Reviewing who we are, in the light of a new year, is as much of a tradition as it is a part of our human existence. How many times have you marked the ending of something and the beginning of another by a certain event in your life? By choosing New Years Day as your starting point, you are continuing a noble tradition passed down throughout the generations. However, if you don’t take the time to prepare, you set yourself up for failure and regret.
The real point behind marking a specific day (like Jan 1st) is to create a milestone, a point upon which you can look back and identify as the beginning of…something. This “something,” usually, has specific importance to your life and can be, appropriately, marked by a specific day.
Stereotypical…yes…but, by making Jan 1st the start of your journey to accomplish your something, you are continuing to hope for a better life. It doesn’t matter how many resolutions you’ve failed to stick to. What’s past is past. Kindling the hope and desire to bring your something into fruition is where real change happens.
To start things off right, here are a few ideas you can use in your pursuit of something.
1. Fully understand why you need to change:
We all have something that we need to change in our lives. But, before we start showing our strength and how white our knuckles can get, we need to understand what needs to be changed and why. If it’s an addiction, understand the effects of that addictions, it’s source, causes and side effects associated with withdrawal. If it’s a specific goal (climbing a mountain, running a marathon, getting more sleep), research your goal, understand what needs to be in place and have an idea of how long it should take.
2. Set reasonable time limits:
When celebrating the New Year, there is a sense of optimism that acts more like a drug than anything else. Although it’
s exciting to romanticize about all the possibilities your future life will bring, if you fail to plan realistic milestones, you WILL run out of steam and, ultimately, fail. Use the knowledge you gained from understanding and plan a workable, measurable and realistic way to achieve it. You know how your life works. You know what you’re capable of. Use that to your advantage through smart planning.
3. Reward yourself:
As you move forward and reach your milestones, be sure to reward yourself. Give each step in your progress its own New Year’s party. It doesn’t have to be much. But, it does have to be something that you look forward to and enjoy. With each reward, you mark the passing of another phase and reinforce your commitment to the next.
4. Find your role models:
We all need people to look up to. Chances are, there is at least, one person who has been through the change you want to see happen. Find that person and learn everything you can. Find out about the hardships, the unexpected consequences and the mindset that that person had to have to get to where you want to be. These people are never perfect. But, they could give you insight into what to expect and help you get through the tough times.
5. Go easy on yourself:
Nothing worth having is easy. You’ll have to work at it….hard. If this is something you’re serious about, you’ll have to be prepared to go toe-to-toe with your weaknesses. Don’t get hung up on your setbacks. Let them happen, understand why they happened, have a plan to get through the next time. Most importantly, get on with your life. Dwelling on how you don’t measure up, is the quickest way to giving up. We all don’t measure up…that’s why we are all trying to change. The faster you can get over your setbacks, the quicker you can get to your goal.
This New Year can be your best yet. As you put these suggestions to use, you’ll start to see yourself grow closer to your goals. Of course, these are just a few pointers. It’s up to you to find the tools that work best for you. The important thing is that you give it your best shot and keep working…no matter how hard it gets.
