About forty percent of all Americans will vow to change one thing or another about themselves this New Year. Often these goals and resolutions are never met. In fact, sixty percent of all individuals will have completely forgotten about the resolutions they have made within six months.
New Year’s resolutions usually fall under the following categories:
• Weight loss
• Finance
• Career
• Personal development
• Health and diet
• Fitness
• Stress management
• Focusing on personal relationships
Carrying out your resolutions and goals can be accomplished. Read on to find out how.
1. Define your Motivation
There are 2 types of motivation: • Intrinsic – this means your motivation comes from inside. For example, U prefer jogging, going to the gym, or shopping by yourself. The motivation for follow through comes from within and U are comfortable and motivated to accomplish your goal without the assistance of anyone but yourself. Just doing and participating is reward enough.
• Extrinsic – you’re motivated by actions outside your personal scope. The reward system is external. Accomplishing the goal may be more difficult without having someone by your side you help motivate U. U may also find U are in need of an external motivator such as a reward when you achieve your goal.
Once U figure out your motivation type, then all U have to do is put yourself in situations that make U more comfortable and excited to accomplish your goals.
2. Actions speak louder than results
Deciding on a goal for the New Year is always easier said than done. However, it’s the steps you take to reach that goal that are sometimes trickier. If you want to stick to your resolutions, it’s wise to break each step down into smaller goals to make them more manageable.
Finally, each time you achieve a step towards your goal, reward yourself and feel proud of what you’ve accomplished. Positive reinforcement is crucial to help guide U as you push towards your goal and commit to your responsibilities.
One way to keep everything in check is to make sure your goal setting and steps towards reaching your golas are S.M.A.R.T.:
• Specific – having a specific end result prevents you from making excuses. • Measurable – evaluating your progress will give your motivation a boost. • Achievable – U can set daily goals as a building block to bigger goals. • Relevant – if it’s not relevant, why bother? • Time-bound – goals need to have a defined end date.
3. Be Honest with Yourself
The more realistic your resolutions, the more likely you’ll see them through. If your goal for the New Year is to exercise more, then start small. Instead of planning a 5-day workout week, go for twenty minutes each day then increase gradually.
You’ll find, as with all goals, as soon as U start seeing what you’ve accomplished, you’ll be pumped to do even more. However, it’s crucial that U stay away from the “all-or-nothing” approach. Doing something, even if it’s a small piece of what you’d originally planned, is much better and more productive than doing nothing at all. Acknowledge your accomplishments, no matter how small, as U move towards reaching your resolution.
Moreover, it’s equally important to not have too many resolutions up in the air at once. Make a list, prioritize them, and go from there. Once U feel the first one’s in the bag, go for the second, and so on. Focusing on one goal at a time will channel your energy and efforts, helping U reach your target faster.
4. Think things through
Having a positive mindset is key when progressing towards your goals. However, let’s be honest; every plan is bound for failure if you’re not careful. Be smart and anticipate obstacles so that when they do appear, you’ll be prepared.
For example, if U get bored when you exercise, choose upbeat workout music that’ll get you revved up. Or U can workout at home, as you catch up on your favorite TV shows. If your motivation method is extrinsic, go to the gym with a friend. The idea is to nip obstacles in the bud before they becomes stronger than your willpower so that U can surmount any roadblock that comes between U and your goal.
5. Be accountable for your actions
Accountability means you’re taking responsibility for the choices you’re making. This may seem easy to do at work when U have a deadline and a boss reinforcing it. It may not seem as easy when you’re home alone and skip out on cooking a healthy meal, and order take-out instead.
You can enlist the help of a friend or join a support group to insure commitment and follow through towards meeting your goals. By enlisting the help of someone else, you are not only accountable to yourself but to another person.
Hang a calendar on your wall with progress notes so U can keep tabs how far you’ve gotten and what still lies ahead.
Keeping your New Year’s resolution may seem difficult to accomplish. However, applying these 5 steps, U will be more apt to stick to your goals. Once U accomplish your first resolution, you’ll be more apt to continue to set new goals for yourself and move towards balance and fulfillment.
“You are not creating a new you; you are releasing a hidden you. The process is one of self-discovery. The hidden you that wants to emerge is in perfect balance.” -Deepak Chopra, MD.
“If you are not where you want to be, do not quit, instead reinvent yourself and change your habits.” – Eric Thomas
Setting goals is an important part of achieving success and reaching your full potential.
The Basics of Goal Setting
The basics of goal setting will involve deciding what U really want to do to assist you in reaching your full potential. The basics of setting a goal is an open secret known by top-caliber athletes, successful businessmen and businesswomen and all types of achievers in all walks of life. The rationale for setting goals is for U to have short-term and long-term motivation and focus. Goal setting helps U set focus on the acquisition of required knowledge and helps U plan and organize your resources and your time so that U can get the best out of your life.
Here are some pointers that should be taken into consideration in setting goals and achieving them:
1. Attitude and motivation play a very big role in setting and achieving your goals.
Set goals that motivate U. Motivation and attitude are key to achieving your goals. There should be intrinsic value in achieving the goals you set for yourself otherwise U won’t put in the effort to reach your goal and U will risk self-doubt and criticism. These emotions will only further your inability to reach your potential.
