By Natalie Moncrief
The New Year is here! Although there’s no time like the present to start fresh, many people like to reboot at the beginning of the year. If you’re wondering how to go about achieving those goals you’ve had in mind, and sticking to them, here are some tips to get you started…
When done correctly, goal-setting can help you achieve more while feeling happier and more confident along the way. Although there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to goal-setting, it can be most beneficial to breakdown your goals in the following manner:
Set specific long term goals, including your “why”. Being specific with your goals improves motivation and understanding your “why” can help get you through the tough times. Jotting down how you feel now and how you want to feel after reaching your goals is a great reminder of where you started and where you're going. Revisit your memo to yourself whenever your willpower wanes.
Set challenging but doable short term goals. It’s important to build a sense of success right off the bat. Larger successes are built from smaller ones. Let yourself be successful as often as possible. Keep track of milestones because seeing the progress is the motivation many people need to keep going. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”
Identify the procedure. What will be the process or strategy to achieve your goals? What habits do you need to cultivate?
Assess and Reassess. Continue to assess your progress each week. Look for successes and breakdowns. Celebrate the successes and look for ways to improve in areas that may have been difficult.
It can be difficult to sustain consistent habits and motivation during this process, but if you have the right mindset and set yourself up for success then you will be more likely to stay the course. and crush your goals when the going gets tough. Give the following some thought…
Turn Obstacles into Opportunities: Look at obstacles as opportunities to improve. If your packed schedule is making it hard to get to the gym, learning to say “no” or improving your time management skills buys you time to work out and teaches you a life skill. Obstacle obliterated.
Sweat for the right reasons: If you feel like your workout is retribution for that donut you ate yesterday, why would you ever want to exercise? But if it’s something you get to do because you enjoy it, you’ll be more apt to stick with your fitness goals.
Remember how sweating feels: You don't regret working out, only not working out. So when you're not feeling that workout, ask yourself how you’ll feel afterward. Worse for not doing it or better for doing it?
Plan ahead: Since self-sabotage is always a possibility, do everything you can in advance to make getting up and getting it done as easy as possible. For example, set out your clothes the night before, have the coffee machine ready, and make sure your post-workout meal is prepped.
Mirror mirror on the wall, I’ll always get up after I fall. And whether I run, walk, or have to crawl…I’ll set my goals and achieve them all.
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