A happy new year to you!
Since this is the very first video for 2016, and we’re already in the middle of January, I thought I’d talk about what to do if you have already fallen off the wagon of your New Year’s goals.
You might have started January off with the best of intentions, with big goals and high hopes for the new year. Then sometime in January, you might have fallen off course, got totally side tracked, or forgotten your goals completely.
I know this happens to me (regularly), and in the past I would be really hard on myself. I would feel like I ruined everything because I couldn’t stick to my plan. Sometimes I would give up completely, other times I would even sabotage myself because I wasn’t able to stick to my goals the way I wanted to.
Being hard on yourself and feeling guilty will never get you anywhere. If you can relate, you might even agree that being so hard on yourself can lead to self sabotage, it kills your self esteem, and can be quite paralysizing, right?
So instead, I suggest letting go of the guilt trip, and ask yourself “what happened?” I do this same exercise all the time with my coaching clients who are struggling with sticking to their goals – we look at what’s working and what’s not.
Here’s what to do if you have fallen off your new year’s goals.
1- Stop blaming yourself. Stop the guilt trip. Stop being hard on yourself. It will get you no where.
2- Ask yourself:
- What happened?
- What’s working?
- What’s not working?
- Is there something that you need to change?
- Are you organized and prepared?
- Do you have a clear action plan?
- Do you like this goal, is this really what you want to do?
- How can you make the goal funner or more enjoyable to achieve?
- How can you make achieving your goal easier?
- Is there anyone you can ask to join you or support you in reaching your goal?
What you’re struggling with can actually help you reach your goals.
Once you’ve moved away from being hard on yourself, and start looking into what is happening, why you have fallen off your plan, and what’s working and what’s not – you can get some incredible insight on what you need to do to actually reach your goal.
Too often I see people failing at reaching their goals not because they couldn’t do it, but because they didn’t plan or organize themselves properly, or their plan didn’t suit them or their lifestyle, or they were too hard on themselves because they couldn’t follow their plan perfectly the way they wanted to.
When you’re struggling with doing something you want to be doing – you need to ask yourself why, and be honest with yourself.
For example, let’s say your goal for the new year was to tone up your body, build some muscle, and get super fit. You went to the gym a couple of times at the beginning of January, but by mid January your goal has long been forgotten. Instead of knocking yourself down about it or giving up completely, ask yourself what’s holding you back, what’s getting in the way of you working out? Is it because the exercise you’re doing is too hard or you don’t like it? Have you planned your workouts at times that is easy to do? Do you lack motivation? Are you too tired to workout? What is it?
Or another example, let’s say your goal for 2016 is to lose weight. You’ve chosen a diet you want to follow but you just can’t seem to stick with it. This is a great time to look at the diet and what’s working for you and what’s not. Ask yourself what made you fall off the diet in the first place? Were you eating enough? Did you like the food? Do you have enough recipes to choose from? Is the diet too restrictive? Are you organized with your groceries and preparing the foods? How are you handling your day to day life, and stresses in relationship to the change of diet? Do you feel supported with your change of diet? How can you make losing weight easier for yourself? What do you enjoy doing to lose weight?
Focus on how to make it work for you
What I see with people who set out to achieve a goal, and succeed – they are always adjusting and modifying their plan according to what is working, and what is not working.
They aren’t forcing themselves to follow a strict, regimented plan they have a hard time following, and hoping for the best.
They’re always checking in with themselves – monitoring their progress, successes, challenges, and set backs, and making the necessary modifications and changes.
Reaching your goals may not always be easy, but it doesn’t have to be torture either. I find the more you try to make it enjoyable, and focus on the things you’re good at – the journey is a lot more smoother, and what you can learn about yourself can be applied to other things you want to achieve.
What’s your goals for 2016 and what are you doing to achieve them? I would love to hear from you (post your goals in the comments below).
For more on sticking to your new years goals, or starting over again, watch today’s video below.
Want to reach your goals? Need focus, direction, and accountability? Make an appointment for telephone coaching with Natasha. Together we will fast track your success, and get you the results you want. Click here for more information.