U must ask yourself if any part of U or your mind is holding U back from completing your goals? Is there are any part of your behavior that is acting as a hindrance or putting your plans into disarray? If U do have problems in these areas then the immediate thing to do is to address the issues. A solution may include speaking with someone about your self-defeating behaviors which are preventing you from setting and achieving your goals.
2. Set “SMART” goals
Specific – Your goals should include a step-by-step approach to reaching your full potential. Your goals should be very specific in order to be achievable. Clearly define exactly what you want and understand why you want it in the first place. Include both short-term and long-term goals in your plan.
Measurable/Manageable – Break down your goals into smaller, manageable and measurable targets that will lead U towards achieving your lifetime goals. Setting clearly defined short-term and long-term goals will enable U to measure your progress and achieve personal satisfaction upon meeting your goals.
Attainable – Your goals must be attainable. If your goals are unrealistic, you will fail to reach them.
Relevant – Your goal should be important to you. If it is what someone else has in mind for you and you can’t relate, you won’t follow through. U simply won’t put in the time and effort if the goal doesn’t mean anything to you.
Time Bound – It is way too easy to put off what can be done tomorrow if U don’t set time constraints/deadlines on achieving your goals. Once U have your list waste no time in tackling your goals.
3. Write your goals on paper
Post your goals in visible places to remind yourself every day of what it is you intend to do. Put them on your walls, desk, computer monitor, bathroom mirror or refrigerator as a constant reminder. Charting your progress on paper will enable U to actually see the stages of completion leading to the actual realization of your goals. This will alleviate the feelings that you may have at times that the process is simply a long and pointless grind towards achieving your goal. As U become more aware of your capabilities and meet your short-term goals, your self-confidence and level of competence will also improve.
4. Make an Action Plan
Plan for all of the steps that are needed along the way. This requires that you break down each long-term goal into short-term goals needed to achieve your life goals. A good way to have a manageable list is to have a daily and weekly set of goals. By doing this U will be always in the position of moving towards your long-term goal. Everyday will give U the opportunity to fulfill a certain goal giving U the feeling of accomplishment.
By writing out the individual steps, and then crossing each one off as you complete it, you’ll realize that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal. This is especially important if your goal is demanding or long-term.
5. Keep on Track
Keep on track. Always review your plans and prepare for contingencies. Goal setting is an ongoing process which should be measured, reviewed and adapted as need be to meet your full potential. The destination may remain the same but what you do and how you do it may change significantly in the course of working towards achieving your goals. Goals will change throughout a lifetime. Always insure that your goals remain relevant, motivating and they are what U want for U.
Sources and Citations MindTools.com – https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_90.htm
“You are never too old to set another goal, or to dream a new dream.” ― C.S. Lewis
Design the Life of Your Dreams by Setting Specific and Attainable Goals.
From losing weight to setting a lifestyle goal, people often fail to realize their goals. In many cases these goals are attached to lifelong dreams that an individual is very passionate about.
So why is it so difficult to achieve your goals?
Why do you see other people realizing their dreams right and left, while U struggle to do so? It’s not that U are lazy. U have put in plenty of time, read all the goal setting books and taken courses.
If you are spending a lot of time and energy chasing your dreams, U are to be congratulated.
This means U don’t mind working hard to attain a result that is valuable and important to U.
What may have slowed U down on the path to realizing your dreams are the following 7 common reasons why people fail to meet important goals they have set for themselves.
U set goals that were impossible for U to achieve. If U are 7 feet tall, weigh 400 pounds and hate horses, U are probably never going to be a jockey. Your goals should be challenging, realistic and actually achievable.
You think of your goals as negative statements. The human subconscious is what works on your goals. It doesn’t understand negative thoughts. If U set a goal of “not being a doormat in relationships”, your subconscious hears “being a doormat in relationships”. Profess your goal as a positive statement, such as, “I will enjoy healthy relationships where both partners are equal.”
Your goals are not written down. There are countless stories of people who have achieved their goals after writing them down. Don’t underestimate the power of writing out your goals and reviewing them daily.
You’re not measuring your progress. If U don’t know where you’re going, and how far you’ve gone, how do U know when U will get there? Break large, long-term goals into smaller, short-term goals. Recording your progress improves your chances of success.
U don’t celebrate small victories. The huge bonfire of achievement that signals the accomplishment of your goals must be built up slowly. Give yourself periodic encouragement as U achieve small victories on the way to your major goal. This continually stokes the fire of your desire which gives U the willpower and determination to realize your dreams.
You are in an environment which is not conducive to U achieving your goals. If your family, coworkers, friends and neighbors are not supportive of your dream achieving efforts, all your work may be for naught. The same can be said of your physical environment.
Your goals are too vague. Setting a goal to “be rich” will probably never be achieved. Change that goal to” I will earn $120,000 per year as a copywriter in the health and wellness industry within 2 years” is very precise. Your achievement of this laser targeted goal is much more possible.
“If you expect more from yourself than from others, you are saying that you are better than others and, therefore, must perform at a superior level. I do not mean that you should not set goals for yourself. Rather, the question is, how do you react if you cannot meet these goals? Honestly admitting that you may have not done your best is not judgement. It is judgement when you draw a conclusion about yourself based on your ideas about failure.
Honesty involves taking responsibility; judgment has to do with blame. To view yourself as bad or a failure because you did not accomplish what you set out to do is judgment. To state clearly and simply that you did not accomplish your plan is taking responsibility.” ― Judith Hanson Lasater
