REINVENTING NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
Why you should be focusing on building better habits, rather than goal-setting.
Every year, January 1st hits, and I say to myself "Okay seriously, get your shit together and let's make this a big year". Usually, I'll go buy myself a new notebook because I'm not bringing any old notebooks into this New Year (anyone else has a desk full of half-used notebooks?)
Then it's goal-setting time! I write down all the things I'm going to achieve:
1. No Takeaway lunches
2. Run a marathon
3. Learn Spanish
So I'll set my goals and off I go, with a sparkle in my eye and a spring in my step, full of enthusiasm, ready to kick this year's butt!
So far this story is probably sounding familiar to most ...
Flash forward to April. Works heating up, I'm always tired and busy suddenly, and when I get home I b-line straight for the couch ft. a wine... I'm starting to think that maybe NEXT YEAR will be my year...
So what's my point?
Goals are fine. But they don't come with a roadmap to achieving them, nor is it enough to simply have a goal. I can set a goal to have $1million and I can really want it, but wanting it is not enough
REINVENTING NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
So this year, let's change it up a little. Still, go and buy a fresh notebook (because, love!) but instead of writing down your goals, write down the things you're going to do on a regular basis, your habits. In the back of your mind, have an idea of where you want to be and what you want to achieve, but it's not what you're focusing on.
HABITS > GOALS
1. No Takeaway lunches / I will plan out my lunches for the week and prepare them every Sunday
2. Run a marathon / I'm going to go to the gym 3 days a week and run 3 days a week.
3. Learn Spanish / I will spend 10 minutes in bed practicing my Spanish out loud.
Finally, to ensure I don't forget, and to keep myself accountable, I'm ticking off every day I complete the habits I've set out to do using a simple habit tracker!
In a nutshell, when you set a goal, you often maintain the shitty habits that made you set the goal in the first place... When you flip it and focus on the habits, the goal will inevitably be achieved AND you've set yourself up for long-term success.