Although we are a couple of weeks into the New Year (to be exact, we are a whole month in), The New Year symbolizes a fresh start, a change of course. It gives an opportunity to make good on all the bad we did last year. So what do we do; we start the year off by making a vow to ourselves and to others about things that we can improve on. We goal set. Ultimately, this is known as a New Year's resolution. The sad thing is the vows that we make to ourselves and to others are broken with the first couple of weeks. How do we achieve our goals? I have come up with four pointers that you should keep in mind when making this new change in your life.
Point One: Set Small Goals
I like to call this goal conditioning. Just as athletes have to train their bodies to run a marathon, we have to do the same thing if we are going to reach our goals. A lot of times we set these high goals and sadly we are unable to achieve them. The feeling of failure and disappointment can be very discouraging. To avid that feeling of immense failure. set smaller goals and achieve them. Her is an example (I guess that I will stick with the athlete theme.). My goal is to run a five-mile race, but I know that I haven't exercised in five years. So, I set a goal to walk for 30 minutes a day for a month. Once I have accomplished that goal. I get confidence and I feel really good about myself. I can then set a the goal of running for one mile for a month. I have the achievement of my prior goal to encourage me along the way because no one said that achieving goals were easy. As I achieve my smaller goals, my big goal of running a five-mile race does not seem that unattainable. You maybe thinking that this is going to take a long time, and you might be right. But what you are doing is building a foundation of confidence and victory. When you are confident you are more likely to succeed.
Pointer Two: Be real!
I think that pointer is self explanatory. Nothing is worse than lying to yourself. You know what you will do and what you will not do. Honesty is the best policy. Henry Ford said it best, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, your right."
Pointer Three: Create a Support System
It is a little more encouraging to know that you have people encouraging you and wishing you well. Sometimes encouraging yourself is not an option, and you need a that cheerleader behind you to keep you in motion. When you have people that are telling you "Good Job" it re-enforces the sense of achievement. When you get a support team, you want to make sure that these people are going to be honest with you. If they have to correct you, and tell you to step it up , now that it is still encouragement. The hard reality is to help you stay focused on your goal.
It may also help if you get around the same people who are trying to accomplish the same goal. To hear what other people are saying about their journey might give you strength to achieve yours, and in the process you might help someone reach higher and strive harder.
Pointer Four: You Don't Have to Wait for the New Year Start Over
Making a lifestyle change is not designated for the New Year. The awesome thingis that we have the opportunity to change at any point of our lives. So if you have a desire to get up and something, GET UP and DO IT!
