It’s that time of year again!
You know the time where we start reflecting on the year that has past us and then start swearing up and down that next year is going to be better one way or the other. We start setting goals to lose weight, finally do the thing we’ve always wanted to, save money, and yadda, yadda, yadda.
But if we are being really honest with ourselves we kinda already know how this story is going to play out.
We get motivated at the beginning of the new year. We gain momentum and work hard towards our goals for maybe a month or two. Then we slowly but surely we start losing steam, until all of a sudden we’re back at the end of the year setting those same goals again because we did not achieve them!
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We’ve all been there. But I want to help you break that cycle and I fully believe that the reasons why we cannot achieve our goals is because we are forgetting a few important things when setting them.
If the past year wasn’t so good for you, it’s all the more reason why you should listen to what I am about to share with you. These tips will give you more of a fighting chance to actually crush your goals rather than fall off of them halfway thru January. Let’s get started!
3 things you’re forgetting to do when setting your New Year’s Resolutions
GET CRYSTAL CLEAR ABOUT YOUR GOALS
The first tip for setting your New Year’s Resolutions is the most important and it is also most likely why your goals fail to happen, so listen up! When you are setting your goals for the new year you first and foremost need to get your mind right about your goals.
This means getting very clear about your goals and doing the mindset work that is needed to make your goals happen. Start by figuring out your WHY.
Why do you really want to get in shape? Why do you really want to start saving money? Why, why and why! Go really deep here. Most likely you will find that it leads to the feelings you will have when you get there.
- Will losing weight bring you more confidence and make you feel better? Yes? Then what you really want is more confidence and to feel better.
- Will saving money bring you more peace of mind and less stress? Yes? Guess what? That is what you really want!
The goal is just the road map to get you there.
Knowing the feelings behind our wants and needs makes it much easier to make our goals happen. It’s deeper and it tells us the end game. THE REAL END GAME.
So focus on the end game rather than the road map to get you there. Then just chase that feeling down constantly! You might find that there are other ways to make this goal happen.
NARROW YOUR GOALS DOWN
The second tip for setting your New Year’s Resolutions gets you even more clear on your goals, so you can drop the surface stuff and go for what you really desire.
I recently took a look at my previous year’s list of goals and all the goals I set were so very surface.
- “I want to get in shape”
- “I want to give back more”
- “I want to be a better mom and wife”
- “I want to get more organized”
Do these goals and resolutions sound familiar? I think yes! We tend to go real surface when it comes to setting goals and New Year’s Resolutions but that is just pure laziness on our end. And it really just means we are not that serious about them.
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But when you narrow down your goals, you get more clear on them, and then your goals and New Year’s Resolutions become much easier to accomplish.
- “I want to get in shape” should really be “I want to lose 10 pounds and go down 1 pant size.”
- “I want to give back more” should really be, “I want to volunteer at the animal shelter and donate more to my church.”
Do you catch my drift? My goals are now more narrowed down, more clear, and give me an actual road map to follow. So narrow down those resolutions, go deeper on what it is that you really want, and for goodness sake stop the surface desires already.
GIVE YOURSELF AND DEADLINE AND PLAN YOUR CELEBRATION
The third tip for setting your New Year’s Resolution gives you accountability and brings on the fun. Give yourself a deadline to accomplish these goals and then plan how you’re going to celebrate when you get there.
I mean let’s be honest, giving yourself a whole year to lose 10 pounds is ridiculous and you’re just better than that. So give your goals some sort of deadline that isn’t December 31st. If you have too, cut your goals into small chunks and build upon them throughout the year.
To give you an example, here’s one of my goals:
- I want to pay down $1000 of my student loan debt by March 31st, Then another $1000 each quarter of the year thereafter, with a total of $4000 shaved off my student loans this year.
This goal of mine is very clear and to the point. I now have a plan and a deadline and I am up for the challenge because I want to get this monkey off my back! Deadlines are important and also super helpful, so make sure you give yourself some.
Next, you plan your celebration. How will you treat yourself when you accomplish these goals? Don’t forget this part because you deserve it and it most definitely will increase your odds of accomplishing your New Year’s Resolutions once and for all.
Conclusion
Some people say that setting New Year’s Resolutions is a bad thing because we are setting ourselves up to fail. But I say screw that! Setting goals for a fresh new year is powerful because it is a new beginning, a clean slate, and a chance to start over. And really your goals and resolutions just need a little fine tuning and I hope these tips I’ve shared with you will help you do just that!
I really like these tips for setting New Year’s Resolutions because they are different from the usual ones you see and they really increase your chances of crushing your goals by a long shot! This is your year, right? Let me see you make it happen! I’m cheering you on and rooting for you!