BOOM CRACK... yes, that is a firework exploding. This is about as fast as your New Year’s Resolutions will last too…
So why do we set these far reaching goals every year? Hope? A genuine desire to change something? Something to do? Because everyone else is? Unhappy with out current state of being?
Answer: all of the above and many more...
The reason behind the goal setting is often the driving force to it’s ultimate failure…
I believe the truest reason your New Year’s Resolution fails is because it is set with the wrong intention, or not really set at all. They are superficial and often without consequence. You are no accountable and don’t really know what the goal means to you. You haven’t written it down, committed it to your daily routine and set smaller milestones or even a plan to complete the tasks needed to achieve the goal. Your mind is extremely powerful and I believe and have learnt from experience, if you really want to do something you can do anything – I mean anything.
Take for example, “This year I am going to be healthier”... too vague, too broad, no “result” to measure against. Does this mean, more water? Less alcohol? More exercise? … rule one, be VERY VERY specific. That way you will know what achievement looks like.
Or... “This year I want to make more money/save more”… What’s your year-end goal? Set up smaller milestones to achieve the ultimate goal put away a set figure every week, and then watch your little goals get ticked off… Measurable goals are essential to achievement, otherwise how do you know you’ve done it?
TELL SOMEONE – and keep them updated on your progress. Or do it with someone, for example “I will go to 2 exercise classes a week” if someone is counting on you to turn up it will always push you more to commit. As humans, accountability is a big one, we don’t (generally) like to let people down and have this funny little thing called Pride and don’t like to fail or be seen to fail. This one is golden, and a real push for me personally. A lot of what I’ve achieved in life is because someone said (including my own doubts) I couldn’t do it….
Drive a manual car, start a business, manage people, be independent, finish a degree, live on my own, teach a gym class, talk in front of a room of strangers… the list is endless…
Happy Goal Setting... x
