1.
Befriend motivation.
To accomplish any goal, it takes some motivation on
your part.
As I’m sure you know, sometimes it is tough to feel
motivated to keep working toward a goal. You might lose two pounds and be
eating great for a while, but then the motivation wanes and before you know it,
you’re back to your unhealthy eating habits.
Or maybe you’ve been feeling lonely and would like
some new friends. You might attend a community gathering once or twice, and
then get right back to hibernating at home.
You simply lose steam.
To keep your motivation levels high, there are
several things that you can do.
The first thing to do is to write your New Year’s
resolutions down on a piece of paper and then put that list in a place that you
will see frequently.
Put it on the fridge, on your bathroom mirror, at
the office, or on your dashboard.
You can even have your Echo or Alexa device remind
you of your list every day.
The key is to see (or hear) your goals each day so
that you don’t forget what your resolutions are.
This helps you to stay motivated.
The second thing you can do is to listen to or read
motivational audio that will keep you inspired and encouraged to keep moving
forward toward your goals.
There are plenty of motivational speakers and
authors that gladly share tips and tricks to get you where you want to
go. You can also start
following our Daily Motivation YouTube channel, where we post
motivational videos every week.
2. Ignore those negative thoughts.
One thing that keeps people from accomplishing
goals are their thoughts.
Your thoughts matter, as thoughts influence your
emotions, attitude, and behavior. If you are
thinking predominantly negative thoughts, chances are your attitude and
behaviors are affected. This decreases your chances of accomplishing your
goals.
The good news is you can train your brain to become
more positive.
Positive affirmations are a great start. I
encourage you to make a list of positive affirmations or
statements about yourself and your goals. Say these affirmations out loud as
often as you can, as they will help your thoughts go from negative to positive.
As you speak them, try to feel the emotions
associated with them too. Feel empowered, joyful, excited, courageous,
etc.
3. Nothing changes if nothing changes.
If you want the New Year to be different,
understand the phrase:
“Nothing changes if nothing changes.”
What this means is that you have got to make the
effort to make some changes in order to accomplish your goals.
For example, let’s say you want to save $5,000 next
year in your savings account. This might not be the first time you’ve made a
resolution to save money, but at the end of the year you end up with no money
in savings.
Why?
Not enough changes were made in your life. Good
intentions and even writing down a goal will not bring about change. Sit down
and figure out what needs to change.
- Do you
spend too much money on things you don’t really need?
- Do you
give away money you don’t have to?
- Do you
impulse shop?
- Have you
slacked on your work hours?
- Could
you put more hours in?
- Get a
second job?
Really make the effort to make some changes,
because the reality is that “nothing changes if nothing changes.”
4. Set realistic goals.
Do your best to set realistic goals.
If you set goals that are unrealistic, you’ll
become frustrated and give up. If you’re
not sure if your goals are realistic, perhaps you can ask a friend or family
member for their input. Just be sure they are positive people, rather than
“Negative Nellies”.
Set milestones if you desire. For example, if you
want to attend college and get a degree, set a milestone for the steps toward
attaining that degree.
- Apply to
the college
- Fill out
financial aid forms
- Talk
with student advisor
- Enroll
in the first semester
- Etc.
There’s no time like right now to get started on
attaining your goals.
It is the perfect time of year to set your New
Year’s resolutions. Sit down and create a short-term and long-term goal list
and create an action plan to accomplish the goals. Take your time as you really
mull over the areas of your life you want to change and new goals you’d like to
accomplish.
Then place that list in a spot that you will see
frequently.
You can accomplish your goals step by step as you
keep yourself motivated and celebrate your progression along the way.
And don’t forget to enjoy your journey.
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