New Year, New Me… New Why?

We’re at the end of January already and perhaps you are concerned your “New Year, New Me” approach to 2017 is already beginning to falter?  Feeling like you should have resolved to never set resolutions again? Instead of giving up, re-think your WHY.

A key reason we don’t meet our new year’s goals is because we don’t think about what we actually want and why. Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality.

How do you set goals and achieve them? First you need to make sure they are achievable and realistic– instead of saying “I want to save $5000 by the end of the year” change it to smaller more attainable goals like “I will save $100 each week” and set up a direct debit to an account you can’t touch.

Why is your WHY important? Without a why you will lose accountability for the goal because there is no emotion or attachment to it, no understanding. Let’s look at an example – perhaps your goal is to eat healthier in 2017 – create a vision board and answer the following questions (and I’ve included a WHY with emotion as an example):

  1. What is my Goal?

Eat Healthier in 2017

  1. WHY do I want this Goal?

To be fit and healthy, to lose weight and have overall wellbeing. This will make me look and feel better and happier each day.

  1. How will I achieve this Goal?

Pack a lunch. Instead of going out for  lunch, bring your own food that is healthy that you have prepared. And the extra cash you save will go towards that $5000 you want to save.

Whatever your goals are for the New Year, write them down and put them on your vision board. This crystallises them and gives them more force. And, follow these seven steps.

  1. Just pick one thing – If you want to change your life or your lifestyle don’t try to change the whole thing at once. Pick one area of your life to change to begin with, and remember to know your WHY.
  2. Plan Ahead – To ensure success you need to research the change you’re making and plan ahead so you have the resources available when you need them.
  3. Anticipate Problems- There will be problems so make a list of what they’ll be. If you think about it, you’ll be able to anticipate problems at certain times of the day, with specific people or in special situations. Once you’ve identified the times that will probably be hard, work out ways to cope with them when they inevitably crop up.
  4. Pick a start date – You don’t have to make these changes on New Year’s Day. That’s the conventional wisdom, but if you truly want to make changes then pick a day when you know you’ll be well-rested, enthusiastic and surrounded by positive people.
  5. Go for it! – On the big day go for it 100%. Make a commitment and write it down on a card. You just need one short phrase you can carry in your wallet. Or keep it in your car, by your bed and on your bathroom mirror too for an extra dose of positive reinforcement.
  6. Accept Failure – If you do fail and sneak a cigarette, miss a walk or shout at the kids one morning don’t berate yourself for it. Make a note of the triggers that caused this set back and vow to learn a lesson from them.
  7. Plan rewards – Small rewards are great encouragement to keep you going during the hardest first days. After that you can probably reward yourself once a week. This reinforces your good behaviour and hard work.

Will 2017 be the year you achieve your goals?

Megan Lester

Marketing Communications Coordinator

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