The new year is the perfect time to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, and create goals and resolutions for the upcoming year. Take the opportunity now to start that process. As the old saying goes – the job that’s never started takes longest to finish!
Your purpose is what truly and intrinsically drives you. It is an expression of your highest most intrinsic value.
This purpose inspires you to leave a marked impression upon the world, which becomes eventually well received and honored.
Your purpose is more realistic, objective and detached from any immediate outcomes.
In order to determine your purpose contact me for a Values determination.
Lots of us have goals we want to achieve in life but very few end up actually achieving them.
The most important reason is that the goals we have set for ourselves don’t align with our values. We are living outside or values according to what we think others expect from us.
If there is a value that is low on our list of values and we would like to improve that area of life as a New Years resolution, we should link this value to a value that is higher on our list of values. For example if loosing weight is low on your values but cooking is high on your values, you can link cooking to your New Years resolution of loosing weight by changing your resolution to “ I enjoy trying out new recipes that are healthy for me.”
Also we get too caught up in the end result and what it takes to get there rather than the journey it takes to get there. We must remember that Rome was not built in a day.
Often we feel overwhelmed by the task at hand that we tend to procrastinate or give up too soon because it seems too hard or near impossible to achieve.
It’s easier if we understand the reasons for wanting that particular goal in the first place so lets take a look at how we can do this.
Define your goal
Break the goal down into smaller more manageable size chunks:
- The what
- The why
- The how
- The when, what is the time frame within which you would like to achieve this goal.
The Resources, depending on what the goal is, we may require resources that we don’t currently have e.g. knowledge or skills. Once you have identified what resources you need, you then need to assess how you can acquire them and by when e.g. getting a coach and how this fits into your time frame as it could have an impact on your end goal date.
Many people focus on the activity required to achieve their goal instead of how achieving the goal will make them feel in the end and what it will do for them.
This is what we need to focus on as the driving motivation behind our goal which keeps us going on those days when it seems tough or we are struggling to focus and maintain our regime. Visioning and a creating a Vision board will help you. Look out for my future article on Visioning and creating a Vision board.
Break the goal down into smaller action steps
This way you can track and measure your progress and it will give you a sense of accomplishment and of making headway.
Focusing on a weekly target is more manageable and achievable than the overall end result.
Watch your language and thoughts
Often it’s our, habits, thoughts and lifestyle that let us down or prevent us from achieving our goals.
Taking into account the language we use and the way we think about our goal. The words ‘have to’ sound negative in that you are being forced to achieve this goal and you have no other choice. This can leave one feeling demotivated and uninspired.
When we are using words like ‘have to’ it normally indicates that we have set a goal that’s outside our values.
Using the words ‘I want’ to indicate that your goal has been set within your values.
Reward yourself for small victories
Small rewards along the way help to keep the motivation levels going throughout the process. This can be any type of reward that has appeal and will incentivise you to keep going.
Get some support
At times it may also be beneficial to have a partner who wants to achieve the same goal. It helps to do it together as you keep each other honest, motivate each other and keep each other focused. This works for some people while others prefer not to have the pressure of having to be held accountable so find what works for you.
It also helps speaking about your goal to others, the more you share it chances are you’re going to stick to it as people will enquire about your progress.
Don’t become demotivated when you regress
We are all human after all. What’s important is that you don’t beat yourself up over it but rather get back on track as soon as possible .
Visualisation is a good technique to use
Every day visualise yourself achieving your goal. If you can see yourself achieving your goal and how that would look and feel, chances are you will. As they say, if you see it and believe it, you can achieve it.
Remember it’s small changes over time that result in big changes overall. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
If you would like support in achieving your New Years resolutions contact me info@miracaldeira.com