Who else is sick of hearing that saying? Every year it starts and every year those goals are set and every year you forget about them within a couple of weeks and the cycle starts all over again.
Why?
Well… let me start with what you are doing wrong.
You start off your goal setting session with the words “new year, new me” “this year will be different, this is my year” and you make a mental note of all the things that are going to be different by the end of the year.
You then go all in. Making all of the changes, all at once. You change everything so much; your day is completely different to what it was a week ago.
Then the world opens up and your old routines have no choice but to come back into play to get, well… the day-to-day bit of life that you had before our Christmas holidays done.
You slip up, you come off plan. That is Ok. You tell yourself that you will get back on it on Monday. Monday never comes.
You forget all about those goals that you made. They were superficial anyway. They didn’t mean enough to create meaningful change. You didn’t write them down; you didn’t break it down and you didn’t create an action plan. So, you forget what they were. Until next new year comes around of course.
I get it. New years are a perfect point to pause. To reflect and really evaluate if your life is where you want it to be. It is perfect for changing the path, setting new goals, and striving for what you have always pictured your life to be like.
However, what you can’t do is reinvent yourself completely overnight. You are setting yourself up to fail from the start.
You need to set meaningful goals. Ones that will change your life for you and not just because society tells us that is what our goals should be. Look further than the pound signs in your bank account, the number on the scales, the number of bedrooms your home has, the name on an office door. What would those things bring you? Those aren’t the end goal. Those are just part of the action plan that will get you to your end goal.
Is it better health? Is it to be able to retire by 50? Is it to be able to spend more time with your family? Is it to be able to move abroad to a place you have wanted to live in your whole life?
End game goals.
Now you have meaningful goals you can now make a plan. Stepping stones and mini goals to get you there.
It is worth mentioning here that in order to break it down successfully this will mean concentrating on one goal at a time. There is no point trying to conquer 5 end game goals all at the same time no matter how meaningful they are. You will be back in the new year new you cycle before you know it.
Your end game goal isn’t necessarily going to be achieved in a year but some of those stepping stones might?
By setting a clear path to your version of success and taking 1000 baby steps in the right direction, even if you have a few blips and a few of lifes little suprises you cannot fail. Making 1000 tiny adjustments to your life one by one is much easier to sustain than changing absolutely everything in one go. Not impossible but the determination that would be required to stick to is something very few of us in reality can achieve.
So this year, make a lifestyle change. Not a new you, a step towards a better you (for you) and a new habit that puts you on the right path. Then once you are ready, take another step.
If you would like to know how to put all of this into practice, along with the motivation and accountability to continue through the year, click here.
The Organised Co. 