Ask Laurel…Every January I make a New Year’s resolution and by February it’s fallen by the wayside. How do I stay on track with my goal?
It’s inevitable at this time of year for people to start talking about New Year’s resolutions. Some people make the same one year after year. Some people staunchly delcare, “I don’t do resolutions.” And some people think about it and then never take any action.
New Year’s resolutions have gotten a bad reputation.
That’s because when you say you’re going to do something and then you don’t, you start to feel really bad. You begin to doubt your own credibility. And if you’re someone who makes a public statement and then doesn’t follow through, everyone thinks “Yeah yeah, heard that one before.”
There’s nothing wrong with making a New Year’s resolution.
Here are 2 things to keep in mind when you do. First, the start of a new year gives the sense of a clean slate so it’s natural to think about change at that time. However, there’s nothing magical about January 1st that automatically will lead to your success. Setting a new goal requires thought and commitment. Making a declaration at a party on New Year’s Eve or at the urging of someone else is not a great jumping off point for change.
Plan more
Secondly, many New Year’s resolutions are made without sufficient planning. Even with a mindset of determination, being successful with a goal takes planning: both what you will do and how you will manage the inevitable obstacles that pop up along the way. Consider what’s reasonable to accomplish given your starting point. As you experience success you can always set the bar higher or take the next step.
Successful people also excel at Plan B. Think ahead about the kinds of set backs you might encounter and consider how you will tackle them. Then when they show up, you’re better prepared to manage them.
Kick Start the year
If you’re looking for a way to get the New Year off to a great start, join me for the Kick Start 2009 teleclass on January 8th. Read more here.
You can also check out the 30 Day Challenge on the right side of the page under Categories. It’s a great way to begin creating a habit that sticks. Start at Day One and then come back each day for the next tip.
What is your resolution for 2009?
Ask Laurel…
With all of the gloom and doom news in the economic markets these days I find myself worrying more. What’s a good way to manage this uncertainty?
Worry is an unproductive activity. It uses up your time but doesn’t really change anything. You can decide instead to be proactive.
When the going gets tough, successful people get back to basics.
Now is a great time to take inventory on all levels - financially, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Are you clear on your priorities?
Do your current choices and behaviours reflect those priorities?
Is a small or large re-adjustment needed?
Course corrections, whether in financial markets or in life, are a time to step back, evaluate, plan and act wisely. Also remember that no matter the current challenge, there is also an opportunity waiting to be seized. It’s easy to get distracted by worry and miss an opening that might serve you well.
Take inventory.
If you are looking for a quick tool to take inventory, visit my website http://www.stonecirclecoaching.com and look for the Wheel of Life in the Free Stuff section.
Post a comment and ask Laurel your life coaching question.
Today is day 30 of the 30 day challenge.
Congrats!
You made it. Today is the day to begin your celebration. It’s been great accompanying you on this journey.
You now have the tools to create a new habit. Use what you have learned this month and apply it to a new habit that you would like to master. Building a series of personal success habits begins just like this. Get one habit working, then add another one in.
Please share your success stories by posting a comment.
My challenge…
Cal is one happy dog. He’s loved getting out on a regular basis and doing dog stuff. He’s a clever guy. He watches carefully to see what I’m wearing and which shoes I’m reaching for. Not sure how he knows what “walk clothes” are, but he does! It used to be that he could hear the jiggle of his leash from anywhere in the house. His hearing is not so good anymore but his eyesight is just fine. It’s been great for me to remember all the things I loved so much about our walks. I really look forward to my daily dose of dog wisdom and am grateful to have re-created this habit.
What’s your 30 day success story?
Today is day 29 of the 30 day challenge.
Take time today to plan the celebration of your 30 day challenge. Too often we deny ourselves celebrations because we think, “I could have done better.”
No matter how well you did, celebrate your successes this past month. If you held fast to your commitment, bravo! If you stumbled along the way, celebrate that you were on a learning path.
Consider what you would do for or say to a friend who had been participating in this challenge. Be that nice to yourself!
Tune in tomorrow as the celebration begins.
How will you celebrate?
Today is day 28 of the 30 day challenge.
In two days you will come to the end of this challenge to create a new habit. Now’s the time to think about the next step - a beginning rather than an ending.
Plan for day 31 by deciding how you will keep the momentum of the last month going. Build on what’s been working. Tweak things that haven’t been working. Have coffee with your buddy and design a new or continuing game plan.
