First I need to clear this up, I AM not a holiday jumper! Merry Christmas Season!
What an awesome time of year, and I don’t say that just because I am getting ready to go somewhere very warm and sandy. This is a great time to rest, relax and take some time for yourself to review 2014, get out last years resolutions, you did write them down, didn’t you? How did you do? Did you accomplish them all with flying colors and even surpass them? Or did you get 90%? 50% 10%? Are you still looking for the list?!
So I could quote the research on the power of goals (resolutions), having them written down, reading them daily, and having an accountability partner……but here are the cliff notes; people with goals get more stuff done, written goals are downloaded to the brain more powerfully, daily reminders help keep you in track and having someone to answer to gets you through the rough times. Now, what did you do right in 2014? What needs improvement? Do you want to bring in any of 2014 goals to 2015?
So as you begin to think about 2015 goals, resolutions….first clear out the old, you know, the resolutions you have made every year since you were 23. Just take them off the table, you haven’t done them yet, they aren’t important to you and you will have trouble acting on your new goals with these not so stellar reminders of what you haven’t done in the past.
Now brainstorm, what do you REALLY want to get done in the next year? To do more reading, business or leisure? Floss your teeth daily? Cook 3 meals a week at home? Spend non electronic time with your spouse or kids? Lose 100 pounds? Exercise every week? (I’m a trainer, where did you think I was going to focus?)
Now rate the goals as to how important they are to you on a scale of 1 to 10. Great! Now how do you implement? ONE AT A TIME. If you try to get them all done in January, you will not get any of them done well, if at all. So pick the goal you ranked a 10, that is your January priority. Work it everyday (it takes 21 days to form a habit) and at the end of the month you have created a habit, keep at it as February rolls in. Add your second ranked goal in February, your third in March, etc. Now a couple of caveats here, if you start getting overwhelmed or feel you haven’t mastered the actions well enough to successfully keep at last month’s goal, don’t move on, give it another month to solidify a place in your lifestyle. And you have to keep the list, read it daily, remind yourself why these goals are important and don’t give up if it takes a little longer than you hoped….very easy come August when you realize how close 2016 is but hey, stick with it, and at the end of 2015 you just may have 12 new habits!
And what is your plan? No, you cannot just say I want to lose 100# and not have a plan. Think it through, what are you willing to do? What has and has not worked in the past? Who will you recruit to help when the times get tough, and I can guarantee that no matter what your goal, there will be tough times. More on this as the month goes on.
Until then, refine next year’s goals and if I can help, let me know…..I’m pretty good at this stuff and would love to help!
Just drop me an email at denise@nowgetgoing.com or give me a call 612-202-0448
