It’s February. Dare I ask how those New Year’s Resolutions are going? As you donned your superhero cape on January 1st and stood with your hands on your hips, chest out, face the sky, soul filled with motivation shouting to the world about how you were going to 1) Eat better, 2) Get fit, 3) Drink less, 4) Sleep more…I quietly lifted my wine glass, wished you well…and wrote this post.
The reality is that by the first week of February between 55 – 68% of people who set a New Year’s Resolution have already kicked it to the curb where it now rocks itself to sleep, sucking its thumb. Poor thing. Did you kick your resolution to the curb? Are you a resolution-kicker?! *Gasp!*
If so, that’s okay. Did you know that by the end of the year only about 8% of people actually follow through with their resolution? Dismal isn’t it?
But hey! Hey, you! It’s not too late. We’re only 4 weeks into the year. Although January felt like it took 6 months and the weird energy of the world affected a lot of us (thanks, Trump), it’s time to rally and get back on track with your goals.
If you’ve struggled to keep your New Year’s Resolution, or if you didn’t set resolutions and just made goals for yourself for the year, let’s get going and focus on smashing that 92% “failure” rate. Yes? Okay…here’s how:
1) Revisit your resolutions/goals.
I hate to state the obvious, but I will. You need to remember what the heck you decided to achieve this year. A lot of times we get so bogged down with living day to day and just getting through the day, we forget what we decided to accomplish. So, pull out that sheet of paper, that book, that napkin, whatever you wrote your goals on and read them again. Refresh that busy memory of yours. What were your initial resolutiosn/goals?
2) Reset.
Reading your initial goals, do they still speak to you? Knowing what you know now, one month later, about how this year is unfolding, do your goals still make sense to you? Do they light you up and motivate you? Inspire you? If they don’t, it’s time to reset your goals and write down new and improved goals that you feel you can and want to accomplish over the next 11 months.
3) Refocus.
Now that you have some goals written down that inspire you to be successful, you need to refocus. Figure out why you weren’t able to stay the course with your previous resolution/goals and change something. What didn’t work? What was the hurdle? Did you just forget? Did your schedule not work? Figure out what wasn’t working and come up with a plan to ensure that you can be successful. Do you need to plan better, schedule dedicated time, find a friend to drag with you? What will help you focus on your goal and be successful? Focus and plan for your success.
4) Recommit.
New or improved resolution/goal? Check. New plan? Check. New determination? Let’s get there. Commit to your new plan. Reread your goals. Look at your plan of attack and commit to it. Tell someone about it if you need accountability help. Reach out for help and support if you need it. You can find support in a lot of areas, so if support is what you need to commit to your goals…reach out. Set mini-goals for yourself to celebrate and commit to dance parties when you reach them. Recommit to you and your goals. I know, for certain, you’re worth it.
5) Rock it!
Okay party people…writing down new goals, refocusing, recommiting, well that’s the easy part, isn’t it? But, your success will be based on your actions. So, your goals better have some fun aspects that you’re excited about because it’s time for you to rock your resolutions/goals. It’s time to put your cape back on, strike your superhero pose, take a deep breath, believe in yourself…and GET TO WORK! It’s time to rock your resolutions!
Go on…go and rock it! Follow the five steps above and you can, absolutely, be successful. You got this! Reach out if you need help. I’m here…cheering you on. Always.