How are you getting on with your 2023 goals?

Right about now millions of people are accepting their lot and acknowledging that, despite the gestures and commitments of the new year hoo-ha, this year is actually starting to look much like the last.

There is no getting around it… Change is HARD!

And it has a lag time. There is a delay in the outcomes you expect, following the actions you implement, and the main reason most people ‘fail’ is merely that they did not persist long enough to reap the rewards of their new habits. This is completely understandable when most of the new habits we are required to implement are things we are either not comfortable with, are not very good at, or quite simply just do not enjoy.

When it is put like that It is no surprise that so many of us fall short of getting where we want to go, especially when it is a new destination, but as the old adage goes ‘nothing ever worth having is easy’ – if it was, we would already have it!

But, assuming you still want what you desire, are there simple steps that can be taken to help move you forward throughout the year?

Make sure your goal is actually yours!

There is so much pressure in society to look, act, and be a certain way that it is almost harder these days to not comply with societal norms and choose goals we think we ‘should’ be chasing. We follow our family, friends, colleagues, and sometimes ‘influencers’, chasing goals we never wanted in the first place. It is incredibly easy to choose goals because other people are doing so, or because others suggest that’s what you ‘should’ be doing, but the reality is, unless the goal is something you truly want, you are setting yourself up for failure.

To avoid this… Write down your goal and ask yourself 3 simple questions: –

Does it inspire me?

Am I enthusiastic about it?

Does the thought of fulfilling it excite me?

If the answer to any of the questions is no, then maybe it is not a goal you need to chase right now.

If you answer yes to all three and you are still struggling, then think about changing your language. Talk about how you are looking forward to achieving your goal, talk about the enjoyment around the process, and instead of saying I should do X or I have to do Y, talk about how you WANT to do them.

It is a small shift, but small hinges swing big doors

Revisit your goals every 3 months

Visiting your goals just once per year is never going to cut it. It’s like looking at a map just once before you set out on a long journey, if you get off track you will never know how to get back and this happens all too often. We set lofty goals, set off with positive action and maybe even get some results over the initial 3-5 weeks but then we get distracted, life takes over, and we revert to old habits, trudging through the next 11 months bemoaning our lack of willpower.

By visiting and taking some time every 3 months we are able to not only refocus on the process but we can realign ourselves with why we want this change. It affords us the opportunity to redesign and adjust certain aspects where necessary 4x per year, increasing the likelihood we will stay on course.

The more practiced we come at this process, the better we get at the skill of goal achievement – by doing it every 3 months we get better quicker.

Break your goals down into the smallest simple actions

We have big ambitious goals, they excite us and we cannot wait to achieve them, then get disparaged when they don’t happen instantly. But that’s the thing: your goals in reality are going to take time and they will feel overwhelming at times, especially if we dont break them down.

I am not just talking about noting down certain milestones, but breaking the goal down into simple actions; go to bed 5 minutes earlier each month (or an hour earlier over the course of the year); increase daily step count by 300 per day / per month (10 steps per day for a year, compounding to over 3,500 extra steps per day by the end of the year); find time (2 hours) for ‘me’ to do something I love once per week every week without fail – adding over 100 hours per year to time spent on things you love.

All tiny easily achievable actions that compound to huge change over time, you just have to stay committed to the small changes (not the big goals). So take some time to find some small simple habits you can implement that will compound over time to take you closer to your goal.

Did I mention small hinges swing big doors?

Anticipate the hurdles

Let’s be honest, the goal you are chasing this year is not new to you! You have chased it before, you have given up on it before and you have seen the hurdles that present themselves along that journey. This being the case, why not take some time, maybe up to an hour, to write down the hurdles that have stopped you in the past.

For each hurdle, write down; (1) The cost to you of letting it stop you achieving your goal; (2) The benefit to you of overcoming it; and (3) some simple steps (akin to the above) that you are willing to do to overcome it.

Now when the hurdle comes, which it will, you have pre-formulated a plan ahead of time to help you negotiate the problem, improving your chances of getting past it this time around as long as you are willing to trust the process while doing what you said you would.

Reframe Failure

You are going to fail – There, I said it! Everyone fails, in fact, those who succeed more often than not, are those who have failed the most. Just somewhere along the line they learned to accept failure as part of the process, as an opportunity to learn and grow, and as a chance to redirect their path.

When we fail, it does not mean we are a failure, only that the way we attempted to do the thing was not the way, and if we are willing to learn lessons from our shortcomings each time we try, we move ourselves closer to the goal. Learn to celebrate that you are indeed willing to fail in order to succeed – See your willingness to fail as a step forward in your own personal growth and development.

Real change is hard – that is an immutable fact, but how you approach it can change – learning to give it the full attention and commitment it deserves and commands is maybe the first step on your journey. This might even require taking 2-3 hours out every 3 months to focus on the process, to realign with your goals and refocus your conscience with what you really want out of life – a small price to pay to finally achieve your goals.

Enquire today and let us inspire positive change in you.