Did you make a New Year’s Resolution this year?
Have you forgotten what it was or have you given up on it?
Why not ditch the resolutions this year and make some goals you want to reach instead. There are a couple of reasons why resolutions may not work well for you. If they do, great. Keep doing what you’re doing, but if they don’t, then read on.
We’re so used to breaking our resolutions. Resolutions are little white lies we tell ourselves. We start to think it is OK to try a little and then give up.
It’s a mindset thing.
On the other hand, a goal, as something we believe we can reach. That makes us work a little harder and not give up on the end goal.
Resolutions tend to be pretty vague. We want to write a book, get back in shape, stop smoking, learn to play guitar or make more money. None of that is very specific.
What type of book do you want to write, and in what time frame? What action will I take to get back in shape? When do you want to quit smoking, and how are you going to get there? What songs would you like to learn to play? How much money do you want to make? What amount do you want to have in the bank?
Goals allow you to be a lot more specific. You can set attainable goals with a deadline. You can also set milestones or mini-goals along the way.
A year is too long of a time frame for a single goal. And that’s why we make resolutions, isn’t it? We make them on January 1st, and we make them for the entire year.
There are two problems there. Early in January, we feel like we have lots and lots of time to get our act together. A couple of cookies or slices of pizza in January won’t hurt if we have until December 31st to lose the weight.
Then time starts to get away from us, and that’s when the 2nd problem arises. Losing 2 pounds over a year seemed doable. But suppose you haven’t made any progress, and it’s October, and you have Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas ahead of you. In that case, it now seems like an impossible goal to reach. Not to mention that losing large amounts of weight in a short amount of time is not reasonable or healthy.
So what should you do instead?
Make that resolution into a goal.
You should write it down. Be more specific. What’s the goal you’d like to reach? Put down a number, or describe what your end goal will look like. When do you want to reach your goal by? It could be December 31st, but it doesn’t have to be.
Do you see what is different? You are developing a plan.
Next, set some mini-goals along the way. Suppose you have a big goal like losing 20 pounds during the coming year and set mini-goals of losing 2 pounds each month.
This will make your target and give you a bit of a buffer to be able to enjoy Christmas and other occasions where food is a major part.
Check-in every couple of days and make sure you’re still on track. If you can, get ahead of schedule. Things will happen, you’ll get sick, there’s a wedding to attend with lots of good food and you do want to enjoy yourself.
Keep a chart of your progress and review it at least once a week. you want to make sure are still meeting your targets.
And all this tracking will help you keep accountable and stick with your resolutions well into spring and summer.
Do you see the difference between have a goal and a resolution?
Goals have a desire and passion.
Goals have a plan.
Goals are tracked.
And because of this, goals are achieved.
Need help with your goals or just can't seem to break through to the next level?
Send me a email and lets chat Percy@PercyBarr.com