03 Jan Break the cycle and finally crush your new year’s resolutions
Every year millions of people set New Year’s resolutions hoping that the new year will bring them a healthier body, a higher paying job, a lasting and loving relationship or overall a better life.
However when we look at the numbers we see that most people fail – not just a little, but they fail hard and extremely fast. Because after 2 weeks 96% will have failed their New Year’s resolutions… By the time we enter February, this number goes up to 98%.
This means that only 2% will actually reach their goals!
This small group of people is often looked at like they are extremely special. Like they have some rare amazing genes or unshakable discipline and conviction. But that just isn’t true. Anyone can reach and sustain their goals and I’ll show you exactly how to get started today.
To make your New Year’s resolutions a reality you will need 2 things. First of all, you need a solid plan for your SMART goals. Now, I’m not going into the details of what SMART goals are, since you can easily find that anywhere online and if SMART goals were the answer everybody would have achieved their resolutions by now and this post would be useless.
What I am going to go over with you is the second part of the formula, reflection or accountability. Something or someone to keep you on track or adjust your course when you have gone off track. Study has shown that High Performers reflect more often than average performers. Anyone can book a short term success, but very few can sustain or even improve on their initial results. As a result of this inconsistency they fall back to their default setting – or worse – and get more and more frustrated every time they try to reach their goals.
In order to create sustainable results you will have to reflect and adjust often. But for now let’s just take a look at last year and ask yourself these questions:
- Are you happy with the results of last year? Why or why not?
- What worked well?
- What did not work out as planned?
Really get into the details here. The deeper we go into these questions, the more clarity and thus chance of success we can create. As for question 2 and 3 focus on facts, not feelings. If you don’t have any numbers or facts… that’s a sign!
Now that we have the basics covered, let’s dive even a bit deeper – This is going to be tough, but I need you to be brutally honest with yourself.
- What were some challenges you had last year and how were you responsible for them?
- Are there any ongoing challenges at the moment? Why haven’t you dealt with it yet?
- What will you do today to start the process of getting them solved?
We can’t focus on the future when the past keeps pulling us back. So solve those first before you worry about your future goals.
When you have dealt with those inconveniences it’s time to look and prepare for the future.
- Write down your SMART goal and more importantly your why. Why is this important and why is this something that needs to happen now?
- What can get in the way of you reaching your goal? How will you overcome the challenges that will show up?
- How will you know that you are on track? Who will keep you accountable?
And finally the last question:
- What will you put on the line?
This last one might seem a bit much, but after years of coaching people to High Performance I can guarantee you that people don’t do what they want. They do what they must! And if there is something on the line, it has the power to transform a want into a must. But more on that later. For now, take your time and answer these 10 questions as detailed as possible. Get someone to hold you accountable and show integrity by keeping true to your word. If you do that, I guarantee you will succeed this year and you will be able to keep improving year after year.
If you feel like you need some help or clarity, feel free to book in a 30 min Strategy Session with me so we can go over your goals. I’d be honored to help you unleash your potential.
Kennard Van Messem
High Performance Coach
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