If you’ve stuck with the challenge all month, then you are well on your way to having a new habit that will stick. But it won’t happen all by itself. Planning what comes next is the key to your continued success.
If things haven’t gone as well as you had hoped, day 31 is a great time to begin again. Go back to the first posts on the challenge and recommit to your new habit.
Tune in tomorrow as we begin to celebrate.
What’s your ongoing plan?
This is day 27 of the 30 day challenge.
Thanks to Deb for sharing her role model, an 88 year old woman named Gwendolyn who made a commitment to healthly living in her 50’s. Read Gwendolyn’s inspiring story and see that she’s a leader we can all follow.
Today’s tip:
We’ve almost come to the end of the 30 day challenge. Now is a good time to evaluate your progress.
How successful were you in meeting your goal?
What worked well?
Where did you get stuck or distracted?
What was the key to your success?
Is your new habit beginning to feel like part of your routine?
Take a few minutes to think about how far you’ve come in the past month. Check in with your buddy for some objective feedback.
Be honest with yourself. Did you stick with it or did you let yourself off the hook? Remember evaluation is just a place to pause before you take the next step.
Tune in tomorrow when we plan for what’s next.
Are you further ahead than you were 27 dys ago?
Today is day 26 of the 30 day challenge.
Today’s tip:
Whether it’s an old habit or a new one, one of the keys to success is to recommit to your priorities on a daily basis.
Life has a way of tossing you all kinds of distractions - some wonderful and some not so much. Taking a few minutes at the beginning of each day to refocus and recommit to those things that matter most to you is a great way to give the distractions less power.
Today is the only day you have. Being in a place of conscious choice about how you will spend your time and energy lets you be consistent with your new habits and keeps old habits part of your daily routine.
How can you recommit each day?
List your priorities & commitments at the beginning of the day.
Practice affirmations.
Look at your visual reminders.
Plan ahead and schedule.
Success comes day by day, and sometimes hour by hour. When you make it a habit to recommit to what is at the top of your list, you’ll find that you spend less time reacting to other people’s priorities.
Tune in tomorrow when we’ll check in with how you are doing.
What’s your daily recommitment ritual?
Today is day 24 of the 30 day challenge.
Henry Ford once said:
”If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
What he was trying to say was that your thoughts create your reality. Your self talk plays a huge role in your success in anything you do. Become more aware of your internal talk and shift it to a more positive tone when it slips into negative chatter.
Take time for a reality check.
What reality are you creating for yourself?
What are your predominant thoughts about your new habit and your ability to stick with it?
Are you creating a “Yes I can” reality?
Take a look at the visual reminders you’ve posted. Create a powerful and positive statement that can act as an affirmation. Rely on it when you find the “no I can’t” thoughts start to surface.
Tune in tomorrow to find out about role models.
What reality do you live in?
Today is day 23 of the 30 day challenge.
It’s natural to have a few slips along the way to creating your new habit. You know how it goes: you take an escape hatch and then follow it with an”I don’t wanna” day.
What you want to guard against is letting a little slip in commitment turn into a full blown backslide..
How do you know you’re heading for a backslide?
Well you probably know because your internal chatter about whether you “should or shouldn’t” gets a little louder. If you miss 3 days in a row without a REALLY good reason like illness or family crisis, then you are likely headed straight down hill.
Catch yourself on day 2 of your slip and recommit to getting back to your habit the next day.
Even if you find that you have been backsliding for several days, stop yourself and get back on track. Don’t let your hard work disappear. A backslide of 6 days beats a permanent one every time.
Tune in tomorrow for a reality check.
Are you slipping and sliding?
Today is day 22 of the 30 day challenge.
I’ll bet there have been days in the past 3 weeks when you have thought…
“I don’t wanna do this.”
We all have those days when we just don’t feel like sticking with our new habit - or perhaps even an old habit. It might be a reflection of a very busy day, or too little sleep, or distractions coming from your current worries. It might be that you have taken your eye off your meaningful motive.
So when you have an “I don’t wanna” moment, stop and ask yourself: Is this a good day to use an escape hatch because you need to cut yourself some slack…or
Do you need to require more of yourself?
There’s a cultural trend right now that makes “just ok” seem just fine. In many ways people are setting the bar way too low for themselves. Requiring more of yourself is not about doing more necessarily. It is about holding yourself accountable for your choices on a daily basis.
If you need an escape hatch, take it.
If not, then pull up your socks, suck it up and get to it. You’ll be glad you did.
Tune in tomorrow for slips & slides.
How are you doing?
