“By taking a single step you’ve already outperformed millions of people who’ve made excuses…”
~ (Nike)
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As we embark on a New Year, many of us are focusing on what we want to achieve in the next 12 months and what we want to change in our lives or do differently. This is often referred to as making ‘New Year’s resolutions’
What New Year’s resolutions did you make this year? Like many people, you probably started off the year hopeful and determined to make changes that you desire – and you should be commended for that. However, studies have shown that as many as 91 percent of people give up on their resolutions in less than three weeks! We’re now just a few days into the new year, how are you doing so far?
Are you on your way to becoming part of that 91 percent, or are you determined to be part of the 9% that keep going past the end of January?
Most people promise this and declare that, but what is it that determines whether they get what they want? How can you make sure you stay on track? Is there any help out there? It can be hard to stay committed to even the greatest goals you set for yourself.
Follow these 5 steps and you’ll stand a much greater chance of getting the results you want this year. Read through each and then take some time to work through each step.
Stop and pay attention to what has worked for you over the course of last year, no really stop and pay attention, and then write it down! However you feel last year went for you, take some time and take stock of all of the things that went well. List your victories and successes, no matter how big or small. They are all important!
Why? I here you ask. Because our past success are the fuel and motivation for our future ones. The challenge here is that most of us have a tendency to pay more attention to what hasn’t worked out, and this takes us away from all the delicious things that have.
In life we tend to get more of what we focus on, so make sure you start the year as you mean to go on! This year will be a brilliant year the more you focus on what works and then put that into action.
A great next step to moving beyond just thinking and hoping for all you’ve dreamed of is to gain a deeper level of clarity on what it is you truly want out of your life this year. This short exercise can help you do just that:
Once you have developed a deeper level of clarity on where you want to go and what you want to achieve, you now have a really clear target that is written down and tangible. The next step is to begin to create a plan of action.
As you start to develop your plan of action, it is crucial to get the timing right. In my opinion, one of the main reasons many people fail in sticking to their New Year’s resolutions is because they do it at the wrong time of year – mid-winter. It’s very hard to stay motivated when it’s grey and cold outside, the days are short, and … Naturally at this time of year our bodies (and minds) are in slow-down mode, almost a bit like a semi-hibernation. In the natural cycle of the year it is a time of rest, recovery and renewal. So it’s hardly a surprise that so many of us fail when we try to charge off and make major changes. I recommend splitting your plan for the year into 4 phases:
Phase 1: January to March – Planning and preparation. Use this time to really plan and prepare for the changes you want to make over the next 12 months. By all means start the ball rolling, but take it one step at a time and don’t try and achieve too much. If you fall off the horse, don’t give yourself too much of a hard time. Just pick yourself up, recover, and then get back on.
Phase 2: April to June – Get into action. Now that the clocks have changed, the days are longer and brighter, and it’s getting warmer outside, it’s time to really swing into action. Spring is the best time to really kick off the changes you’ve planned for the year. Draw on the energy of the season, and really put some drive and effort behind your goals and objectives for the year and get some real momentum going.
Phase 3: July to September – Stoke the fire. As we come into full summer, it’s important to really stay on track and maintain the momentum you created during the spring. Keep your energy and commitment levels high and keep building on each achievement as a stepping stone to the next.
Phase 4: October to December – Harvest and reap the rewards. Now is the time to really begin to enjoy the rewards of your labour. If you’ve successfully implemented your plan to date you should already be able to look back and see some great progress. Enjoy it, celebrate, give thanks, and begin to wind down for the winter and plan to use that time to rest and recover, ready to repeat the cycle next year. I highly recommend adding the American ‘Thanksgiving’ holiday into your calendar!
Break your plan down into these four phases and have specific tasks, actions and accountability for each.
OK, here comes the toughest part for most of us – sticking at it! It’s time to really commit to making it happen – and you’ll need to re-commit over and over again throughout the year. It’s not just a one off process. We’re all human and we all waver. It’s not about implementing the plan flawlessly, in my opinion that is an unrealistic expectation. What’s important is to keep going. Don’t berate yourself for your failures and slip ups along the way, instead focus on recovery. Pick yourself up and carry on. Get straight back in the saddle so to speak.
My other key bit of advice here is to get help. Buddy up, get an accountability partner, hire a Move Beyond coach (shameless plug I know). Take a look back at my previous post ‘Flying Solo’. Going it alone is rarely the best approach to getting the results you want.
