No More Never Ending New Years Resolutions

The first week of the year is almost over, and already some of those great aspirations and resolutions that people set a week ago have bit the dust. If you are one of those people, please just simply guide yourself back to what you really want to accomplish, but give it a try with the simple ideas that I will share with you in this article and then share it on social media so your friends can see it that have already stopped their resolutions also.

Please don’t kill me, but I just have to come right out and say it: I am not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions. I could go as far as saying, I believe most New Years Resolutions aren’t worth the paper that they are written on. You may be thinking, “What? A coach not in favor of New Years Resolutions, that’s preposterous.” Now before you disagree, let me take a minute and ask a simple question, How many of your resolutions have you ever kept?

Look around especially at your social media and you have probably seen your friends say this is the year that they are going to achieve that big goal. You may even look at what they have written and think in your head, “isn’t that what you said you were going to accomplish last year and the year before that.” Ironically, if you have posted something about a New Year’s resolution, they are probably saying the exact same thing about you and your resolution.
I have to say I have even done it for years myself, so I am not calling the anyone else out. I just want to bring it to your awareness.

What is the definition of insanity? Doing the exact same thing and expecting different results.
But, if you look around at new years, many of us would be declared insane. Because we all do it, we all are looking to achieve our resolutions, but most of us aren’t willing to make the new choices and do the new activities that it takes to accomplish them. We are all acting clinically insane and in a never ending trap.

Maybe, you remember a show on television when you were younger called Lamb Chops. It had a song called “The Song that Never Ends.” Maybe you went around singing it to your parents over and over and over until they kindly asked you to stop or they may have not so nicely told you to stop. I actually just looked this up on Youtube and some one created a 10 hour loop of this song. Now if you listened to that for 10 hours, it would probably drive you crazy. However, some of us have been in Never Ending Loops of resolutions for 10 years. Many of us have New Years Resolutions that never end. They are quite simply that — Never Ending Resolutions… And you have had the same one in 2019 as you did in 2018 as you did in 2017 as you did in 2016, As you did… I think you get the idea.

So how do we turn our Never Ending Resolutions into accomplishments?

“Dream Impossible Dreams, take It’s possible steps”

First, Dream Impossible Dreams – Read last weeks article for this one, but to sum it up, pick 3 laser focuses that you would enjoy and love to accomplish this year.

Second, Take it’s possible steps – the concept of baby steps has been around at least since the movie What about bob? However, I heard an interesting spin on it recently listening to an excellent coach, Rich Litvin. I had always had my client take steps to their goals, but often times they were pretty big steps. Rich presents the idea to do something every day towards the goal that you want. He recommends tiny things

For Example:
If your laser focus is to write a book. He recommends to simply write at least one word a day in your book.

If your goal is to lose 20 lbs. commit to get dressed in your gym attire and open the front door and close it behind you each day.

If your goal is to be a world famous actor, commit every day to read one simple Monologue each day.

If your goal is to learn to play the guitar, commit every day to pick up your guitar and place it in your hands.

These things seem very simple and that are, but as I have done for this for a little bit now, you will be amazed at the results that you get.

So create something that takes you about a minute to do, for the 3 laser focuses for the year, it will take you less than 5 minutes to make consistent effort on your goals. This may seem little but as a scripture I love says, “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass”.

When you make something simple and manageable you are much more likely to do it. More importantly you keep the thing you want on the top of your mind also every single day and the desire within you begins to often gradually increase until you actually begin to get excited about those goals you want to accomplish.

Third, if you have ever played a racing video game, often times you will have a check point that you must reach before time expires, if you do not your race is over. On the path of achieving our goals we too must have check points that we must reach. My personal check points happen weekly on Wednesday mornings. I have a set list of smaller goals that I must accomplish before I meet with my accountability partner, if I do not then I owe my accountability partner lunch.

At first, it was about not having to buy lunch and now it has become a matter of keeping my word to myself.

I can promise you if you set checkpoints with your accountability partner that you must reach weekly you will be that much closer to getting your goal

 “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates” – Thomas S. Monson

In our lives our race is not over if we don’t hit a check point but if you keep missing them you are not going to hit your goal.

So to sum it up what we have talked about make sure you do these 3 things and you will accomplish what you set out to this year.
1) Pick your laser focuses
2) Create Tiny steps
3) Create Checkpoints and hit them

Joseph