hilarious. Okay. The next tip that I have for you is practice your thoughts about the goals and take that inspired action.

So remember those affirmations I talked about? I want those on your vision board. I want those on your phone cover, on your wallpaper, like somewhere where you see them all the time. For me, I literally have post its all over my office. Amazing opportunities always find me. That’s one of the ones that’s up and I’ve had that up there for like a year.

And y’all, amazing opportunities always find me. I mean, I had We All Grow Latina on my vision board from 2020 and it happened in 2022. I spoke at the We All Grow Summit. And if you didn’t have a chance to listen to the episode where I talk about what I shared, the story I shared at We All Grow, then I highly recommend that you check it out.

I’m not sure what podcast episode it is, but I am looking right now. It is podcast number Number

32. So that was on my vision board since the end of 2020. Also, if you’re listening to this later in the year, I want to remind you that this is not something that you can only do at the beginning of the year. Again, as I mentioned, this is something that I’m doing on a quarterly basis for my life and my business.

And then my last tip would be find people, actually, this is my second to last tip, find people with common goals and hold each other accountable. I think the reason that people inside of Courage Driven Latina have so much success is because of the community and because of the accountability that exists in there.

It’s so amazing to see how much action happens the moment that people join this program. It really is, they are different people than they were three months ago when the program just started. It is beautiful. It’s beautiful to see. And then the last tip that I have for you is invest in yourself. Invest in a coach.

Invest in a course. Join a group program like Courage Driven Latina. If, if a coach really resonates with you on social media, inquire about their services. I know that it could be really scary to invest in yourself, but there is nothing Like, investing in yourself so that you could really start to take your goal seriously.

I will never forget the first time I ever invested in a program. I invested in a group coaching program where I was a student and it was, it was a big investment. It was like 6, 500. I had never invested like that before besides university and college, right? Which is something that I think in our society is looked at as like, Oh yeah, like, of course you’re gonna.

Go spend all this money on college when the reality is sometimes a college degree doesn’t even guarantee us Success like sometimes we just end up with all this debt, right and i’m not trying to bash education I just think it’s very overpriced and the reality is like kids nowadays I don’t even know if they actually need college.

I think it can be really helpful I think it was really helpful for me in my own journey but I’ve considered going back to get my master’s degree and I’m like, for what? So that I could literally be in debt. Like I’d rather go get a coaching certification or I’d rather go do like, there’s so many more ways I could see myself investing my money.

So again, again, not bashing education. A lot of my clients are in education and I really do think that it’s an amazing journey for people. I also feel like it’s maybe not for everyone, but that was a. Damn tangent. That really was. But what I will say is if you invest in yourself in a very specific way where like, okay, I know that I want to go start a podcast or I know that I want to build my confidence and I know that I want to heal generational trauma, going to invest in a coach or in a therapist or on a course or joining a community, that is one of the best ways to hold yourself accountable.

When I invested in that group program, that was 6, 500. I remember saying, there’s no way. That I joined this group program and I don’t take action towards my dreams. And guess what? By the time I graduated, Courage Driven Latina was born and I made 10, 000 the next month. And it was all because I went all in.

And like, not to say that the only results are monetary results. No, like I gained so much confidence. There were so many amazing things that happened and it was all because I invested in myself. Because I knew myself, I was like, I’m not going to go spend all this money or invest all this money and not get a return on it.

But years prior, I had been trying to make something work forever, and it was that accountability and really, like, when you pay money, you pay attention. It’s so true. Because I was part of another mentorship group that was free. Y’all, I made it to like half of them and it wasn’t because I didn’t care. It wasn’t because I didn’t find value in it.

It was literally because I didn’t pay any money to be there and there was like not that much skin in the game. So again, just to recap my tips for the planning phase are create a vision board, break each goal into many steps, practice your thoughts, practice those affirmations every single day because you’ve been thinking about Negative thoughts about, or maybe like self doubt thoughts about yourself for a long time, it takes practice.

You don’t just do an affirmation once, you literally practice it every single day. Find people with common goals and hold yourself accountable. And then last but not least, invest in yourself.

 All right, y’all. Wishing you a happy and safe new year.

I will see you all in 2023. Thank you so much for spending time with me, not just today, but in every other episode. And if you think that somebody could benefit from this podcast episode, send it to them. Sharing is caring. All right, y’all. Happy new year and hasta luego.

Thank you so much for joining me this week. Make sure to visit the erika cruz.com. That’s Erica with a K where you can subscribe to the show so you’ll never miss an episode. You can help this podcast grow by supporting me with an Apple Podcast rate and review. If you took anything away from this episode, I invite you to take a screenshot and share it on social media so that your favorite badass Latinas can also check it out.

Be sure to tag me. The Erika Cruz, that’s Erica with a K, because you know I wanna see it. If you’re ready to join the revolution and be a part of the courage driven Latina community, visit courage driven latina.com to get more information and join the wait list. Thanks again, and I’ll see you next week.