Not that there was anything wrong with the old you! It’s just that the first of the year always presents us with an opportunity to take things to the next level. It’s so tempting to take on a huge resolution, like “I will give up sugar for all time,” or “I will exercise every day from here on in,” but for most of us, these are just not plausible. For a goal to be achievable, it must be realistic. But what’s more, it has to be exciting! For instance, if you say you will brush your teeth after every meal, while conceivable, might be a tad dull for a flawless follow-through. That is, unless you had a bunch of cavities and no dental insurance last year. Then your goal might warrant your utmost motivation and commitment!
Your goal, regardless of what it is, has to get your juices flowing, whether physical or mental. And it has to inherently promise some kind of reward. For example, “I will go ten days without white sugar or flour” may sound insurmountable or dull to you, but to me, the promise of dropping those few extra holiday pounds real quick is downright compelling! And I know the reward of fitting into my tightest jeans is a delightfully tangible one. So give it some thought and come up with one single goal that follows these basic goal setting rules:
- Make it simple, specific and realistic (I will not eat bread or pasta for a week)
- Make it measurable. Once attained, will you be able to see its practical application in your life? (I went a week without bread or pasta and survived!)
- Make it compelling (If I can do this, I can successfully embark on a healthy weight loss program, duh!)
- Determine the reward and if it is in your best interest. (Losing a couple of unwanted pounds? Definitely in my best interest!)
- Set a date for its attainment (A week, but it I am not freaking out about it, possibly two!)
Suddenly you have created a New Year’s resolution you can actually attain. Once you experience your amazing self-discipline, your confidence will soar, and you will be ready to set another small reasonable goal. Can you imagine if you kept this up all through the year? Setting one reasonable yet exciting goal after another? Who would you be next New Year’s Eve? What might you feel like? How would you look? What would you be doing, and with whom would you be doing it with?
Okay, you’re excited and getting ahead of yourself! Just take a deep breath and focus. Write down one goal, or better yet, email it to me along with your action steps for getting it done. I will gift you a 15 minute life coaching session as my way of wishing you a happy, healthy New Year, and for achieving my goal to reach out and make new connections with other fabulous women. Stop reading, get going!
