Break New Year’s Resolutions On Purpose!
Do you find yourself excited at the beginning of a new calendar year to revamp and level up in one or more areas of your life only to realize a few months (or even weeks), you went from celebrating the ball drop to dropping the ball? Suddenly, your plans to save money, lose weight, grow your business, eat healthier, or spend more time with your family get replaced or neglected altogether. If so, you are not alone. It is no secret that resolutions are made with the best of intentions-perhaps, even written down but stuffed neatly into a drawer or notebook and forgotten.
Often, failed goals are not due to a lack of desire but rather lack of clarity. You know what you want but need to figure out how to get there or adapt and recover when you hit roadblocks.
Everyone has goals and dreams. DREAM BIG is instilled in us from when we are children playing make-believe. We are acting out something we currently want in real life. We are encouraged to stretch our imaginations and expand our thoughts into believing we can do anything! While there is a thin line between fantasy and big dreams, nothing is necessarily wrong with believing we can achieve blissfulness in life. However, it requires a balance of grit, choice, and a strategic action plan. In other words, be your Fairy Godmother, but work smarter-not harder.
So why is it that, statistically, people struggle to accomplish their goals? What happens between the onset of a well-intended plan and executing it?
It’s a lack of clarity.
Goals! We all have them. We all want to accomplish them. But the reality is if we don’t set ourselves up for success with a clear and strategic action plan, it can become nearly impossible to get to where we want to be.
People are GREAT at dreaming big but not at creating the steps to follow and assessing the progress on the way there. Additionally, there’s often a lack of supporting elements: VALUES and WHY.
So how do we plan accordingly? Gone are arbitrary plans for weight loss, healthier eating, saving money, or “resolutions .”Ringing in the New Year now includes realistic expectations and sustainable outcomes, an action plan on getting from point A to point B, and the REASON behind it. Goals and objectives must be made with a clear mindset of strategic action aligned with a target, direction, and impact throughout the process. Let’s face it: if your way hasn’t worked so far, there is room for improvement and guidance. Luckily, I am hosting a FREE Webinar on Activating Your Year, but for those who are more into the Cliff Notes version (no judgment), I also included below a brief example of how this looks, sounds, and feels.
SMART GOAL
-Simple Unclear Goal
-SMART GOAL EXAMPLE
Specific: clear and concise answering: Who, What, How, and When
I want to get healthier
I want to lose 20 lbs through healthier nutrition and drinking more water.
Measurable: clear steps to track progress.
I want to lose weight.
I will lose an average of 1lb a week for the next six months through nutrition, exercise, and coaching.
Action: steps taken to support your goal outcome
I want to lose weight
I will eliminate soda and fast food from my diet.
Relevant: application and purpose within your lifestyle and needs.
I want to lose weight and feel better.
I will work with my coach to improve my lifestyle to have more energy to play with my kids and model for them healthy lifestyle habits.
Timely: checkpoints with an overall time for completion
I want to lose weight by summer
I will have weekly check-ins with my coach to discuss the next steps while losing a goal of 1 lb on average per week through July 4th.
Through a series of self-reflection questions, this strategic coaching process helps navigate an “I want to lose weight” goal into a concise, measurable, and timely plan. It replaces vague, open-ended desires with actual accountability steps and clarity. It’s a 5 step process that genuinely will reset the way you make and work towards goals.
This outcome should align with your core values, why, and timely planned assessments. For example: “I want to lose 100 by next Christmas” is a great idea and can come with a strategic action plan. However, it’s equally important to work backward with realistic expectations. How many lbs a month/quarter? If you’re going on vacation for three weeks one month, that’s probably not going to be a deficit season, so it’s essential to work around that to make it a reality.
If you’re ready to dive deeper into the step-by-step action planning towards your goals, I am hosting a FREE webinar on Jan 16th at 10 AM EST (replay will temporarily be available). Check out the details here!
