NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS REQUIRE COMMITMENT: 5 WAYS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN THIS YEAR!
It is the start of a new year! It’s the time of year that many people reflect on their life and set new goals and new resolutions to elevate their life. Sadly, most people fail to execute on those new resolutions past the month of February. Below are 5 proven strategies that I have used personally to reach my goals. Let’s make this new year 10x better than last year!
1.Start with the end in mind. What do you want for the long term? And why do you want it? Really visualize it in as much detail as you can. Then, make sure you write it down and post it somewhere you will see it and can practice visualizing it often.
2. Create micro-steps. Beginning with small, detailed goals and new habits will allow you to get closer to your ultimate goal. After you have drafted the first of your micro-steps, go back and rewrite the steps with even more specific detail.
What specific task will you do?
When will you do it?
Who will be with you?
It’s here where most people lose momentum because they try to take on too many new (often time-intense) activities. All that won’t be sustainable for the long term. On the contrary, one tiny shift in your life can lead to massive differences in the quality of your life.
You could try: going to bed 1 hour earlier, waking up 30 min earlier, listening to 15 min meditation before going to sleep, limiting screen time after 9pm, or doing 20 push ups per day.
Make sure your action steps are not too big and make sure they are very specific.
3. Measure your progress. This is so important and an area that most people (including myself) often neglect or procrastinate on. The most important step to making change is to track progress, especially if it is small. Make sure that your goals have something that you can quantify and track. You can track it on Excel or on an app or even the notes in your phone. If you track your progress in small steps, you can make corrections if you get off track, and you can celebrate when you make progress. This ritual will train your brain to want more progress! If you don’t have the discipline to track your own progress, then hire a coach or other expert who can help you stay on track. It is a worthy investment. But of course, if you don’t want to track progress or get outside help, you should really ask yourself “how bad do you really want this?”
4. CELEBRATE! This is always the step that people skip over most often. It’s easy to be unsatisfied because you haven’t achieved your “big goal” or choose not to make time for celebrations, but it is absolutely critical for success. Human brains love pleasure; there’s a dopamine high to experiencing happiness. Do not overlook, even, the smallest progress towards your goal. Celebrate it, talk about it, and begin to manifest it as if the bigger goal is that much closer to your reach…because it is!
5. Get an accountability partner. Now I know, it’s easy to see your family as accountability partners, but often, it won’t get you to your goal. Family members will support you and love you no matter what. Because of that, in most instances, they will accept your excuses if you fall off the wagon–affirming your “so far” progress, but not focusing on where you say you want to go.
But, a true accountability partner, and, especially, the best life and business coaches, will see you through until you achieve your goal. They will help you get back on track if/when you get distracted (and there’s no shame there; we all get off track sometimes). A good coach will help you get resourceful. A really good professional coach will also help you adjust your goals when needed and rebalance your time and efforts to help you create new measurable action steps. A great coach will always remind you of your end goal and your progress towards it! Many celebrities, U.S. Presidents, Fortune 500 CEOs, high level business people, and other successful individuals have worked with life and/or business coaches (myself included) at some point in their life and career. In many cases, they wouldn’t be where they are today without their personal life and business coach.
2023 is a new year full of opportunity. You can achieve the goals you set out with during the first week of this month, even if you have already put them aside. It’s time to pick up where you left off and see those goals through until you are smiling of achievement. Imagine yourself being proud one year from now! Now let’s get started (or restarted!)! There is lots of room to grow over the next 12 months. What are some of your new goals? What will you be celebrating at the end of this year?!