RESOLUTION with an accent

 Do you have a New Year Resolution? 

How do you plan on achieving it?

 The beginning of a New Year brings an energetic commitment to setting goals AKA ‘New Years’ Resolution’.  And we have all heard of people sharing their goals with good intentions!

 Personally I have spoken of my New Year Resolution many times in the past only to fall short leaving me to feel disappointed and flat!  Maybe you can relate?   Since working in the field of Kinesiology where I have been privileged to support the health of many clients I have witnessed that there is far more behind the scenes to setting a goal or a ‘New Year Resolution’.

 In short, the brain ‘measures’ the difficulty of the intended goal regardless of intention.  This level of difficulty can be overwhelming and stressful.  In large the success of these goals lay deeply in the willpower and approach, not the goal itself!

 So I encourage you to give thought to what you would like to achieve in 2015.   However I urge you to pick only ONE!  It can take up to a year to change a habit and to improve the likely success it would be helpful to plan for success!

Here are some easy steps to follow:

(Feel free to print each step out on its own piece of paper to use as a guide)

 Step 1:

On a piece of paper or note book, jot down areas you would like to improve, change or achieve.  Put this away somewhere for a day.

 Step 2:

Review the topics you noted yesterday and prepare to be completely honest and truthful with yourself.  Nobody lives in your shoes; you have nothing to prove to anyone else but to support yourself the best way you know how.  Now with this in mind, pick ONE goal! Yes that’s right, just one.

 Step 3:

At the top of a new page write your goal.  Beneath your goal write down (dot point is useful) how you would feel when you achieve this goal.  You can add to this at any point but it is really helpful to write down some points now.

 Step 4:

Now beneath this write what steps you can take.  The idea here is to really simplify it; break the goal down into sections and again even further.  The goal as a ‘whole’ is often far too difficult to achieve and many fail in their attempts.  It will really help to divide the bigger picture into section!

 Step 5:

Here is where you write about your available resources in order to support you achieve the sections you have already noted.  Go ahead now and write who can support you e.g. family, friends, books, timetable, diary, professionals etc.

 Step 6:

Ok, so you have made some notes on who can help and support you!  Now it’s time to get ‘up close and personal’ with your goal…….  This may make you feel uncomfortable because now you are going to challenge yourself and prove to yourself that the honesty you shared was worth it.  Hello – ACCOUNTABILITY!

 This is where your resources really help.  This will also challenge your true willingness to make changes.  Call in your support crew – who ever or whatever this looks like for you.  Whether you share your intentions with family or friends or even write it in a diary you are planning to follow through.  This is why it is really important to divide the ‘goal’ into smaller pieces.

 Step 7:

Give yourself time to achieve each ‘piece’.  Take the pressure of, cut yourself some slack.  Allow and accept that each piece will take its own amount of time to achieve – whatever that is.  Less pressure more success.

 Step 8:

Celebrate!  This may sound foreign to some but it is a really important stage to the process.  You are worth celebrating and nurturing.  Let me put it this way.  If you feel joyful when helping and giving to others why wouldn’t you also give to yourself?  These ‘celebrations’ can be as simple as sitting in the garden enjoying a cup of tea, talking a walk by the river or sharing your achievement with a friend over lunch.  The rewards are so satisfying.  All the while you can quietly think to yourself ‘I did it’.

 My HOT TIP!

 After dividing your goal, allow the ‘piece’ to become your new goal and focus solely on this section until you achieve it.  Then continue with the next section.

 In essence the reason for setting a goal is to feel good about yourself.  I want you to feel better about yourself too.  Therefore I encourage you to set achievable targets.  Surround yourself with supportive people.  Seek professional support to increase your chances of success.

 A diary can be a useful tool in this process.  Not dissimilar to the Essential Health Journal developed only a year ago.  This has been a very useful tool for clients as they can review their journey and recognise they have achieved so much.

 As always I am happy to provide you with support.  Wishing you a successful 2015!

 xo Rosetta