New Year Resolutions episode three!

I hope you are all ready to look at the next step in making and keeping our New Year Resolutions or goals. Just as important to our success as our approach, which we looked at last week, is our strategy.

1. Step by step!

Several years ago I was lying in front of the television, bored. It was a stroke of luck that I came across a great movie whilst flicking the channels: BABY STEPS. It stars one of my favourite comic actors (who is also in the movie Lost in Translation), Bill Murray. I won’t ruin it by telling you the story but basically it showed what could be achieved by taking small steps one at a time, much the way babies learning to walk do. Do the same with your resolutions, especially if they are life-changing ones. Resolutions are sometimes a reaction to looking back over the past year during the Christmas period. Finding that very little has really changed can result in the decision to change everything all at once, and then we try to do it all at once too. We give up, ‘fail’, and feel worse than we did originally. The key is to take one step at a time, baby steps. By working step-by-step you will gradually build towards achieving your resolution or goal. As we are getting to the end of January we can think about talking about resolutions/goals!

I have to tell you that writing a whole book was an overwhelming concept, but the first step was the introduction and this week I actually managed to do it! By dividing the book it immediately became more manageable… and each time you reach that smaller, more manageable step your confidence will grow and you will be fired up to get to the next one, this way you will create momentum and definitely stick to your goal.

What kind of resolution is it?

Give some consideration to the type of resolution you are making. There are two main categories: short-term goals which will have a temporary effect on your life, or life changing or longer-term goals, which mean that what you are taking on will be integrated in to the way you life your life from now on.

2. Plan fully!

The second aspect of our strategies which is important is full planning. Even by adding into our lives one extra regular event, an exercise class for example, the other areas of our lives will be affected. It is important to formulate a strategy that supports this decision taking this into account. This means fuller planning than you might think, the when, where, what, whom and especially how of it all. Here are some useful questions to ask yourself!

What do I want to accomplish?

When do I want to do it by?

Why do I want this?

Who or what is involved?

Where do I need to be?

What will help me and what will hold me back?

What do I need to do now to fulfill this resolution?

Or Exactly HOW will I do it?

3. Achievable, realistic and ethical

When you have answered the above, you can start to find ways to make it happen. For you to achieve your goal you must plan it step by step and give yourself a time frame that is challenging but not out of reach. By making it an achievable goal you will be more likely to reach it. Having said that, don’t make it too easy!

Don’t do something you are not committed to…make sure that this goal is something that you want, something real, one of your top priorities. It is also important that you make it ethical and fair to everyone who will be directly affected by your decision. For instance, I spend a lot of my free time dancing. From time to time I have to re-assess and ask myself how fair it is to my family as it is time I could be spending with them.

4. Regular progress reports

Give yourself a time frame for a re-appraisal, say in three months, in order to make an assessment of the way in which you or things have changed for you. This is especially important with the life changing resolutions as they are about breaking old habits and so once they are integrated into your life they either can become second nature, or as time goes by you forget your purpose for doing it i.e. ones that have no actual designated end. It is so important to chart your progress and recognize what you have achieved. Sometimes Henrietta and I sit down and make a list of our achievements just to spur us into more action! Remember to celebrate your achievements somehow too! Don’t wait until the final destination, congratulate yourself along the way too.

5. Maintain Motivation

Remember that anything that goes wrong might provide you with an excuse for not sticking to that goal/resolution. Whenever your resolve fails you, remind yourself of your original intention, what you have already achieved, and what you will gain when you get there! All this will raise your level of motivation and get you back on track!

You are not alone!

hillybarker@gmail.com