Happy New Year! 2008 is going to be great!
I did several media interviews over the holidays about staying on track with your resolutions; offering examples of why we fail and tips to ensure follow through. I’ve received quite a few e-mails (thank you) asking about them so here they are and here’s to your success!
1. Get clear on your goals. Creating success begins with clarity. Stay away from vague goals such as I want to lose weight, I want more balance or I want to get another job. Instead, visualize each goal with as much detail as possible—crystallize what your outcome looks like and the results you’re committed to achieving.
2. Understand why you want to achieve it. Ask yourself, what is the purpose behind my goal? The purpose or meaning for you is where your motivation will come from. This is important because when you face resistance (and you will!), your “why” is what will pull you through and help you persevere. Always choose your goals wisely and remember, the bigger the “why” the greater your chances of success.
3. Have an action plan. We all have good intentions but they alone won’t produce results so make sure you take immediate steps. Don’t just talk about it—act! Take one small step the moment you make your resolution or set your goal. Action builds momentum. There is a funny thing about momentum: when you stop, it stops.
4. Be aware of the words you’re using. Instead of “hoping” or “wishing” or “wanting”, have a sense of certainty when you speak about what you’re planning to accomplish. “I will” or “I must” are words that empower and they also create a sense of urgency, again, improving your chances of follow through.
5. Get rid of the illusion that success can come easy. True success (the inside and out kind) often requires more work that you originally anticipated. Someone with a toned, healthy body doesn’t wake up one morning and say, “wow, how did this happen?” It takes consistent, focused effort to get results and the payoff is always worth it. In my opinion, feeling good about yourself is priceless.
6. Throw away any negative feelings you have associated with hard work. By hard work, I’m not referring to going to a job that you’re not happy in and working hard 12 hours a day. That’s settling and there’s no success in that. An example of the hard work I’m talking about is what it would take to move you from your present job to a career you love and are passionate about. Beyond the financial reward that always follows doing what you love, your new paycheck will include fulfillment as well.
7. Challenge your thinking. Your beliefs and thoughts control your behaviour. The average person has approx 60,000 thoughts a day and unless you make a conscious effort to improve or challenge them, they will be the same as they were the day before and the day before that…you get the idea. If you occupy the same thoughts, you can count on your actions and results being the same as well. One of the first things you can do is wipe out any negative thinking. Never dwell on what isn’t going right—instead, focus on the things you are going to do in life.
8. Leverage your goal. A good way to do that is to use a buddy system—a friend, a family member, a life coach, coworker—someone to follow up with you and hold you accountable. It’s easy to let yourself down, we’ve all done it, but it’s much harder to let someone else down.
Most of us live below our potential and underestimate what we’re truly capable of contributing in this life. Believe in your potential & the possibilities. As the saying goes: believe and you will achieve! It’s important to remember, resolutions are about change and it’s human nature to resist change. Following these strategies will help you through any growing pains, on your way to your best year yet!
And, may I be the first to congratulate you.
Lisa Holba
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
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Posted by Lisa in Uncategorized 
