Ah, January! The new year stretches out before us, full of potential and possibilities. And for many us new resolutions as well. We make lists, join the gym, start off strong. And then by about week three of the new year, we’re overwhelmed, discouraged, or have lost our motivation.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Last year, I found significant success by simply discarding the term “resolution.” Instead, I set some goals for myself. And called them goals. By simply changing the terminology, I was able to focus more on the effort put forth, as opposed to an end result. I was so encouraged by how I did, I chose the same approach this year. And I also gave thought to HOW to keep my goals intact throughout the year and to keep progressing toward them.
1. Be specific. Want to lose weight? Or write a book? Those are big, vague goals, just begging to be discarded along the way. How much weight do you want to lose? Or would you be happy to fit into your skinny jeans? What kind of book do you want to write? Would a series of articles fit the bill or is there a great work of historical fiction rolling around in your head?
2. Break your big goals into smaller ones. Instead of having “get the whole house organized” as my big goal, I’m focusing on one small space at a time. My goal is to tackle one or more a month. One closet or cabinet a month? Totally doable. If you want to lose 20 pounds this year, aim to lose 3 pounds a month. Doesn’t that sound much more manageable?
3. Adopt the “more/less” approach. Last year, I wanted to curb my coffee habit. So my goal was to drink more tea, less coffee. I just replaced a cup of coffee with a cup of tea, especially in the afternoons. Success! A goal I’m adding this year is more filing, less piling. I’m working on forming a habit of filing the piles one or two days a week. So far, so good. I’m not saying I’ll not pile at all — that’s a recipe for failure. I’m a piler by nature. So I’m striving to do more filing, less piling.
4. Partner up. Everything is more fun with a friend. And this is especially true for goals. Enlist the help of someone that shares your goal to encourage you along the way. It takes courage to keep going, so it makes sense that having someone to encourage you along the way would be helpful. Let them read your great work of fiction or set a time to meet at the gym once a week. It’s harder to cancel on someone else than it is to cancel on yourself. 🙂
5. Check in throughout the year. Don’t just write your goals down in your journal and then never revisit the page. Take the time to check in and see how you’re doing with your goals. Maybe they need to be tweaked to be more achievable (or more challenging?) along the way. Now that I’ve shared my home and personal goals with my readers, I’ll be checking in every so often to see how I’m doing. Knowing that post needs to get written is a great opportunity to re-evaluate my goals along the way.
And one last thing to consider… make it your goal to do something fun or learn something new. There are so many ways to grow as human beings. Why not embrace some enjoyment as you grow?
Good luck! I’d love to hear what your goals are for the New Year… please share in the comments!
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