We are in the first week of the first month of 2022 and I am sure many of us out there would have made some New Year Resolutions! The most common resolutions often revolve around “Losing weight and getting fit”, “Quitting smoking”, “Learning something new” or “Traveling to new places”. The question is – are we working on it and what’s our game plan? The desire to change something about yourself happens year after year. While intentions are good, most of us seldom end up fulfilling the resolutions we’ve set. A recent article by Forbes magazine said that only 8% of the people actually achieve their New Year Goals.
Why Is It So Hard To Stick To New Year Goals?
Why do so many people fail at goal setting? What is it about those few who manage to get it right and achieve their goals? There are many answers to the why’s and how’s. New Year goal setting is just seen as an opportunity to dish out our large bucket lists of all that we wanted to achieve through the year and could not. It’s an attempt to tell yourself that this year will definitely be better than the last.
This enthusiasm continues in the first week of the New Year. Then gradually as days and months pass, the interest in achieving these goals fades away. The human mind always finds excuses to stick to set goals set or loses interest mid-way, with little room for introspection. But fear not! We will list 6 ways you can stay on track with your New Year Goals!
6 Ways To Track & Achieve Your New Year Goals
- Create a Q&A: If you have decided to resolve a habit, prepare some questions that you can ask yourself at timely intervals. This really helps you boost your enthusiasm and keep a check on your progress. Analyze your life. Is there anything you want to change or improve? All answers start with questions, so be ready to create your list. Ask who, what and how: Who do I want to become? What can I improve? How can I change? Give yourself plenty of time — anywhere from a few hours to several days.
- The Devil Is In The Details: Now as you have your list ready, it’s time to check and analyze it, so that you stick to your routine and check the progress. This will help you to carry out your resolution by the end of the year. For instance, if your goal is to lose 10kg by the end of this month, always keep a record and check at the end of every month how much of your goal you have achieved. This detailed data will help you to reach your goal and definitely works as a roadmap to success!
- Gaze Into The Future: Now that you have your New Year roadmap in hand, it’s time to create some emotional attachment with your New Year goals. This really makes your journey enjoyable because it links you to your imagination. You have to visualize how you are feeling after achieving your goals. For instance, if a person’s goal is to lose 10kg, that person should start visualizing themselves in their ideal weight. This in turn will motivate them to achieve their goal. The more senses you engage, the better. This is your future self — get excited!
- Eating Elephants: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! We always have to break our goals into small portions to achieve them. It helps us accomplish our goals on time. For instance, if you have to run 10km – your mind starts thinking it’s a huge distance which you have to cover, and you lose your motivation. But, if you break this down and say that you have to complete 1km 10 times, it will become very easy to achieve your target.
- Reward Yourself: As humans, we either need bribes or rewards to stay motivated. Reward yourself every time you reach a milestone closer to your goal. It motivates you further. For instance, if you are planning to run 10km and you have already broken your target to 1km 10 times, start rewarding yourself after every 1km – by walking 100 meters. This will give you some rest and your body will be energized to run another 1km. You can also set a grand reward like maybe giving yourself a dream, outstation vacation after you have achieved your main goal.
- Socializing: When you commit something in front of people, you’re always a little more motivated to achieve that goal. What you can do is publish your goals on your social channels and tell your friends about it. Go an extra mile and update your result in a timely manner as well. It will help you stick to your routine and achieve your goals!
And that’s it! A simple 6 step process to help you achieve your New Year Goals! We hope this article helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more on goal setting and achieving them, check out Healthy Reads.
If you have trouble sticking to your resolutions, take help from a GOQii Coach who will guide, motivate and help you achieve your goals! Subscribe for GOQii’s personalized health coaching to get started now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr
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As a lifestyle coach, I often hear people complain about how they have been working on their health goals, but not getting anywhere. Most times, they aren’t able to achieve that “perfect target” is because they are either confused about the target they want to set or don’t know how to plan a strategy to achieve that goal. The simple solution is to plan SMART goals.
