Happy Friday! YAY!!!!!
It is getting to be that time of year where we reflect on the year we are releasing and dream and plan for the new one we are about to embark on!
Do you have a habit you want to kick in the New Year? Or a goal for something you want to add to your life?
Making a change in habits can be hard as our brain becomes wired in one habitual way and we basically have to work hard to rewire it into a new set of pathways and keep AT it until it is really ingrained otherwise the brain can be tricky and try to detour you back to an old path!
My 3 tips for helping kick a habit:
Write it down!
Making a public declaration of your goals helps to turn it from a wish into an action plan cause now it is out there in writing for you and others to see. You do not have to do it online you can write it down and pop it on the fridge or your desk at work!
Make sure your goal is SMART ...
Is it specific?
If your goal is too broad it is easy to get lost in the focus or direction you are going and feel defeated. So for example setting a goal for World Peace is WAY to broad - break that baby down into the goals you need to achieve with that as your end game!
Is it measurable?
How you are you going to know you have reached your goal? So for example I can say I want to loose weight - but that goal is not really a clearly measurable goal as in I could loose a pound and whoop technically someone could say I met my goal - but if my goal is to loose 100 pounds well I have a journey ahead of me! I might need to break that down into even more measurable goals in order to succeed at it! I want to reach a goal weight of 150 pound - that is more specific.
Is it attainable/achievable?
So again is your goal about setting you up for success? So going with the weight loss cause that tends to be a popular goal this time of year. If my goal is to reach a goal weight of 150 pounds but than I add in the idea that by a wedding that's 4 weeks away - well that might not be attainable or achievable unless you are starting at 158 pounds. Conventional advice on healthy sustained weight loss is to aim for a 2 pounds per week .... so to ensure your goal is attainable you need to figure out how many pounds you need to loose to get to your ideal weight and than if losing 2 pounds per week to help you determine what time line is needed to achieve that?
Is it relevant?
This is a tricky one for some - you need to dig deep and ensure that this goal is REALLY something that you are doing for YOU and that you are motivated by a need/want that is within you! An example for my own life - I am a former smoker! Started when I was 10 smoking the butts of my and my friends parents cigarettes in the gravel pit fort we had made and by the time I was 14 I was smoking a pack a day by the time I was in my 20's that was a pack and half or more! I tried to quit NUMEROUS times over the years because loved ones complained about it, because doctors came out and said it was dangerous, because society was starting to shame smokers and restrict where you could smoke .... all reasons that were NOT relevant to ME in any meaningful way. I finally quit when I herniated my disc and found myself immobile for months and the smoking on top of that started collecting in my lungs and I was waking up coughing up nasty crap ... now that was a RELEVANT reason to me because first GROSS but secondly have you ever coughed when you have a herniated disc or even if you have not herniated that if you've had an abdominal surgery - it is PAINFUL. I quit cold turkey because I was truly motivated to not have to experience that pain because of a nasty habit!
And lastly is it time based?
As mentioned early with the weight loss being attainable - having a realistic time line is vital when setting a goal! If your time line is unrealistic you are setting yourself up to fail from the start!
Set up a Support system!
Ask someone to be your accountability partner to follow up with you daily or weekly or however often you agree to check in with how your doing and cheer you on or help to put you back on track with your goal also helps with successfully kicking a habit!
Choose that partner wisely - you want to choose someone who actually been through what you are going through so they have understanding and empathy as well as the knowledge of what is going on. Someone who will actually HOLD you accountable to your goals, who can give you both positive feedback AND constructive criticism where you need it! Someone you trust to be both inspiring when you need it and that hard knuckle coach when you need that too!
Word your mantra as if you have ACHIEVED your goal! Something like "I have reached my ideal weight, I am able to run and play with my grand-daughter without pain. I am strong and confident and comfortable in my skin again! I am living my happiest and healthiest life surrounded by those I love.'
I know it sounds simple but in my experience those are the top 3 things to have success! It is basically setting SMART goals, accountability and gratitude for what you have now and will have when you get where you want to be!
You've got this and if you need an accountability partner - message me I love to help others rock their goals or come on over and join us on Facebook either in my Totallyawake4-life Community or my Totallyawake4-life & Nailin' It community or both they each off a bit different content focus on living a healthy happy life!
Margaret
Live, Laugh, Love
Be Totallyawake4-life
No comments:
Post a Comment