Here’s to a new year and a new decade! This year will be the BEST YEAR EVER! Thought about starting a New Year’s Resolution but also thought about ditching it because the plans in the past haven’t worked out? Have you thought about what your intentions for the new year might be? We certainly don’t want to ditch our plans going into 2020 all together but it is important to create smart actionable plans and keep it simple so we can actually accomplish our goals this year. Below are a few steps and suggestions to get you there.
Start small
It’s important not to overwhelm yourself. I bet if you wanted you could come up with a huge list of all the things you want to accomplish this year. But why make a list that is unachievable. Start small. Want to lose a few pounds? How about getting into better shape? Quit smoking? Learn a new hobby? Travel more? If you start off the year trying to accomplish all these things you’re not probably in for a successful year. It’s important to start smart. Accomplish one goal and then move on to another. This way you don’t feel overwhelmed and give up all together.
Write your goals down on paper
If you’re thinking of many goals. Write them all down and pick one that you can start with. Then take that one goal you chose and break it up into tangible activities. Pick 2 – 3 action steps you can start doing right now to get started. Want to get to the gym more? Start by signing up for a membership, decide your frequency, schedule it into your day (add to the calendar). Don’t try to do everything at once and don’t overcommit yourself. Stating you will go to the gym every day is not a reality. Be specific with your plan and remember if you don’t put it on your calendar it probably won’t happen.
Announce them to the world
Post it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, whatever your mode is but let the world know what you are planning to do. If social media isn’t your cup of tea, that’s fine too. Let anyone who is willing to listen know what you plan to accomplish, a spouse, best friend, parent, child, anyone. It helps to let the world know. If you do this, you are more likely to hold yourself accountable to it. Plus people will ask you how you’re doing and you will have to answer to that. So why not be prepared by being able to say “I’m crushing my New Year’s resolution”.
Create visual reminders
Let me just start by saying “I love vision boards”. I love being able to put things up on the board and then removing it when I accomplish the goal. It is a fantastic feeling! Print out, cut out, clip art whatever you need to that reminds you of crushing your goal. There are so many resources out there to help you to do this. Place this somewhere where you will see it on a daily basis. Post it on a mirror if you have to but this helps make it real.
Have an accountability partner to hold you to your goals
It’s always helpful to have someone reminding you of your goals and holding you accountable. Remember all those people you already told you were going to commit to these goals? Who would be the most honest with you and hold you to achieving them? Who would be willing to have daily, weekly, or monthly check ins with you to make sure you’re following through on your commitments? Ask this person if they’d be willing to help with being your accountability partner. You never know, maybe they will need one too and you can help them out also.
Don’t beat yourself up
I had to learn over time and the hard way that “Perfection is impossible” Don’t beat yourself up over mistakes or set backs. I know this is easier said than done. But if you don’t eat properly one day or miss a day at the gym, or even a week for that matter – don’t throw in the towel. It’s important to get right back up and on track towards your goal. No one is perfect and no one expects you to be perfect but if you set the goal in the beginning of the year it was important enough to you to work towards it. So don’t give up on it. You got this!
Don’t wait for a new year to set new goals
So you’ve crushed your new goal! You’re now in great shape and feeling great about yourself. Wonderful! I’m so proud of you! Are you going to wait until the new year to start another goal? I say start now! You’re already crushing it, I know you can do more. Remember that list you started the year with. Pick the next realistic goal and build out your plan. 2 – 3 activities to start today and start crushing the next one off the list. You got this.
As Tony Robbins will say “if you’re not growing, you’re dying” so commit to yourself this year to continue to grow. Take it slow, create and crush one goal at a time. I’m confident in all my fellow goal crushers out there that you will accomplish great things.