As with Step 1 – keep focused on your victories and successes, not matter how big or small. Set yourself a reward structure for achieving milestones along the way – don’t hold them back until you’ve reached the finish line. You’ll need fuel along the way, so the breadcrumbs approach is best, little and often.
On that note, I want you to really think about what constitutes success, and what constitutes failure. I was chatting to some friends about this the other day and one of them confessed that last year she made a resolution to take vitamins every day, and sadly admitted that she was not successful. I asked her if she took more vitamins than the year before, and watched her eyes brighten as she enthusiastically said “yes” she did. Then it clicked in my mind. I was reminded that success is really all about our perspective. Are we failures if we do not reach our goals 100%, or are we successes because we did better than the year before? The decision is ultimately up to you, but in my experience few people achieve great things by focusing on where they’ve failed.
What’s important is not necessarily achieving every goal you set out to, but knowing that you will make some progress in all of them. And some progress is better than no progress, right? If we set goals and do better than the year before, then we have been successful. If we drink less, smoke less, eat less, spend less, save more, earn more, exercise more, and eat healthier, then we have made positive change. And isn’t that really what it’s all about?
If you are certain you won’t achieve a goal because you have tried and tried again, and maybe you have even given up hope, don’t! Instead try setting a tangible, achievable goal to “do better” than the year before, and see how that goes. It just might turn out pretty good.
Good luck!
“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to success – not going all the way, and not starting…”
~ (Buddha)
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“When you move past your fear and you go after your dreams wholeheartedly, you become free. Know what I’m saying? Move past the fear…”
~ James Todd Smith (aka LL Cool J)
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“Love is not about finding the right person, but creating a right relationship. It’s not about how much love you have in the beginning but how much love you build til the end…”
~ Unknown
“The only way to get what you want, is to step-up and do what it takes to get it…”
~ Jamie Loh
One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.
At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw.
With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and keep going.
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
(Unknown)
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“Actually, I’m an overnight success. But it took 20 years…”
~ Monty Hall
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“The trick with courage is realising that it isn’t so much about overcoming fear, as it is about not settling for less…”
~ tut.com
Every Monday at 10am – Join our free weekly inspiration call to kick-start your week. Experience 10 minutes of inspiration from one of the Move Beyond coaching team every Monday morning at 10am to get your week off to a flying start.
Today is the last day of January, the 31st, and I wanted to check in and see how you’re year is going so far… a ton of people have already lapsed on their New Years’ goals. How are you doing?
Are you still storming ahead on course for world domination, or has your energy and motivation slipped and things are barely moving or heading back to square one?
If it’s closer to the former then congratulations – keep it up, and if it’s closer to the latter then don’t lose heart. January is a tough month. It’s cold, dark, the days are short, we’ve had little sun – hardly the most inspiring time of the year right? Remember, it’s not about what you do in January, it’s about what you do over the course of the whole year that counts.
Those of you who read the article I wrote a few weeks ago on 5 Essential Steps to a Successful New Year will remember that one of the keys to success is timing and that April-June is the best time to really get into action and create momentum, so use the next 2 months through February and March to really do some solid planning and preparation ready for then. This first part of the year should be about gently getting the wheels turning and the route planned out ready to put your foot on the gas in the Spring!
If you are struggling to get on track this year, then keep an eye out for the articles and video coming your way later this week to help you:
So for now, however you’re doing, take some time today to check-in, re-focus and get ready to get stuck into February and keep the wheels turning. You can do it!
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Kyle Newman
Thanks for letting me know. I've updated it a
Guest
this is by tim ferris :)
Drug Addiction Treatment
Fantastic stuff. A lot of useful info and interest
The coaching programme has really helped me get clear about my personal and professional goals and develop strategies for working towards them. Kyle's sense of humour, and commitment to bringing out the best in me, really helps me to 'dig deep' - even when it's challenging. The level of openness and trust in our coaching relationship has allowed me to make some significant breakthroughs and as a result my relationship with my husband has improved and I am much more able to control my negative emotions and respond calmly. I am also living much more in tune with my 'values' - what is important to me, whereas before this was very much in evidence professionally, but wasn't always the case with my nearest and dearest! Through participating in this coaching programme I am now gaining a greater sense of myself, my strengths, and how I want to be as a Consultant and Leader.
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