In almost every year of my adult life, I’ve rung in the New Year with a list of goals I was determined to accomplish. Naturally, there has been a range in the outcomes. Many of us go as far as creating vision boards with timelines to help us stay the course, but for some reason we abandon our goals.
This happens because of a variety of reasons as life sometimes gets in the way and we’re forced to re-prioritize our goals. Other times we just weren’t realistic enough and it shows when reality kicks in and the ‘new year, new me, high dies down.
Its’s December 1st, our social media accounts will be filled with reflection posts and people highlighting how much of their goals they achieved and naturally, if you’re behind on yours, its normal to feel a sense of disappointment and sadness.
Whats important is what you do with those feelings, don’t beat yourself up, as that can push you even further from your goals. Here are some things to do instead:
Re-evaluate
Motivational speaker and author of Fail Proof! Become the Unstoppable You, Alex Weber says it is acceptable to fall short of your workout goals due to illness or poor energy, or to break your healthy eating habits because you were attending parties and/or indulging sometimes. Every day, he says, is a fresh start and a chance to renew your vows to yourself. You can adjust and modify them as necessary, he continues. Decide why something isn’t working for you, then adjust your resolutions accordingly.
Ditch the all or nothing approach
“Progress, not perfection, should be the main goal,” adds Weber. “Be aware that if a setback occurs, it is only a temporary setback that does not define you or your entire trip.” Therefore, don’t give up if you promised to go to the gym five days a week but miss one. Say instead that you’re proud of yourself for making it through four days that week and that life happens. Make a commitment to rearranging your calendar so you can complete your target of five days the following week.
Get back on course
In the book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Steven Covey uses a beautiful analogy. He claims that the majority of the time when we fly to a place, we are off course, heading to the right or left, higher or lower than where we are going. However, the pilot constantly monitors their whereabouts and modifies their trajectory to direct them toward their target. Too frequently, when we wander from our course or fall short of perfection, we use it as an excuse to give up or even provide no effort at all. Give yourself permission and grace to go off course, then adjust your trajectory to your final destination.
Any worthwhile journey will have some setbacks along the way, but you may greatly improve your chances of success by knowing and understanding your ‘why’.
