With the first day of January, comes a sudden burst of enthusiasm and motivation to create New Year’s Resolutions – ideas and plans we resolve to conquer during the coming year. But how often do your New Year’s Resolutions end up more of a wish-list as you re-settle into the routine of daily life?
Have you ever wondered how you could better succeed with excelling at or completing your New Years Resolutions? If we take a leaf out of the book of those who are life’s ultra successful – Steve Jobbs and Donald Trump, for instance – then we can generate a list of things that can assist us in realizing our ultimate potential with our New Year’s Resolutions:
- Make your goals SMART: Specific, Measureable, Achieveable, Realistic, and Timely. New Years Resolutions are essentially chocolate-coated goals. Upon clarifying what it is you resolve to do, you then need to create a comprehensive step-by-step plan to help you accomplish your goal – utilising the SMART strategy.
- Track your progress: You cannot control what you do not measure. Successful people regularly step back and assess their progress. Tracking the things that will help you achieve your goal will enable you to get there sooner.
- Perfection is not paramount: Setting the bar too high, and aiming to make everything perfect will drain your energy, discourage you, and can even make you reluctant to finish the task. Be imperfect 99% of the time, and you’ll still be rewarded.
- View mistakes with optimism: To be successful you need to have a positive outlook on life – no matter what happens. Mistakes are a means of learning and will drive you towards progress. With each mistake you are one step closer to your goal.
- Keep it simple stupid: Avoid setting overcomplicated New Year’s Resolutions as they’ll simply erupt in your face. Keeping them simple, tangible, and achievable will promise a smoother ride.
- Be productive and take action: You need to take action to make your dreams happen. Don’t just dream it, jump into it head first – pronto. Work smarter, not harder, and put first things first. Productivity will deliver quicker results.
- Get uncomfortable: If you wait until everything’s perfect in life before striving for important goals, then you’ll be waiting a long time. You will never be 100% ready for any opportunity that confronts you, but if you crave positive change and breakthroughs in life, then you must embrace the moment and dive in, ready or not. The process will help you grow intellectually, and as my favourite saying goes ‘You’ve got to step outside your comfort zone to experience magic’.
- One foot in front of the other: Just get started. Then take another bite. Momentum will build, and a positive upward spiral will follow. Make small, significant changes, and build them into habits. Habits create behaviours, and repeated behaviours achieve goals.
- Choose your friends wisely: You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Spend time with those who are focused, positive, and supportive. Hanging around the right kind of people will encourage success.
The New Year is (almost) here. Cut this article out and post it to your fridge. And when discussion arises about your New Years Resolutions for 2013, resort back to the steps above to ensure you’re success. And at no point forget to visualize you achieving your goals and dreams – visualization is powerful and will help to guide you towards the destiny you seek.
Wishing you all a safe, happy, and frivolous Christmas, and may 2013 be your fittest and healthiest year yet! For feedback email corinne@fitfixnz.co.nz