With about 8 weeks left in 2015, have you thought about the resolutions you made in the beginning of this year? Did you work on those resolutions? Or have the goals you once were so excited about been pushed aside, and forgotten, due to competing priorities? Listen, don’t beat yourself up, we all have numerous responsibilities, so it’s understandable and life does happen.
Did you know only 8% of people stick to their resolutions and see it through each year? That sounds a bit daunting, doesn’t it?
Even though the stats above reveal people do not stick to their resolutions, it’s definitely not too late for you to get started on what you’ve hoped to achieve. Whether it’s traveling, increasing healthy habits, growing spiritually; connecting to a career you love; improving family and personal relationships; or even leaving some not so great habits and relationships behind; no worries, you don’t have to wait until January 2016 to try again, you can begin working on it NOW.
Why don’t you take a look at one of your resolutions and even if you never made one, think about one goal you truly wanted to work on this year, but just didn’t have a chance to get to it.
Now look below at 4 ways to help you take action on those forgotten goals:
Write it Down…. Make it Clear: There’s a scripture that says “Write the vision down make it plain…… For still the vision awaits its appointed time……If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. (Habakkuk 2:2-3).
When it comes to our goals and dreams, it’s a helpful practice to move them from thought to paper. If you only think about it, then it will only remain a thought, but look at writing it down and posting it up as a visual reminder of where you desire to be. Once your goal is written, it seems to take wings and the fulfilment of it is sure to happen under the right conditions at the appointed time. You’ll also notice people and circumstances gravitating towards you to help your vision become a reality.
What’s Your Motivation?: In order to achieve something, you want, there has to be an authentic connection to the goal. Thinking about your values help you to understand the core of who you are. When goals are aligned with your values, you’re more likely to work harder and stick to them. Take time to ask yourself these questions – “What is motivating me towards achieving a particular goal?” “Why is this goal so important to me?” Be honest in your answers and you’ll develop a better understanding of why you are pursuing those things.
Break It Down: When goals are vague, your responses to them will also be vague. For example, your goal may be to declutter your home. Great! So what does that look like? Where are you going to start? It all can’t be done in one day.
Think about what room you want to begin in as a starting point and now break the goal down into even smaller action steps. Maybe pick a day to sort out clothes to pack up for goodwill or plan a garage sale. Going forward, remember to take your bigger goals and break them down into bite sized goals. Breaking your goals down will help you feel less overwhelmed and in no time you would’ve reached your larger goal!
Make a Commitment: Think about it, we unconsciously commit to telling ourselves why we can’t do something or why it won’t work. Try a new thing and commit to getting started with the change you want to see in your life. The hardest part of pulling off change is getting started, keeping your motivation and following through consistently. Set a daily or weekly schedule with specific times you will focus on your goal. Put it in your phone’s calendar as a reminder or get a friend to help you be accountable.
Coaching Corner:
- Review the four steps in this post.
- Think about what resonates most with you.
- Pick out one goal you’ve wanted to work on this year and think about how it would feel to actually get started on this goal.
- Also, ask yourself, “What, specifically, will I do to get moving towards this goal and when will I start?
Remember, all is not lost, but it’s actually beginning for you! Leave your comments at the bottom of the pageor feel free to email me at info@raphaelabrowne.com . I love hearing from you!
As always…. Greatness Awaits
Raphaela
My ultimate goal is to empower professional women to lead a life using their God-given gifts, develop their unique leadership skills and equipping them with the tools to do so.