So ends another year, the year 2010 or for those of you who follow Chinese astrology the Year of the Tiger, which officially ends around the end of January. I’ve noticed a lot of people have found last year particularly hard, whether it’s been health issues, relationships or money issues, 2010 has seen it’s challenges for a lot of us. So it’s time to start again, and with the new year its important to set goals and resolutions to help give us more purpose and direction.
- Spending more time with the family
- Eating healthier foods
- Exercising
- Finding that perfect job
- Paying off that debt
- Having more fun
Often top the list of new years resolutions. Yet how many times with all our good intensions do we start the year all guns blazing only that by the time February comes we have let all our good intensions go, saying things like it’s too hard, maybe next year or I don’t have enough time. Why not make 2011 the year that you stick to your new years resolutions? Here are a few tips that are sure to help you stick to those great new years resolutions and keep them going all year. Speaking on a personal note there is nothing more satisfying than getting to the end of a year and saying “Wow I achieved everything I set out to achieve this year!”
Tip 1: Write you goals down This is the most important thing, you must write your goals down, other wise how are you meant to remember exactly what they were and how you are going at achieving them. I suggest writing them down somewhere you will see them everyday. I had one client laminate his goals and stick them in the shower so he could look at them every morning while he had his morning shower.
Tip 2: Make your goals specific When writing your goals down make sure you make them specific. The more specific the goal the more measurable and powerful it becomes. For instance if you want to loose weight, instead of writing down a general goal like this year I want to lose 10Kg, write down what weight you want to be and by what date.
Tip 3: Write them like you already have them When you write your goals down, write them down like you already have them. This tricks your subconscious into thinking you have already achieved your goal, which believe it or not makes it easier for you to achieve them.
Tip 4: Make sure your goals are measurable What I mean by that is make sure you can measure your achievement numerically. So if you want to earn more money write specifically how much more money you want to earn. If you want to run a marathon then write how many Kms you want to be able to run, and if you want to spend more time with your kids, write down how many more hours per week or day that you want to spend with them.
Tip 5: Review your goals on a daily basis I mentioned this when I spoke about writing them down, but you must look at your goals as much as possible. Daily is best, spending 5 minutes a day thinking about and planning your goals will go along way in helping you achieve them. And remember YOU AND ONLY YOU are the captain of your life, you steer your ship, when you have goals to follow they act like a map giving us focus and motivation. Goals make it easier to create a life we love and to not accept anything less than amazing! I wish you all health, happiness and joy for 2011.