Are you feeling the pressure or the itch to set goals for yourself? The new year brings a sense of renewed commitment and refreshment of self. However, most people forget about their goals before they are even finished setting them. This year check your goals for these three pitfalls to make sure you don’t fall off the wagon.
You Don’t Put Your Goal into Words
If you only have some vague idea in the back of your mind, like I’d like to lose x pounds this year or learn this language but don’t ever vocalize it, it’s unlikely to come true.
You need to not only write it down and put it somewhere (like a sticky note on a bathroom mirror or computer) where you see it DAILY. You also should tell someone about your goals. The more people you tell, the more committed you will be to the goal if nothing else to save face.
You Don’t Have A Plan
If January 1st is here and you have a goal, but no plan, you have nothing. You can say you want to learn to horseback ride or play an instrument or whatever, but with no plan, it’s as good as not going to happen.
Make a timeline and plan for how you are going to achieve your new year’s resolution. Do you need to sign up for lessons? Hire a coach? Read a new book? Whatever it is, the first step is to figure out how you are going to make your resolution become a reality. Don’t just say you’re not going to eat carbs either, that’s unrealistic.
You Aren’t Realistic
You assume everything in your life is going to be perfect when executing out this plan. For example, you say are never going to eat carbs or sugar, except for your birthday and at that concert this Wednesday and on the weekends… It’s already unrealistic.
Rather than assume everything is going to go smoothly, think everything is going to be up against you and plan for those things. So instead you could say, I’m going to eat mostly protein and produce at my main meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), then 1-2 days a week I’ll allow myself something special such as sugar or alcohol but not both, and only as long as I exercise that day. That’s more realistic.
Now put it all into practice and set yourself up for success.
Here is an example:
I want to lose weight this year. I will lose x pounds by x date, (insert name) will keep me accountable. To do this I’m going to (insert plan like hire a personal trainer/nutrition coach/buy a book etc.), meal prep my meals once per week on Sundays at 10 am and focus on protein and produce at meals. I will limit sugar and alcohol to 1-2 days per week on the days that I work out.