How to Re-Ignite Motivation For Your New Year's Goals
So it’s the second week of the new year. And you look back and notice that when the champagne was gone and the work week started, you totally forgot about your goals.
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We've all been there, and it can be incredibly disheartening. But we need to remember that successful people aren't those who never failed a single day in their lives. They are those who allow the realization of their mistakes to light a fire underneath them and get them going for the weeks to come! I hate to watch people throw their hands up in defeat and give up on their goals just because one week didn’t go as well as they had originally planned. You need to believe that you CAN get back on the resolutions train every time you fall off, and you CAN rebuild momentum for your goals every time you hit a slump (whether it’s the second week or seventh month)!
It all comes down to effective goal setting. Dreaming is great and all, and I am the first person to admit I spend a LOT of hours vision-boarding my life on Pinterest. But when it comes down to it, effective goal setting is the secret to a successful year.
Here’s a list of three common mistakes made in goal setting, and three easy ways you can overcome them and re-light that fire for your New Year’s resolutions:
#1 Mistake: Neglecting yourself in your goals.
Before the clock struck midnight, you made sure to come up with some good resolutions to tell everyone when they asked you at the party. They actually sound pretty nice, and you’d like to see them happen, but you’ve been through enough new years to know that resolutions don’t really mean much after January 1st.
The truth: Our attitude can either make or break our goals. If you already have it in mind that you’re going to fail, or that success isn’t even possible, guess what? You’re going to fail.
What to do instead: Take time to reflect and find out where your goals are coming from. Did you hear someone else’s resolution and decided to take it on for yourself? Did you read a book that told you you should be more like this, or see a post on social media that made you think you should be more like that?
The reality is, if you don’t pick resolutions that come from deep within the desires of your OWN heart, you’re not going to be able to feel the passion about them that’s necessary to make any goal happen.
Instead of making your resolutions while scrolling through your Insta feed, carve out time to sit down and listen to yourself. What are your needs? What are your wants? How can you become more of yourself this new year (NOT how can you change or how can you be more like someone else)? These are the types of questions that are going to lead you to goals that come from you. Goals you can actually achieve. Goals worth chasing.
#2 Mistake: Thinking your goals are just going to happen to you. After all, if you just try to keep them in mind all year, they’ll come true. Right? Wrong.
The Truth: If you are serious about your goals, you have to take serious action. Too often we fall in to the trap of believing that our good intentions are good enough!
What to do instead: With every goal you make, also make a list of actionable steps you need to take to reach your goal. So you want to eat healthier this year? Instead of settling for just a vague idea of your goal, sit down and actually define what it will look like in your life. What do you actually need to do to eat healthier? Maybe you’ll commit to cooking one new recipe a month, or to eating out one less time per week. Maybe you need to make a list of restaurants to go to when you do decide to eat out (that way you always pick the Panera over the Steak n Shake). Maybe you should research books and articles that will help you make healthier food decisions at the grocery store. Whatever it is, make a list now. Our brains actually benefit from visually seeing what we need to do, and every time you check something off your list you will feel a surge of motivation to keep going towards your goal.
#3 Mistake: Failing to track your progress.
So you’ve got this goal, but you don’t have a system in place to stay on top of it. You remember it throughout January, but as the year goes on you slowly forget about it. Maybe you remember it again in November and laugh at your naivety; how could you have actually believed that you could accomplish a New Year’s resolution?
The truth: It’s not enough to just have goals and steps. What good will that do you if you’re not going to commit to revisiting those promises you’ve made to yourself? I can’t even remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday, so 365 days is a long time to try to remember your goals. If you don’t have a plan for tackling your plan, you’re basically floating around in a lake in a canoe without an oar.
What to do instead: First of all, write down your goal (no, Instagram does not count). Make it visible. Tear it out of your notebook and stick it on the wall behind your computer or right next to your TV. That way every time you sit down to mindlessly scroll through Facebook or binge watch Netflix, your goal will be staring at you, screaming at you BUT WHAT ABOUT ME? WORK ON ME!
But don't stop there. You need to create a routine to help you regularly reflect on your progress. Remember, you are tracking progress, NOT perfection. Keep a notebook with all of your goals and action steps in one place, and keep it on your nightstand. Every Sunday night, reflect on how you’ve moved towards your goals that week, and then RESET for the next week (this is the most important part). Did you neglect your goals this week? That’s okay. Notice it, write it down, and then write down how you’re going to do better this coming week. Did you absolutely kill it this week, and check off multiple things on your action plan? Nice! Notice it, reward yourself, and write down how you’re going to keep the momentum going.
Here's the deal: You need to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF and the value of your goals and the work that you are doing. Learn from these three mistakes, know these three truths, and implement these three tips into your life to get you going on the rest of you new year. You have 51 weeks still left unwritten. What are you going to do with them?
If you found there to be any little gems of advice in this blog post, make sure you share it with your friends and help them make the most of their new year goal setting! I'll be sharing more on this topic throughout the week, so be sure to follow my blog and you won't miss a thing!
Here's to you and the amazing things you're going to do this year!
Join the tribe for encouragement all year long xx
