Each year people set new years resolutions, goals they want to achieve. This article will help you achieve them and not just set them. According to The Times Tribune, “studies show that only 8% of Americans who make a New Year’s resolution actually keep them all year and 80% have failed by the start of February.” I am not sure what the stats are for other parts of the world, but I have a feeling they aren’t that different so let’s work on changing that.
I have learned and seen over the years working as a sport psychologist is that we don’t sit down and really come up with a solid strategy to get you there. In that strategy we even need to plan for those days where we won’t be as motivated, because yes there will be days where you just don’t feel like it. It is important to have a plan of action in place for those days too.
Many of you might have heard of the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-based) or even SMARTER (“Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-based. Evaluate and Record) principles those are just one of the steps. Here you are just setting the goal but there still is no real action plan in place yet.
Know your WHY
So, after you have set the goal, you want to achieve be it losing weight, living a healthier life, doing more sports (make sure your goals are a lot more specific than these examples) next step is putting a why with that goal. Also limit the number of things you want to work on. If you have too many goals, you will get overwhelmed and give up.
When you connect your goal to a why it becomes more meaningful to you. Your “why” will be unique to you. The earlier you identify your why the better as it will help you stay on track.
Example: I want to do more sports, so that I can keep up with my children and future grandchildren. (The why is being healthy and fit so you can spend time with loved ones).
When you have that why in place a few things happen:
- You become more focused on the goal and can remove and obstacles and challenges
- It will be easier to create that plan on how to achieve your goals
- It will help you to be able to say no to things that might prevent you from reaching your goals.
- It will add clarity and meaning to your life as you will know what is important to you and why it is important to you.
Start Small
At the beginning you might be super motivated and want to jump right in but let’s be realistic you won’t be able to run 10km right away if you haven’t run in years. Start small with making small behavioural changes. It can take anywhere from 18 days to 100 days to change a habit. If you set an unrealistic goal and unrealistic time frame right away, you will get demotivated.
First step figures out when you can consistently do the task you want to do. If you want to run, when is it realistic to do it, before you go to work? Maybe waking up a little earlier every morning so you can get the run in or are you someone that needs that run after work? Block time of in your calendar that this is your time to do your run. If you are going to wake up earlier start small, start by waking up 10 mins earlier every day even if you aren’t going to go for a run that day, then increase the time until you get to the 30-40mins earlier that you want to wake up at. If it is doing it after work again set that time where you would go for a run. Start with going for a light jog or even a walk. You won’t be running every day of the week, but it is important to build that habit.
Break down your goals
In 2019 I decided I want to run 2000km. Now that is a lot of running, so just that can put you off. I broke it down, knowing that at the start of the year I wouldn’t be able to run the 40 per week that I would need. Even that number was still a huge number. How many km per day if I ran 4-5 days per week. Which was between 8km that was doable. Again, not right away but a month later when I have built my stamina and strength, I could do that. Break it down into manageable bite sizes and it will feel manageable and realistic.
Write down your goals
Write your goals on paper and put it somewhere so you can see your goals. You have the major goal(s) you want to achieve now also put it in your planner when you will be working on that goal. What will you be doing every day to getting a step closer to that goal. This will help you keep track of your progress.
Write down your obstacles
Spend time and write down with pen and paper everything that could stop you from achieving your goals. Knowing what might stop you from each your goal will help you a) let go of the worries and b) create a plan to overcome those obstacles.
Focus on the process not the outcome
Knowing what your long-term goal is and where you want to go is important but knowing what you need to do to get there is probably more important, focus on the process and fine tuning those processes is key. If you want to run your first ever half marathon, if you want to change your eating habits, explore what you need to do to achieve those and focus on those things. Those daily tasks that will help you get a step closer to achieving your goal.
Celebrate your wins
Celebrate your wins, if you achieved the goal for the week give yourself a pat on the back, when you achieved your month goal reward yourself. You might wonder why it is important to celebrate even the smaller wins, well it takes hard work to change a habit and so when you sit and evaluate what went well and what didn’t so you know what to do differently the next month, you will learn and keep moving forward. Celebrating keeps you motivated, it builds your confidence, and it reinforces the behaviours and habits that you are working on changing.
Show yourself Compassion
Yes, you will stumble, it won’t all run smoothly and that is okay. Be kind to yourself. Each morning you have a choice to get back up and try again, to stick with it. Yesterday may have not gone great, last week wasn’t the best week, that’s okay it happens. Now get up and get back to it. A bad day, a bad week doesn’t mean you can’t still achieve your goal. Learn from those mistakes to see why it didn’t go according to plan so you can adjust for the next time you hit similar bump in the road.
Don’t be too hard on yourself! Believe in yourself and each day is a new beginning a new chance to work towards your goal.
If you’d like to reach out for support to help you set, clear and simple goals this year I can be contacted here.