Think about a new year's resolution that you have made in the past.
How did it go?
Did you achieve it?
And how did you feel (either accomplishing it or not)?
Approximately 12% of people who make a new year's resolution actually achieve it. That means, most people don’t. And, we know from experience and from brain studies that accomplishing something feels good and releases all sorts of feel-good chemicals. And not accomplishing a goal feels shitty, to varying degrees from indifference to completely berating yourself about not measuring up.
We want to help you break the cycle of either setting a resolution that doesn’t come to fruition or avoiding the tradition altogether.
Now, here is good news about people who set New Year’s resolutions: they are 10x more likely to make behavior changes than people who don’t set a yearly goal. So, it’s worth a go! And, if you follow these tips we bet you will succeed:
Set a goal that is specific, measurable, and achievable. For example, if your goal is to ‘lose weight’ it’s too open-ended. If weight loss is a goal you are going for, get specific, such as: ‘I will lose 10 pounds; I will lose 5% body fat.’ Specific and measurable. Also important is to make it achievable. If every year you try to lose 50 pounds but struggle to lose 10, then 50 pounds is too big of a goal to take on. Set a smaller target that is within your reach. This way, when you reach it, you will feel accomplished, you will feel good, and that feeling will motivate you to set another goal and keep going.
Pick one goal. That’s it. Just the one. Sometimes, narrowing your focus is the hardest part. But, after you choose a focus, it makes the rest of the process easier. We tend to overestimate what we can do and underestimate the time, energy and effort it takes to do it. Pick one goal this year. Pick another goal next year. One thing at a time.
Outline a plan of action. Let’s say your goal is to walk for 20 mins a day 3 days a week. Your next step is to schedule a time to do those walks. Look at your routine, can you wake up earlier or change your morning routine and do it right away? Can you do it during lunch or at some point in the evening? Look at your calendar and then schedule it as you would anything else that’s important.
Don’t procrastinate. Take action on your goal right away. If your goal is to walk 20 mins a day 3 days a week, get a jump on it on Monday. Don’t wait until the end of the week. Preferably, don’t even wait until the end of the day. Taking action toward a goal feels good. And you are more likely to keep doing something that feels good. If you are avoiding, procrastinating, or making excuses about doing the action, then the action will always feel forced and not enjoyable. Put thought and intention into setting the goal, and then stop thinking and take action.
Make small changes over time. Drastic change doesn’t work. Why? For one thing, it’s not sustainable. Secondly, you are more likely to revert back to where you were before if the change is drastic. Slow, gradual change over time is the key to lasting change. No, you won’t get as much instant gratification, but that’s the point. If you want lasting change, you also have to understand that there may be a slight delay in gratification. Keep your eye on the prize.
Operate from a place of abundance, not lacking. In other words, don’t set a goal because you feel like you don’t have enough or you aren’t good enough, or anything along those lines. That is a scarcity mindset. That mindset connects to the energy of lack, which just leads to more lacking. Instead, set a goal from a place of already feeling that you have enough, do enough, are enough. Connect to the energy of abundance. That you are attracting more of the things you want, not because you are lacking, but because you are worth it.
Buddy up! An accountability partner is KEY. First, it’s usually more fun and easier to stay on track when you do something with a friend. Second, we all need a little nudge. Humans are social creatures, and as such, we are more likely to perform an action when we know that it has some effect on another person, even if that effect is on having to admit to the person that you didn’t do it. You’ve got to have someone in place to help hold you accountable, and you have to keep an open mind to listen to them when they challenge you.
Expect things to get tough. At some point will power wains and you will want to stop. That’s just human nature. We are literally wired to take the path of least resistance because at one point conservation of energy was key to our survival. Well, that’s not the case so much anymore. When it gets challenging, don’t be surprised, be prepared. Set up an anchoring thought or lean on your accountability buddy. A great anchoring thought is to connect to the reason that you set the goal in the first place. ‘I am doing this because…‘ and ‘when I accomplish this I will…’.
If you want feedback about your goal and your plan, write it in the comments below and we will share our thoughts.