It’s that time of year when we start to look back on the past year and start making plans for the new year. Every year thousands of people make resolutions that THIS is going to be the year. THIS year they aren’t going to give up. THIS year is going to be the year the change. I say that is all hog wash. Don’t get me wrong. I was one of those people. I always set goals and most the time I achieved them, heck, I would even surpass them. Perhaps it’s because I am goal oriented. Give me a goal and a time frame and chances are, I will get it done. Before the dead line. But sometimes crap happens and life gets in the way. We fall short, we don’t hit the goal, or we barely hit them. That was the case for my 2018 goals. Boy did I have big plans for 2018, but you know what- life happens. Literally. When I found out I was pregnant late January of 2018, trust me- that was nowhere in any of my plans. You know that old saying “How do you make God laugh? Make a plan.” Well that’s what happened. Don’t get me wrong, being pregnant was not all that bad and I was able to give a wonderful couple a chance to grow their family. I couldn’t be happier for them. But between being put on exercise restrictions at the beginning of my pregnancy, then having complications at delivery, and THEN having to have my gallbladder removed- I was beginning to think I was never going to get back to working out and coaching. I have told many people that I am not going to make a New Year’s Resolution this year. Last year’s resolutions turned into a year of disappointments and disasters. But, I gotta say it feels weird to not make a resolution. Like I feel like I don’t know what to do with myself. Going into a new year without any goals seems to me like I am just sitting back and not taking action. Which isn’t the case, there are things I want to accomplish, but at the same time I have no desire to set myself up for disappointment, So I find myself coaching myself. I thought I would share some of the questions with you in case you are struggling with your new year’s intentions. WHY? Before you even start to think about what you want to accomplish in the new year, you need to ask yourself why. This is often one of the first things I asked people when I start coaching them. When they tell me what they want to accomplish I simply ask them Why? Why is this important to you? Why would it improve your life? Are you doing it because it is something you want to do? Or are you doing it because someone thinks you should. Let me tell you, if you are doing it for someone else- I almost guarantee that you will fail. I am not saying that to be harsh, but that is the reality of it. If you are deeply connected to your why, then you are much more likely to succeed. CAN YOU MEASURE IT? Often when talking about measurable goals we use the acronym SMART. To make a goal measurable, you are being SMART. First you want to make sure that your goal is specific. Losing weight is great, but it isn’t very specific. A better way to think about it is, “I want to lose 15 lbs.”. Next, we have to ask is it measurable. Well, yes, losing 15 pounds is measurable by using a scale. Thirdly we need to ask ourselves is it attainable? Losing 15lbs, is very attainable within a year's time. You may even be able to achieve that goal within the first 6 months or sooner. Now if someone said that they wanted to lose 115lbs in a year... that would be a little trickier. I would want to make sure that they knew it was a major life style change and it would be very difficult for them to achieve that goal. The “R” in a SMART goal, ties into “why” discussed in the last paragraph. You need to make it relevant. Again, ask yourself why this goal is important to you. And finally- make it time based. Set a dead line to get to the goal. WHAT'S YOUR PLAN? How do you plan to achieve this goal. You can make as many goals as you want, but a goal without a plan is just a dream. Are you willing to put the plan into action? Are you willing to do the work needed to achieve your goal? What is your road map to your goal going to look like? WHO WILL SUPPORT YOU? Who will be your support system? Who do you have in your life that you can count on to hold you accountable? This can be your spouse, your family, your friend, or your coworkers. It’s important to pick a support partner that won’t let you give up. You need some one that will be hard on you when you need them to be as well as someone who will encourage you when you feel like giving up. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO CELEBRATE SUCCESS?
This is one of my favorite things to do with my clients and for myself. How are you going to celebrate success along the way? The possibilities are endless with this one. Find something you truly enjoy and let that be your reward. Go back to wanting to wanting to lose 15lbs. Say you decided that you were going to start eating healthy. No more eating out at lunch. When you make it a full week of eating healthy and not eating out at lunch- reward yourself with a small treat. Maybe you really like ice cream? Go ahead and treat yourself to an ice cream cone. Maybe you have a goal to go to the gym 5 times a week, well if you make it 5 times in a week, give yourself the opportunity to sit back and watch your favorite show on Netflix. The important thing to remember with these rewards is to not let them derail the hard work you have put in. Keep them small. Trust me, one ice cream cone is not going to completely derail your hard work, just make sure you keep it to one. An evening of watching Netflix is not going to ruin your workout goals- just make sure you get off the sofa the next day and hit the gym again. So, there it is, these are the questions I ask myself when thinking about my intentions for the following year. What are somethings you are wanting to accomplish? How do you plan on accomplishing them. What are you going to do when you hit road blocks? Need help coming up with some ideas and solutions. Feel free to hit me up and we will work together on making 2019 a year of intentions.
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AuthorAmber Ames Archives
January 2019
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