It is said that 80% of people quit their New Year's resolutions by January 10th, the infamous "Quitter's Day". Is that you? How are you doing with your goals this year? If you're like us, and many other black sheep, you rebel against the norms and expectations by starting your new year goals in February. We really like this approach because it gives us the month of January to take stock of where we are, reminisce on the growth and victories of the previous year, and clearly lay out smart goals for the future.
However, if goal setting and resolutions are a sensitive topic for you full of shame and defeat, hold up...we see you, we've been you, and it sucks. The shame cycle is viscous, quite deadly actually but we believe in "no sheep left behind". We're going to walk you through some simple steps to ensure that you find success.
It's very possible that most people don't have the will-power to simply write down a goal and just do it. Many can and we applaude you. However, that isn't us. There are a million reasons why a person struggles to achieve a goal...well, let's rephrase that. There are a million excuses and often they feel fiercely valid. We blame our trauma, influences, family, generational addiction, the list can go on and on. There are some really painful, emotional reasons why we don't hit our goals. We don't minimize that and we understand that there is a healing process. We've been there too, but when the healing is done it's time for the next steps. Our past fuels our future! How long do you want to let your past pain, your feelings, and unhealthy habits run the show? You will NEVER be victorious if that is how you make your life choices. So let's dig in. We want victory for you!
Identify.
Self-reflection is wicked hard. That is why we take a month to reflect and plan. This process can be massively rewarding if we approach it with positivity and gratitude. Spending time in meditation and reflection can be what literally fuels our next steps and launches us into our goals with confidence. This might seem crazy if you tend to self-hate, but here's why it works. As we identify, we are looking for areas of improvement, BUT ALSO, and MORE IMPORTANTLY, we are looking for areas where we succeeded. What are the areas in last year's journey where you can say, "Wow, I completely nailed that!"? Here's the key...start with the positives, the accomplishments that you are proud of. Write them down and celebrate. To skip this crucially important celebration step is to abuse the future you. Many of you have experienced what it feels like to be constantly berated, yelled at, told that you can't do anything right...it sucks. Let's not do that internally. Let's praise the little things as we heal the soul and look toward the future with hope.
Set SMART goals
Maybe you've heard of this acronym before but it's proven and simple. Once you've celebrated the wins, and identified your areas of improvement, you're going to set a goal to bring your weaknesses into balance. Once you pick your goal, run it through this process to discover if it is indeed a smart goal.
S - Is it SPECIFIC? Have you clearly defined and detailed what you want to achieve?
M - Is it MEASUREABLE? Do you have a way to track your progress?
A - Is it ACHIEVEABLE? Is this goal challenging and within your capabilities?
R - Is it RELEVANT? Does this goal align with your big scale, life goals?
T - Is it TIME-BOUND? Does this goal have a target date for completion?
Get PRESENT in your future
It is an incredible experience to visualize your future self AFTER you have accomplished the goal you just set. Can you imagine what it would feel like? Close your eyes, take a deep breath. Get still. What will you see, hear, and feel when you've "arrived" on the other side of that goal victorious? This is where the power is. Visualization helps us fully experience the future victory before we even take our first step which adds even more value to the mundane and simple tasks required of us to accomplish it. We encourage you to daily visualize in this way as a reminder of what you are fighting for. We can't wait to hear how you are experiencing breakthroughs and accomplishing those SMART goals.
Look out world...the rise of the quitters is coming. Black sheep unite!
If you want an in-depth, in-person, breakthrough experience, JOIN US at our upcoming February event. Details will be shared soon. Click the link below and fill out the form for more information.
If you want more guidance in this practice, connect with a freedom coach. It's free to chat with us, let us help you take your next steps.
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