It’s almost the end of the January! We’ve arrived, we have turned the corner from the past and into the new. It’s a new chapter, so now what? You are probably thinking of all the things on your to-do list and breaking out in a cold sweat. So many things to do, all the new year resolutions, the plans.. Yes, don’t worry, you’re not alone we’ve all been there. If you are stuck and still wishing that you were lying in bed on the first day of the new year, well it’s time to rise and shine buttercup you have things to do and tasks to complete. I hear this question from so many people, “But how do I start when life has thrown me so many curve balls the last few years?” You just have to change your mindset and say to yourself, “This is my turn, this year will be the best year of my life!” Change your mindset, stick to the plan and you’ll see that your corner of the road has turned into the highway of success. It’s not too late, stay positive and keep reading to find out how.
Here are my tips to create the changes and stick to your plans:
1. Take a deep breath, breathe out slowly
First close your eyes and breathe. Tell yourself, “I’m going to be okay.” No one is going to judge you for your past mistakes and if you are surrounding yourself with negative people that are judging you and calling you a failure, these people don’t deserve your attention! Maybe you have failed many times in your work or relationships, whatever has happened is in the past. Done, finito! It’s over, you cannot change anything now. What you need to do is FOCUS on NOW as in THIS moment you will create your future.
Are you still with me? Great, now forgive yourself and forgive everything and everyone who has hurt you in the past. Just say it to yourself out loud, “ I forgive myself and all the people……..that have hurt me in the past.” Now look in the mirror and say, “ I love myself” Do it now and then keep reading..
2. Decide what you want
If you still don’t know what you want, write a list in your notebook or in a document on your computer. Wherever you feel motivated to look at your notes regularly. Most people fail in their goals because they are trying to achieve too many things and then feel overwhelmed and burnout. If you choose everything, nothing will be completed. Keep it simple and choose ONLY 3 goals that you want to focus on this year AND STICK with the main 3 and become good at those first.
Choosing 3 goals will feel less stressful and can give you a clear direction and help you to stay consistent. If your plan isn’t working by the middle of the year, you can make some changes but stick with your plan for at least 6 months to be able to notice the changes. You don’t have to over think this, you just need to start and remain consistent to see the changes and improve your life.
3. Example of 3 Goals to focus on
I believe the top priority is our health so I always choose wellness as my first goal because if you feel good then you have the energy to create your best life and all good starts flowing naturally.
Find an exercise that you can do to keep your body healthy and schedule 30 minutes daily to improve your body. This is about what you enjoy and makes you feel good, it’s important to maintain your health for your future. Think about getting enough rest and a healthy diet, it’s all part of maintaining your health.
Don’t forget about being grateful and connect to your soul, devote 10 minutes daily to prayer or your faith and give thanks for your blessings in life. This can be a powerful way to keep a positive mindset that’s important to continue moving forward when the world becomes chaotic.
The second goal can be your personal growth, who are you becoming? A quote from Tony Robbins is one of my favourite, “If you are not growing you are dying.” We need to keep learning and growing for our personal and professional development. Get out of your comfort zone and decide what will make you happy. If you are stuck in a boring job, start to think of a goal to move forward. If you want to start your own side hustle, schedule time each week to move forward or do your research on how to be successful in your chosen field. Don’t try and do everything at once, CHOOSE ONE thing for your growth and schedule time every week to work on the plan. Become obsessed at growing and winning and track your results every month on a document to see your progress. If you are not seeing results right away, be patient as it can take several months to notice the changes.
The third goal can be financial stability and tracking where you are spending your hard earned money. Set a goal to pay off credit card debt or any loans that are draining your earnings every month. Clear credit card debt as soon as possible as this can have high interest rates and is an extra expense. Cut out any additional expenses and then look at ways to build an emergency fund of at least 6 months living expenses so you can pay your bills and feel comfortable incase of unexpected changes in life. Then, look at ways to start investing as much as you can afford every month. If you are not saving, look at ways you can create additional income.
4. Monthly action tasks for your goals
It’s your choice what goals you choose. It all depends on what you want to achieve so focus on what is important to you. These are just examples to help you start thinking about your dreams. What do you think about in those quiet moments when you are alone? Your soul is always speaking, listen and you will know what you want.
So when you have decided on your 3 goals, the next stage is how to structure your schedule to achieve your goals. Everyone has 24 hours in a day but it’s what you do with your time that matters.
Allow yourself time for relaxation and self-care as burnout before you achieve your goals is not a good place to be. If you choose a fitness goal, you might want to focus on running 5K by the middle of the year.
Schedule half an hour 3 times a week and gradually increase your time and speed every week. Remember that consistency is what will move you forward with your goals.
You don’t have to be perfect as sometimes you might miss a day but you only fail if you stop, so keep going and you can win.
The second example is to choose a personal growth goal. If you continue learning you have a positive mindset then everything else can start improving.
If you want to change your career and don’t know where to start, set your goal when you want to have the new job and start researching new companies. Update your CV and schedule time to send it to at least 3 companies every week. Focus on quality rather than quantity and keep track of your progress and responses.
The third example is to control your spending and pay off debts. Set your financial goal and work out how much money you need to pay every month. Work out a budget and stick to it for the next 6 months and at the end of 6 months review what worked or didn’t work so you can adjust your plan or budget.
The idea is to keep moving forward and keep your plan simple once you know what you want. The mind is designed to focus on one thing at a time so choose the tasks that will move you closer to achieving those 3 goals for the year. This helps you to avoid mental clutter and overload so you don’t overcomplicate your life.
5. Review and adjust what’s not working
Spend half an hour at the end of every week to set 3-5 tasks for the new week to keep moving forward to support your 3 goals. You can review your progress and adjust what’s not working. If you’re not where you want to be with completing your tasks and you feel that you are falling behind, don’t panic! Adjust your tasks and see if there are any changes you can make to your schedule. Remember, it’s the small steps forward that will make the difference. Sometimes you will fall behind and that’s okay, just keep moving forward. You don’t need to be perfect all the time, you just need to be consistent as much as you can. Be kind to yourself and don’t forget to schedule time for self-care in your health goal.
You don’t need the stress of trying to accomplish 30 goals and burn out because then you won’t accomplish anything. Choose 3 goals, the areas of your life that you want to improve and transform your life.
NOW IT’S OVER TO YOU! LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IN THE COMMENTS?