Priscilla Hunt, Certified Relationship Coach for Couples
How about a checkup on your progress on your New Year’s Resolutions? How are you doing? Which can you say:
- “Nailed it!”
- “Baby steps.”
- “What resolutions?”
No pressure here – or judgment. It’s simply a question for you to ask yourself.
Here are 7 steps to increase the likelihood that your resolutions don’t fall by the wayside:
- Start with the big picture. What is it you really want to accomplish? And, more importantly, why? If you accomplish it, how will your life be better? How will it impact your quality of life? How will it impact your relationships? Resolutions as a list of “it would be nice if. . .” isn’t going to help you stick with it. What will help you stick with it is your ability to see the big picture, to understand the purpose behind the resolution.
- Determine what it is you really want. What needs to change? What needs to improve? What needs to be tossed out? What do you need to learn? The answers to these questions will help you clarify what you really want to happen this year. Once you’ve gained clarity about that, you can set goals that will actually move you forward rather than goals that simply sound good on paper.
- Create a realistic time frame. If you want to lose your Covid belly, it’s probably not going to happen in a month. . . don’t set yourself up for failure by being unrealistic.
- Identify specific action steps that are required to meet your goal. Do you need to download a nutrition app? A fitness app? Find exercise programs on YouTube, bookmark them, and use them every day? What time of day? Do you need to get up 30 minutes earlier? Do you need to join a gym? Do you need to keep a food journal so you know exactly what you’re eating? Do you need to take a nutrition class? Do you need to buddy up with an accountability partner? Be specific!
- Share your goals with someone who will encourage you and support you. Maybe share them with a friend or your partner. Sharing can help you widen your circle of support. But don’t count on that circle to hold you accountable. That’s your job! Speaking of action steps, how will you hold yourself accountable?
- Be kind to yourself. It’s easy to beat yourself up over not fulfilling your goals. It’s more productive to take time to evaluate why you’re not and then to problem-solve. Maybe go back to step #1, incorporating this new insight.
- Consider working with a Relationship Coach who will partner with you to help you establish your overall vision, set attainable goals, and work with you to find specific ways to achieve them.
Guess what. There’s nothing magical about January 1. You can set goals any time of year. How about the first of each month instead of the first of each year? Or each week? Or even each day? Days add up to weeks, to months, to years and before you know it – voila! You’ve moved closer to where you want to be by the end of the year.