Now that we are officially over the whole “New Year, New Me” catch phrase, let’s talk about truly making goals, sticking to them, and how they can help you really tap into your Infinite Power!
Growing up, I never understood New Year’s Resolutions. I always thought that if you truly wanted to make a change, why wait for a specific date to do it? If you were really that committed to changing your life, why wouldn’t you start right now?!
I challenged you all in a previous post to take on a new mindset (see post here). The Power of Positivity can really ripple throughout your entire life. How many of you have tried that challenge for a few days, possibly even a few weeks, and then just went back to living your life? Hands up people, because I certainly did! It took months for me to really make that change and there are still days I slip back into cruise control and let my old habits take over. Making goals and sticking to them can be so incredibly hard because it is so easy to slip back into our natural man. A lot of people have the misconception of “well that’s just the way I am”. NOPE! Is it hard to make changes and stick to goals? Absolutely! But is it possible? YES!
Take personal trainers as an example. Do you really think they never have a “bad” food day or miss a workout? Of course they do. But that doesn’t keep them from waking up and starting fresh the next day. The key is to not let setbacks or your comfort zone control your mindset, and overcoming that can take a lifetime to learn. Both of those points are so crucial! How often do we just give up because we failed? How often do we not take a risk because we are comfortable or in our comfort zone, and the thought of ever leaving that security keeps us from some incredible experiences? Some of the key differences in successful people and unsuccessful people are as follows:
Successful people embrace change. Unsuccessful people are afraid of change. Successful people take responsibility for their failures. Unsuccessful people blame others for their failures. Successful people create their own norms. Unsuccessful people stick to social norms. Successful people set goals and a detailed plan of action to accomplish them. Unsuccessful people give up on their goals. Successful people influence their thoughts. Unsuccessful people let their thoughts influence them.
That last one is key - successful people influence their thoughts. Do you understand that you have the power to influence your mindset? You have that power! Will we have days where we can’t seem to find the motivation to reach our goals? Oh yeah. But it’s a matter of waking up and pushing yourself every single day.
I set new goals for myself in the summer of 2018. All of my goals were based around becoming a better version of myself. A version of myself that I wanted people to remember me by when I am gone. I sat down and meditated whilst I visualized who I wanted to become, and the attributes I wanted to learn and obtain. Some of those goals included; I want to help others feel important, I want to be completely confident in who I am, I want to overcome anger, I want to always choose kindness, and the list goes on.
So now that you have set some goals for yourself, how do you stick to your goal, and eventually reach it? Here are some tips.
Visualize yourself reaching that goal. Do it constantly if you have to. Sometimes goals may seem to be overwhelming. Whenever you feel your motivation dwindling, visualize it. It will help keep you on track.
Write your goals down somewhere that you can refer back to them often. Sometimes this could be on a mirror or in a notebook. Put your goal somewhere you can refer to it every single day.
Create accountability. An example of this could be recording shortcomings and your achievements in a journal. Also, create a buddy system with a trusted friend or family member and ask them to help keep you accountable. It is easy to fail in the privacy of your own mind. Vocalizing your goals to someone else and asking them to help keep you accountable makes it harder to give up.
Create smaller incremental goals within that goal. Sometimes, big goals can be broken down into smaller goals. If you want to buy a house, you would possibly make a goal to save a specific incremental amount of money per paycheck. If you want to lose 100 pounds, you might create smaller goals to help you get there such as running a mile without stopping or doing 10 pushups. It gives you a felling of accomplishment and enables you to celebrate your little victories along the way. Which brings me to my next point.
Celebrate your victories, however small! When I was learning how to control my thoughts and trying to eliminate negativity, I created an incentive for myself. When I caught myself engaged in a negative thought, I stopped it and gave myself a high five. No really. I put my right hand up and my left hand gave it a high five. I am sure I looked mental, but it always made me feel good. Another celebration might be buying a new fitness top if you ran that mile without stopping. ALWAYS celebrate your victories because they are something to be proud of!
Track your progress. Keep pictures or a journal detailing your accomplishments. Before you reach your goal, if ever you feel like giving up, go back and read how far you’ve come.
Prepare for success. If you are trying to eat healthier, maybe meal prep on Sunday night after a weekend of indulging so that you don’t have to think about making healthier choices in the coming week. If you are trying to stop from using vulgar language, maybe skip that song whilst you get ready in the morning because it has words you are trying to remove from your vocabulary. Think ahead and you will always stay ahead in your progress.
Believe in yourself! This is the last and I would argue, most important step you can take in sticking to a goal. Do you realize who you are and what you are capable of? Do you understanding that you can accomplish your goals and dreams if you just believe that you have the power to do it and then act on that belief? Believing in yourself will give you more power than you ever thought possible.
I know you guys can do it. I know that you can start fresh today and create the life you have always wanted and dreamed of. There is no need to wait for a New Year to become a New You. You can become a “goal getter” right now! It will take time, effort, and you may even get some scrapes and bruises along the way, but I promise that you have the ability and are absolutely capable of reaching your goals. The first step you need to take is just get up, show up, and try. You will feel yourself pushing boundaries and that will start to become evident in every aspect of your life. This life is all about trying your best and becoming better along the way. As you try a little harder and get rid of autopilot in your life, you will start to see that you are limitless. You are infinitely powerful and you have unlimited potential. The time has come to recognize the Infinite Power we all have within us and start walking like it.
New Year, New Me? Nah. Try New Day, Fresh Start. The time is now to start going after those goals!