Okay, it’s mid-January. That means you’ve likely been asked the dreaded question, “Have you made your resolutions for 2024?”
NO, I am not here to tell you WHY you should make resolutions or WHAT they should be. Instead, let’s give some thought to what’s been mulling around in your head recently…gnawing at you….You know, that “should” that keeps popping up that you keep rolling your eye at? It’s likely something you’d like to accomplish or close the loop on, but it keeps being moved to the back burner.
If I told you it’ll only take 3 minutes, would you be willing to give it a go?
Great! Grab a piece of paper and a pen. Yes, I’m old school. Here goes…
There are 3 steps to this:
Think of all the reasons your goal is important to you.
Don’t skip this, because being clear why you want something is a huge part of making sure you have the motivation to see it through.
When life gets crazy, you’ll know for sure which goals mean the most to you and which ones you can let go of.
Once you’re clear on what’s important and why, we’ll get to the meat of the exercise…
Think of all the ways you’re likely to fail.
I know, you’re thinking, “Isn’t she supposed to be motivating?” Hang on, because REALISTIC comes before motivation.
Some part of you is worried that you may not reach your goal(s). That’s why you haven’t committed to them yet.
So, what’s got you so concerned?
List them out!
No matter how simple or silly (because it’s often the small things that can throw us off the worst), just think about all the ways you think you might fail.
Think up a plan for dealing with each of those likely obstacles.
And look, they don’t even have to be perfect plans… just an idea of how you can deal with these situations as they come up.
“I might get busy with work” → plan just one simple thing you can do in five minutes. That’s better than zero.
“I might need more info or help” → figure out ahead of time where you can get that when you need it.
Your plans don’t have to be all that detailed. That’s not the point.
By thinking them through before you’re facing the challenge, you’re giving your mind a bit of a head start to deal with these situations, because challenges will come up, but now you’ll be prepared for them
That’s it! That’s all there is to it.
It sounds simplistic, but this has actually been researched, and it works wonders.
Do yourself a favor and invest a few minutes in giving yourself a shot at reaching your 2024 goals.
You are worth it.
Keep me in the loop – click on this link to share your goals with me.
I want to cheer you on!