The new year is the perfect time to make a fresh start. If there’s anything you want to achieve in your life you can get there by setting clear, achievable goals and having a plan.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Working towards your goal one step at a time will keep you motivated and actually reach your goal. It’s also important that you don’t take on too much at one – most people fail at keeping a new year’s goal because they set a goal but not a path to get there.
You Need Milestones to Celebrate
It’s easy to say, “I want to lose 50 pounds” or “I want to learn to play an instrument.” Keep in mind that big goals like this will take time and effort to achieve. Diets are hard to start because it takes a change in lifestyle – we’re human, we love good food and it’s hard to give up something we enjoy and “watch what we eat”. Learning to play a musical instrument beautifully requires time and a lot of practice to master – it might be months of learning to smoothly read notes before getting into playing that newest hit song on the radio.
Remember that the beginning of anything can be tough. It takes an attitude adjustment and courage to start and continue on the path to reach your goals. Most people give up 2 months into their new year goal. But you’re not most people, are you?
Setting milestones will help you measure your progress and how successful your plan is. If you want to lose 50 pound by the end of the year, break down your weight loss goal by months or quarters. How are you going to reach each milestone? Make a plan. By the end of quarter one, if you reached your milestone goal, give yourself a reward! It’s like a dangling carrot for you to keep running towards.
What makes your goal different this year?
Unlike most people, you’re going to create a clear and realistic plan to take you to the doorstep of success. If you’re going to lose 50 pounds, define how you’re going to lose those pounds. Are you starting an exercise routine? Are you going to join Weight Watchers or count calories? Do you need to set an alarm on your phone to remind you to work out? What about meal planning so you don’t get hungry and eat something you’re not supposed to?
Losing weight quickly doesn’t happen overnight, it’s keeping at it persistently that will get you there. Even if you’re a few pounds short of a milestone goal, you can easily revise your plan or kick it up a notch to get back on track before the end of the year.
Let’s Be Real
Let’s Be RealYou have to stay realistic when it comes to your New Year’s goals. The holidays are a fun, exciting and very busy time, and oftentimes you’ll feel motivated to achieve something big. Know that you can achieve big things, but there are also only 24 hours in a day.
Avoid making goals that would take more than a year to complete. If you want to make a long-term goal like a 5-Year Plan,, break it up into parts and give yourself a realistic plan for your first year’s goal.
Visualize the Outcome
When you run into snags in the road, as you’re bound to in life from time to time, it will help to visualize yourself reaching your end goal. Visualizing it makes it feel real and motivates you to continue to work hard to make it happen.
The Right Attitude
If you’re practicing the right attitude, you can go the distance. All you need to do is believe in yourself . . . well, that and actually DO what you set out to do. Without believing that you can achieve something, you’ve already failed. So when you set a goal, think as if there is no way you can not achieve it.
An optimistic attitude is critical to your success. Think about how you felt when you first set your New Year’s goal. Chances are that you had an excellent attitude, so try to maintain that mindset throughout your journey to success with your goal.
Once you’ve determined a realistic goal and divided it up into short, achievable tasks, you’re bound for success as long as you take action to complete each step. Go ahead and make that New Year’s goal, knowing that this year is going to be your most successful yet!
