How to Make 2018 Your Year
Do you want to make 2018 YOUR year? Is 2018 the year you’re going to take steps towards building the life of your dreams?
I want to help you get there because I know it’s possible. But here’s the thing: possible and easy aren’t the same thing.
Is it possible to pursue those projects you’ve been putting off? Yes.
Is it possible to start that diet you’ve been meaning to try? Yes.
Is it easy? HELL NO.
Here’s what’s easy:
- It’s easy to start off the year with ambition.
- It’s easy to start January off with a bang.
It’s easy because you’re not alone.
In January, you’ve got a whole slew of people (in your family, office, and community at large) that are working on themselves. It’s easy to do the work because you’re motivated by seeing others do it too.
It’s a lot harder to keep that ambition strong throughout the other 11 months of the year.
As soon as you see others give in to their cheat days, it’s easier to let yourself slip.
The steps to take to make it YOUR Year
It’s not easy to stay motivated throughout the year, but it’s necessary if you’re going to see the results you seek.
Once the high of New Years Resolutions wears off, it’s easy to fall back into our routines.
I’m here to help you stay motivated. I want to keep you chugging along on your goals all year long.
Here are the best ways I’ve found to keep the motivation and energy high throughout the year
- Tell a friend: When you tell others your goals, you make them more real. It’s a lot harder to give up when you’ve got that social accountability. Pick a friend that you trust and share your biggest goal for 2018 with them. Write it down on a piece of paper that you give to your friend and ask them to check in with you on a daily, weekly or monthly basis to see how you’re doing. The key: pick someone that is reliable. You need an accountability buddy that is the OPPOSITE of flakey. You need someone that’s going to ride your ass (with love, of course) to keep going. Be it a diet or a commitment to blogging, your buddy will help you stay committed when the fun stops.
- Celebrate the small wins: As you work towards your goal, you’ve gotta enjoy the little wins! These small wins help you stay motivated and committed to doing the work. Keep a notebook or a folder in your phone for photos that you can use to capture the progress you make every day, week and month. Maybe you’re trying to lose 20lbs; celebrate over a glass of wine or a movie when you hit the 5lb mark! The key: pick celebratory activities that don’t derail you from your goal. For instance, if your goal is to lose 20lbs, you shouldn’t celebrate the 5lb mark with a piece of cake.
- Forgive yourself: Remember that you’re human. You’re going to slip up, and that’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up when the inevitable slip-ups happen because that’s the easiest way to kill your momentum and motivation. Did you go a little crazy on your cheat day? Start fresh the day after. Did you forget to publish a blog yesterday? Write a short one today! When you forgive yourself for the hiccups that happen (believe me, they’ll happen) you keep yourself feeling proud and positive. Positivity is a much healthier mindset to work with when trying new things. The key: don’t beat yourself up when you slip up. Remind yourself that you’re human, you’re doing your best, and tomorrow is a brand new day to kick ass.
- Document the process: Write down your process for the work you do to get towards your goal. Are you doing something different each month? Do you have a daily or weekly routine that you abide by? Document the process so that you can analyze it, learn from it and share it with others if it works! You can’t analyze what you don’t document, so the documentation part is critical to determining whether this is a plan that really works for you. When you write down the process and reflect on the actions taken, you start to learn a lot about yourself. The key: write down when you take a new approach; especially when it works! This way, you can look back on this year and use these activities as insight for your next challenge!
When you tell a friend, celebrate the small wins, forgive yourself for being human and document the process, you make your goals meatier.
You involve others for support and accountability, you celebrate yourself for the steps you’ve taken and you allow yourself to keep moving forward despite the inevitable hiccups that will happen.
What do you think? How do you approach goal setting?
Share your thoughts and tactics in the comments below and help me in making 2018 YOUR YEAR!