Welcome to the last Wednesday of January 2020!
The last four weeks we’ve released articles based around New Year’s resolutions and why we seldom accomplish what we set out to do. Let’s review the past four weeks.
Week 1: Successful Goal Setting
Key takeaway: Set realistic and specific goals. Don’t try to conquer the world in a single day, but rather set goals that are both challenging yet obtainable. Create short-term goals that align with your long-term goal to keep yourself on track for the big picture!
Week 2: Accountability
You need to keep yourself accountable in order to achieve goals. Surround yourself with like-minded people who will always encourage you to do better and be better. Use a journal, phone apps, and calendars to keep you on track!
Week 3: Reward Yourself
When can you reward yourself? That’s up to you! Think of some awesome rewards for when you hit each milestone you’ve been working towards. Don’t let yourself go without some recognition for your hard work!
Week 4: Commitment
Stick. To. Your. Plan.
Commitment is one step past accountability. Stay committed to whatever goal you set out to achieve. If there’s anyone in life that you shouldn’t give up on, it’s yourself!
Now that it’s week five, we want to get a little personal.
Human nature despises change. Change can be terrifying, challenging, and almost always frustrating. Dipping your toes in unexplored waters can lead you down a road of anxiety and distress. It’s okay to feel scared anytime life throws you a curveball. It’s okay to feel frustrated when you try making changes in your life that aren’t going exactly as planned. It’s okay to get upset when your plans are going as planned, but you miss pieces of your life before now.
Change is a challenging road to walk down, and it’s okay to admit that to yourself.
Along any journey you choose to take, there will be setbacks. You will miss bits and pieces of your former habits. You’ll miss the freedom of not having to track what you eat, or watch what you spend, or live your life around a bunch of rules you made up for yourself. You might even start to become distant to some of your friends.
It’s okay.
Every time you encounter a setback, I challenge you to bounce back harder and stronger.
When you start to reminisce some of those old habits, remind yourself why you moved past them.
When you get worn out from all the hard work you’ve put in, stop and rest. Just don’t stay there for long.
If you start noticing the distance between some of your closest friends, remember that not every person is meant to stay. Some people aren’t meant to walk every step of your journey with you, and that’s okay!
Whatever you do, just don’t give up on yourself. Be kind, be loving, and be patient.
Since it’s the fifth Wednesday in January, how have you done with your New Year resolution so far? If you’ve been crushing it, I applaud you! Old habits die hard, and you’re living proof that you can overcome anything!
If you’ve struggled with your New Year resolution, be proud that you’re still trying! Believe in yourself that you can do this! You are so much stronger than you think.
If you’ve already given up on your goal, let me encourage you to try again. Take small steps in the right direction, and keep pushing past whatever is holding you back. Use the beginning of a new week as a time to revisit your goal. Try again, because you’re worth it.
The great things about goals is that you can set them, change them, rearrange them, pause them, and exceed them!
Whatever you choose to do in your life, choose to put in the work. Choose excellence over complacency. Choose excellence over old habits. Choose excellence over temptation. In all things you do – choose excellence.
Happy New Year to all of you reading. I hope you never give up on your dreams, and always keep your head held high. Cheers to a new year, and new beginnings.