Did you make any new year’s resolutions this year? Are you taking consistent action towards achieving your goals? Are you moving towards success?
The start of a year is often the time that we engage in a little self-reflection, we allow ourselves to become introspective, we become enthused by the prospect of a fresh start and we start to envision a better version of ourselves and a better vision of our life.
January is the month that new goals are set, promises are made, and resolutions are announced.
It is a time when we feel determined, optimistic and spurred on by the prospect of making this year better than the last one. We get swept up in the momentum of this tradition and the collective consciousness of knowing that almost everyone else is also about to undergo a metamorphosis, spread their wings and fly into the new year with new prospects and an improved life.
It is a time for positivity, for dreaming big and for kicking our asses into gear. Whether we motivate ourselves by quiet determination and internal pep talks, enthusiastic cheerleading or stern cajoling, we find some way to take those first few steps whether they be tentative, confident or downright cocky. We make our best laid plans and put our best foot forward with the sincerest intentions.
We start as we mean to go on and forge ahead. We feel pleased with our first steps, proud of showing up and starting the journey, happy to be hot-footing it on the path to success.
Yet how long does this momentum last before we start to slow down, before we break for a pit stop, take one step forwards and two steps back? Is it a day, week, month a few months? How long before we eventually brush that goal to the side because we have hit a hurdle, have lost steam or let excuses get the better of us? And so despite the ever present wish to follow through we let ourselves step off the track and wave goodbye as our dreams pass us by.
The truth is that finding the inspiration to conjure up a resolution is easy-we think we know what we want and need from life; taking a first step is often simple enough- we have a good idea of where we can start the journey; but finding the courage, resilience and motivation to overcome the obstacles, rally against setbacks and take consistent positive action is where we often fall short of the finishing line.
Therefore, so many of us fail to follow through and achieve our goals. It is no surprise when we also consider that our aspirations (though seemingly appropriate for us) often do not reflect our true selves. Our resolutions are often not defined well enough and our process of goal setting is not nearly as detailed and deep as it needs to be. And so, our true motivation and drive is often left unexplored meaning that the greatest source of fuel that could power our journey to success is left untapped.
So, we start our journey to success pursuing goals that do not reflect our true selves, that are not clearly defined or well planned and we lack the motivation and drive to carry out and achieve. If you have ever found yourself abandoning a goal a few days, weeks or months after its inception then this same fate will have befallen you and likely for the same reasons.
So, what can you do to remedy this lack of follow-through and lack of success? Well you can start to practise the craft of goal setting. This can be one of the most powerful factors in achieving your goals, it deserves some time, ample consideration and a fair amount of self-awareness and reflection. In order to move forward you must first look back and in order to find motivation you must dig deep and be prepared to access your emotions and imagination.
There are several simple, yet vital steps that need to be taken in order to maximise your potential for success and once you have mastered them you will find that setting appropriate goals and achieving them becomes second nature. You will be able to:
Choose goals that are more aligned with your true self
Define your goals with manageable steps that build towards success
Access your deep drive and motivation
Make yourself accountable for your actions
Make reflection and reward a part of the process
I cover these steps and many more in my ‘Achieve Your Goals’ online course. So, if you are fed up of not making the progress you desire and would like to harness the power to achieve your goals then explore the course and learn the craft of goal setting. It will change the way that you make set goals, create a plan of action and increase your potential for success. Make this the year that you do what you set out to do, achieve your goals!